It must be pretty difficult being strapped in at the top of the drop-in of an icy, slow halfpipe as loads of snow fall from the sky - blanketing the trees and peaks around you. While you should be imagining your run and hits, you're getting the itch to just dip out and take some tree runs - pretty much a shit situation to be in. However, the competitors at the Copper Grand Prix sucked it up, laid it out, and got it done at the first U.S contest of the season. Louie Vito, Luke Mitrani, & Scotty Lago being the top dogs for men's halfpipe while Kaitlyn Farrington, Kelly Clark, & Rana Okada took the top three spots for the ladies. SNOWBOARDER and Hana Beaman got a hold of the winners for a hot second and asked them about the conditions and how they felt about the contest. - Lindsay Fraka

Watch full video here...

The 2010/2011North American competition season is now officially underway. With the conclusion of today's Grand Prix Halfpipe Finals at Copper Mtn. Co it appears as though the vertical scene hasn't gotten the memo that this is going to be an off year for the points chasers.

According to the Copper Facebook page 9" of fresh had graced the resort overnight. Well 9" was an understatement as thigh deep drifts enveloped much of the mountain. The all-time conditions appeased the pow hungry shreds looking to get some before the event but organizers were left with a panic to clear the decks and trannies of Coppers famed 22' U-Tube before the 11:30 start.

With the trannies swept the riders were left with a pipe that had firm walls and a packed powder flat bottom, which despite the best efforts of the Copper park and pipe crew is less than ideal. Nonetheless the international field persevered and put on a solid show.

For the ladies a first class international field found their way into the finals with all but two of the competitors veterans of the Vancouver Olympics. Riding well but encountering some untimely falls was Japan's Soko Yamaoka. Canada's Sarah Conrad, Spain's Queralt Castellet, America's Ellery Holligsworth and Australia's Holly Crawford.

Head on over to SnowboarderMag.com for all the details, results and photos with hilarious captions.

GrindTV Newswire, Via US Snowboarding: COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO (Nov. 30) - On the eve of the season opening Visa U.S. Halfpipe Grand Prix, U.S. Snowboarding's 2011 halfpipe teams were announced Tuesday alongside the cavernous 22-foot halfpipe at Copper Mountain. Highlighting the 17 riders named to the Pro and Rookie Team rosters are five Olympians including two-time Olympic medalist Kelly Clark (Mount Snow, VT) Olympic silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO) and two-time Grand Prix champion Louie Vito (Sandy, UT).

The team was in Copper tuning up for the Saturday, Dec. 10 Visa U.S. Halfpipe Grand Prix, the opening event of the three-stop tour.

"With five Olympians returning to the Pro Team and the amazing talent on the Rookie Team, the 2011 U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe program is better than ever." said U.S. Snowboarding Director Jeremy Forster. "We're looking forward to carrying the momentum from the 2010 Olympics into this season."

Returning to the eight rider Pro Team are two Olympic medalists, Clark and Bleiler, plus three fellow Olympians. Among those riders are Vito, World Cup winner Greg Bretz (Mammoth Lakes, CA), 2010 Mammoth Mountain Grand Prix runner-up Elena Hight (South Lake Tahoe, CA) and Kaitlyn Farrington (Sun Valley, ID), who came on strong at the end of the 2010 season earning Pro Team status.

"I'm really stoked to be on the Team," said Vito. "We have a good squad of people on the Team and it's not just about the Olympic year, it's every year."

Vito should know. The Ohio native already owns a pair of season-long Grand Prix crowns and helped lead the charge among riders pioneering the double corks during the Olympic season. Vito's charismatic personality pervades the sport and was showcased a year ago when he was a standout on ABC's Dancing with the Stars dancing with Chelsea Hightower.

While Clark and Bleiler were in the spotlight once again last year, the rookie Farrington was making her own waves with a post-Olympic gold in the Euro-X Games, the Dew Tour title and second in the U.S. Open.

Hoping to join former Rookie Team riders, Vito and Farrington, on the Pro Team in the near future are nine riders from the ages 16-20. Like the Pro Team, the Rookie crew consists of many returning riders including Matt Ladley (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Zack Black (Breckenridge, CO) and newcomer Paul Brichta (Burnsville, MN).

