A local skier on his way up the international competitive-skiing ladder has been honored as the Colorado Ski Country USA male athlete of the year, reports the Aspen Times. Evergreen's Walter Wood has been making waves in the freestyle ski world for the last couple of seasons, culminating in an explosive 2008-2009 winter with an invitation to Aspen's Winter X Games, and a bronze medal in the U.S.'s inaugural World Cup half pipe competition. He also landed the sport's first-ever 1620 (four-and-a-half full rotations). Here's video of Wood at the World Cup: