Aspiring Olympians start their journey young. Take Shaun White for example. His well-documented Olympic journey began with grainy videos showing him winning local competitions long before anyone knew his name.

One day, his practicing became more serious. Somewhere along the way, his dreams began to morph from wanting to become a professional snowboarder to wanting to make it to the Olympics. Eventually, he set his eyes on an Olympic medal, then multiple gold ones.

Silverthorne resident Everest Kubick, 7, has some of those same dreams despite his young age. Even though he’s only been snowboarding for five years, Everest’s dreams are backed by strong supporting evidence.

The young rider recently placed third in the 7- to 8-year-old boys age division of the snowboard halfpipe competition at the USA Snowboard and Freeski Association National Championships at Copper Mountain Resort on April 3. He recorded a top run score of 67.50. Everest also placed 11th in the slopestyle competition while representing his three sponsors Never Summer Industries, Phunkshun Wear and Airblaster.

Everest couldn’t have been more pleased with his performance at nationals, as shown by his ear-to-ear grin while he recalled the experience with the Summit Daily News.

“Honestly, Everest exceeded all of our coaches’ expectations,” said Everest’s Team Summit coach Richard Bennett. “He was going higher than I have ever seen him go in practice, and he did a couple of alley oops right at lip. That kid was just on fire, and it showed in his riding. He added the style in freestyle.”

Everest has been competing since last year and has won Rocky Mountain Series regional competitions, but placing third in the halfpipe at nationals was his biggest feat yet.

What makes the accomplishment even more impressive is the fact that he only trains with Bennett and his Team Summit teammates once a week instead of three times a week, like his other teammates do, since he is so young.

Everest stands out on the slopes not because of his age but because of his genuine love and passion for the sport.

“At lunch, Everest is that kid that after 10 minutes asks if we can go snowboard,” Bennett said. “He’s the one kid that is always itching to go ride even if he is not riding at his top shape. He just wants to go snowboard.”

Bennett also expressed that Everest has an amazing ability to take feedback and immediately work to implement it. When he receives criticism about a run, he immediately tweaks his approach by the next time he cruises down the mountain, Bennett said.

Decked out in camouflage long johns and snow pants after a school-sponsored ski day, Everest articulated his love for the sport while he explained his ultimate dream for his boardning career.

“I like having fun and learning new things,” Everest said. “I learned how to do a 360 this season, which was hard at first, but then it was easy once I got it. Someday I want to be a pro snowboarder.”

Everest’s biggest inspirations in the sport include a strong group of Olympians including White, Mark McMorris and Silverthorne residents Red Gerard and Chris Corning, all of whom were once in the same shoes as him and longing to make their mark on the the snowboarding world.

With plenty of time to continue to grow as a snowboarder, Everest’s future could not be brighter. He will continue to train with Bennett for at least the next three to four years before he has the opportunity to break onto the teenage snowboard circuit.

Bennett hopes Summit County gets to hear more of Everest’s name as he continues to fly high while waiting for his breakout moment.