The Rookie Team, first deployed for the 2008 season has been an amazing proving ground for young talent.

Although 2011 isn't an Olympic year, the stakes are still high for these riders as they begin to progress the next wave of tricks that will be launched in 2014 in Sochi. The 2010 season was all about the double cork, make sure to stay tuned to see what will be the tricks of 2011.

The teams will ride a diverse slate of events, foremost among them the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix with halfpipe stops in Copper Mountain and Mammoth Mountain. Other majors on tap include the Dew Tour, X Games and U.S. Open. The Rookie Team will also mix in some World Cups and Revolution Tour stops.

2011 U.S. Snowboard Halfpipe Roster
(Name, Hometown, Date of Birth)
* Denotes Olympian

Pro Team
Clair Bidez, Minturn, CO, 8/7/1987
Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 4/10/1981*
Greg Bretz, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 12/19/1990*
Kelly Clark, Mount Snow, VT, 7/26/1983*
Kaitlyn Farrington, Sun Valley, ID, 12/18/1989
Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 8/17/1989*
Ellery Hollingsworth, Stratton, VT, 9/2/1991
Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 3/20/1988*

Rookie Team
Lizzy Beerman, Weston, VT, 7/18/1991 **
Dylan Bidez, Minturn, CO, 9/11/1990
Zack Black, Breckenridge, CO, 8/1/1990
Paul Brichta, Burnsville, MN, 8/24/1991 **
Matt Ladley, Steamboat Springs, CO, 5/17/1991
Kelly Marren, Hillsborough, CA, 8/22/1991
Madeline Schaffrick, Steamboat Springs, CO, 4/24/1994
Broc Waring, Edwards, CO, 6/3/1992
Ben Watts, Bend, OR, 9/6/1993

** Attending Westminster College in Salt Lake City as a part of U.S. Snowboarding's partnership program.

P: Courtesy of tignes.net

Colorado native, Eric Willet, finally got his at the European Winter X Games. After taking home the silver in the Winter X Games in Aspen, Willett stomped his run in Tignes to get the Gold. With a tiring and demanding eight feature course at the event, all the riders seemed to be leaning toward the haggard side with their strength running thin. However, after a night of drawing runs and brainstorming, two Americans, Sage Kotsenburg and Eric Willett, landed the top two spots on the podium, followed by Slovenia's Marko Grilc.

Willett's gold-worthy run was made up of a half Cab 5-0 to backside 180 on the "Railway to Heaven", Cab 9, back 7, front double cork 1080, one clean backside rodeo, switch back 9, 50/50, and a double back rodeo. Chasing after him with the silver was the Dew Tour Slopestyle Champ, Sage Kotsenburg.

Men's Slopestyle Final

1st - Eric Willett 91.00
2nd - Sage Kotsenburg 85.33
3rd - Marko Grilc 83.66
4th - Stephan Maurer 82.66
5th - Chas Guldemond 70.66
6th - Christian Haller 67.66
7th - Travis Rice 50.33
8th - Iouri Podlatchikov 49.33


P: Courtesy of tignes.net

What the women's superpipe lacked in faces that have been blasted all over the media with the Olympic frenzy including Kelly Clark and Gretchen Bleiler, it did not lack in banger riding.

With most riders admitting that it'd be impossible to take on Olympic gold medalist, Torah Bright, it didn't seem like it would be much of a different result than that of Vancouver. However, the spectators and competitors were proved wrong by 20-year-old Dew Tour Superpipe Champ, Kaitlyn Farrington with her first X Games gold.

Going into finals it was head to head with Torah in the lead, but when Farrington laid down her second run loaded with a text book back 9, inverted frontside 7, Cab 7, and an alley oop 5, all was said and done. It earned her a 97.00, moving her above Torah's 95.00 top score. Rounding out the podium with the bronze was France's, Sophie Rodriguez.

Women's Superpipe Final

1st - Kaitlyn Farrington 97.00
2nd - Torah Bright 95.00
3rd - Sophie Rodriguez 87.00
4th - Mercedes Nicoll 82.33
5th - Ellery Hollingsworth 79.00
6th - Kjersti Oestgaard Buass 78.66

France scored a gold and silver at home in Men's Ski Superpipe on Wednesday night when Kevin Rolland and Xavier Bertoni both threw down technical and difficult runs. Rolland's run, however, was unmatched. His winning run was complete with two double flips and double cork 1260 mute grab. He was the first skier to ever throw this in competition at the Winter X Games in Aspen and the only skier to land it in competition. These two frenchmen were more than stoked to claim the number one and two spots.

