For the last decade, 24-year Eagle County local and Weston Snowboards ambassador Mark Koelker has been judging snowboard slopestyle, halfpipe and big air contests around the world. He started judging World Cup events throughout Colorado and worked his way up to become an A-level judge, traveling to places like Sweden, Georgia (the country), Beijing and Switzerland for various events. In January, he will be at the Aspen World Cup and the Laax Open in Switzerland. In February, Koelker will judge the highest level of competition: slopestyle at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy.
“I’m excited, humbled and grateful for this opportunity,” says Koelker. “Traveling to Italy for the Olympics is the culmination of 10 years of work. When I was a kid, I watched every Olympic event with my family so to be there as the sole American snowboard judge is unreal.”
Photo by Ben Koelker
Koelker credits his friend Jeremy Lepore for convincing him to delve into judging. “I was never a ‘contest guy’ and always had a full-time job, so I wasn’t sure I had the time,” he recalls. But soon Koelker realized that judging the best riders in the world was worth exploring. He adds, “Being part of something this big is such a cool way to be involved in the sport I love most.”
SNOWSPORT HISTORY
Before making Colorado his home, Koelker and his brother Ben grew up on a farm in Wisconsin where they learned to ski at the local hill. He remembers their mother coaxing him onto the chairlift with doughnuts and then building ski jumps with Ben. A few years later, Koelker saw kids on snowboards and was so mesmerized that his schoolteacher father once borrowed one from a student. The rest is history. “I was obsessed with that snowboard, so I taught myself how to ride on the local hill and never skied again,” he reminisces.
When Koelker turned 12, his mother bought him his first snowboard — much to his father’s dismay. “Back then, snowboarders were considered punks and my dad didn’t want me to become that,” Koelker laughs. “He’s come around!” Every day after school, the brothers stacked wood to heat the family home and then drove to the ski hill. In 2001, Koelker moved to Eagle County.
Upon arrival, he immediately immersed himself in the snowboard community — which he found extremely welcoming — and earned sponsorships with Sapient Snowboards and Allyance Outerwear. “It quickly became clear that this was where I needed to be,” he remembers. “I met some of my best friends on chairlifts, at the local pizza joint and at the snowboard shop.”
Photo courtesy of Mark Koelker
Over two decades later, Koelker’s passion for snowboarding and connection with the outdoors remains strong. When he’s not judging contests across the globe, he’s enjoying adventures with Ben, his wife Jen, their dogs and their friends. As for the Olympics, Koelker almost doesn’t believe it himself. “It blows my mind that I’m getting this chance. I’ve judged Shaun White and get to high-five Mia Brookes. I’m still starstruck.”
