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Peak Performers nominee: Brett Esser, snowboarding

Summit County local Brett Esser has transitioned into coaching some of the county's best young snowboard talent after a successful career as a pro halfpipe snowboarder.
Courtesy Dew Tour

Editor’s note: Readers nominated their all-time favorite Summit County athletes for Peak Performers: The Mount Rushmore of Summit County. Voting is live until March 7 at SummitDaily.com/peakperformers.

Nominee: Brett Esser
Sport: snowboarding

Brett Esser, an Iowa native and Summit High School graduate, was an accomplished slopestyle rider in his younger years, winning accolades right away with third-place finishes at the Mammoth Grand Prix in 2010 and 2011 and a first-place finish at the Canadian Open in 2010.



After relocating from Iowa, Esser joined Team Summit in the seventh grade and quickly was on the come up as one of the county’s best young riders on the slopes or in the halfpipe with Summit born-and-raised native Zack Black.

Transitioning into his pro career, Esser made the full-time move to the halfpipe and was one of the country’s most successful halfpipe pros through the past decade, competing in five X Games superpipe competitions in Aspen and Oslo, Norway, including a fourth-place finish in the 2016 X Games Aspen snowboard superpipe contest.



During his prime on the pro circuit, Esser was able to land a frontside 1260 in the 22-foot superpipe, a trick that complemented his elite ability to execute switch backside rotational tricks. Along with Esser’s success at X Games, he performed well at Dew Tour, including a fourth-place finish in 2014.

The avid skateboarder, who is known for having one of the best mustaches in Summit County, also has had an important role in grooming the next generation of the best snowboarders in Summit County. He’s been a role model for U.S. Pro Halfpipe Team riders and siblings Taylor and Arielle Gold, a 2018 Pyeongchang halfpipe bronze medalist.

And this year, Esser also has branched out to coach some of the county’s top talent, teaming up with Olympic gold-medalist coach Ben Boyd at Summit Action Sports Snowboard Coaching.

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