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

Nominee: Chris Hawks
Sport: freestyle skiing

Now the director and head coach for Team Breckenridge’s Freeride Team, Chris Hawks is a three-time X Games participant and the 1999 X Games gold medalist in triple big air.

After more than two decades competing, Hawks turned his attention toward coaching and founded Hawks FreeRide, a pioneer of the free ride movement. Since 2001, Hawks’ athletes have gone on to participate in major competitions, including Dew Tour and the World Cup.

Hawks first moved to Breckenridge in 1993 to compete for Team Breckenridge in mogul races. He soon evolved his skiing to take part in most anything freestyle, from more of a free ride feel to a hybrid of pole vaulting and skiing at the Ford Ranger Freeride Series.

After injuries derailed his competitive career, Hawks founded the Hawks Freeride team in 2001, his first squad consisting of seven local kids hitting the Breck slopes seven days a week.

On the snow, Hawks also has judged almost every high-level freeride contest, including X Games and Dew Tour.