BRECKENRIDGE — Local brothers Jake and Zack Black are both shredding the superpipe in the Winter Dew Tour, but there’s no bad blood in this competition.

“Everyone’s wishing for everyone to do their best,” said Zack, 18.

He and Jake, 20, are world-class athletes with several sponsors; they’re both on the Breckenridge Pro Freeride Team this season, once again.

They take the 80-foot jumps, land the gnarly tricks and rock the pipe.

They each were in about 10 competitions last season.

Zack pre-qualified for this week’s superpipe events.

Jake planned to compete in Thursday’s qualifying round, but an ugly storm postponed the event until today.

He shrugged off the gnarly conditions, citing the necessity of the white stuff.

“It’s easier when it’s clear,” he said, “but you’ve got to have the snow.”

The brothers are no strangers to snow days, having spent much of their lives on the slopes — they were on the mountain before they could walk.

“Backpacks with babies in them – we were in those,” Jake said. “It’s kind of in our blood.”

He said he prefers snowboarding to skiing, in part because the training is such fun.

“It’s definitely really serious and difficult,” he said, “but it’s just such a good time that I wouldn’t call it training.”

As part of the Breckenridge team, they take such classes as injury prevention and sports psychology — which instructs them how to focus when in major competitions.

“You try to blank out everything else,” Zack said. “You’re not thinking about anything else besides what you’re about to do.”

Jake said that in the pipe competition, he runs through the sequence in his head before it starts.

“I think about making it look good, take deep breath right before I go, and drop in,” he said.

The two are lifelong locals, having been raised in Keystone. Jake now resides in Breckenridge. Their talents have afforded them trips to other mountainous places such as Italy, New Zealand and several across the United States.

Both prefer Breckenridge Ski Resort to the rest.

“It’s my home,” Zack said. “If it’s sunny out I’d be here better than anywhere else in the world.”

The two said their skill improves each year. But Jake said he has to be careful not to push himself too early in the season.

“Every year I get so amped up for the first contest that I get hurt — I get too pumped up,” he said. “When you land it feels great. Sometimes when you don’t, it doesn’t feel very good.”

He’s broken his collarbone into pieces, and broken his wrist, arm, torn his meniscus and had several concussions.

“It’s a good list of injuries,” he said.

Zack, unbroken to date, knocks on wood.

This is at least the second year for the brothers to be on the Breckenridge team.

Jake’s accomplishments include a fifth-place finish at the Tamarack Grand Prix Superpipe in 2007, top 10 finishes at the 2008 Tamarack Grand Prix Superpipe and Killington Slopestyle competitions, and winning the Burton Am Series in Pipe in 2008, according to Breckenridge Ski Resort.

Zack, one of the team’s youngest members, has accrued such accomplishments as a fifth place finish in the Tamarack Grand Prix Superpipe in 2008, sixth place at the 2008 FIS Junior Worlds in Italy, and overall champion of the 2008 Revolution Tour Superpipe competition, according to the resort.

He was pre-qualified for the Dew Tour Superpipe competition.

“I don’t know exactly their criteria – it just kind of happened, I guess,” he said. “I did decent last year in pipe contests.”

Jake rides Flow boots, bindings and boards. Zack rides a Unity Origin snowboard — made in Summit County.

The two said they enjoy the snowboard culture, as it’s in contrast to more traditional sports.

The positive atmosphere is nice, Jake said.

“When your friend rides really well, it’ll pump you up,” he said.

Zack said seeing other people do tricks motivates him to learn more.

“It’s not about me beating anyone else,” he said. “It’s about getting out and competing.”