The bronze belonged to Canadian Justin Dorey with his back to back doubles.

Men's Ski Superpipe Final

1st - Kevin Rolland 95.66
2nd - Xavier Bertoni 92.00
3rd - Justin Dorey 86.66
4th - Mike Riddle 85.00
5th - Byron Weels 84.33
6th - Jossi Wells 82.66
7th - Tucker Perkins 80.33
8th - AJ Kemppainen 75.33


P: Courtesy of tignes.net


More final results to come!

The whirlwind of the 2009-2010 Winter Dew Tour has come to a close after the final event this past weekend at Mount Snow. With a different overall atmosphere and vibe resulting from the timing of the Winter Olympics and the shocking monumental injuries, this competition was an emotional roller coaster surrounded by drama and what seemed to be lack of interest. Many big names were missing from the last stop of the Dew Tour because of a little thing called being on the US Olympic team, so this provided a huge window of opportunity for the rookies to get in the spotlight. Regardless of speculation and which prime time events were being aired simultaneously, the riders didn't let it affect their riding or their attitudes. Who knows if they even noticed? They were there to thrown down, and throw down they did. Here are the final winners in each event:

Men's Freeski Slopestyle - Andreas Hatveit

Men's Freeski Superpipe - Jossi Wells

Men's Snowboard Superpipe - JJ Thomas

Men's Snowboard Slopestyle - Sage Kotsenburg

Women's Snowboard Superpipe - Kaitlyn Farrington

Women's Snowboard Slopestyle - Jamie Anderson

In the men's freeski events, Andreas Hatveit's performance at each stop was mind blowingly consistent and flawless. He was at the top of the podium in Breckenridge and then had a 2nd place finish at Snowbasin and came into the last stop of the Dew Tour tied with Tom Wallisch. This Norwegian Dew Tour newbie took home first place in Vermont along with the title of freeski's Dew Tour champ in slopestyle.

The race for first place in men's freeski superpipe was filled with top dogs like Simon Dumont, Jossi Wells, Xavier Bertoni, and Peter Olenick. After a final balls out, crowd pleasing run from Simon Dumont that landed him in first place at Mount Snow, it was Jossi Wells who ended up with the overall Dew Tour win. This kiwi had nothing to complain about after a stand out season so far that rightfully earned him the championship.

Now for the drama that is men's snowboard superpipe. After the crash of Kevin Pearce that hushed crowds across the nation, Danny Davis' almost perfect journey to the Olympics followed by a spinal injury that took him out for the rest of the reason, and many other top riders missing due to Team USA rules and regulations that restricts them from competing in any event before the Olympics, we begin to wonder, was this year's Dew Tour doomed from the start? In a difficult time, it's hard to focus on an event like the Winter Dew Tour when it seems like there are so many bigger and more crucial things to be worrying about. This year's Dew Tour was fighting for appreciation against the looming shadow of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics along with the fact that the last stop was being aired the same weekend of the NFL Superbowl. Well, I hate to disappoint but the athletes still left in the fight for the championship could care less about Peyton Manning or the Saints, and I believe the energy of the upcoming Olympics and their fallen friends only inspired their riding.


JJ Thomas was the epitome of inspired. Coming out of hibernation in the contest scene, JJ let everyone know he hadn't lost his edge. With his top performances in superpipe alongside stiff competition, Thomas seemed very relaxed and just stoked to be riding. Although he was not selected for the U.S.Olympic Snowboard Team, his riding this season has been impressive and fluid. JJ Thomas took home the Toyota Championship title and the Dew Tour Cup followed by Steve Fisher and the injured Danny Davis.

Keeping up with the big dogs, at 16, Sage Kotsenburg became the youngest athlete ever to be named the Winter Dew Tour Cup Champ in men's snowboard slopestyle. Torstein Horgmo, Tyler Flanagan, and Eric Willet all had their own bag of tricks at each stop but Kotsenburg was hungry for the win and stomped his way to the top.

Women's superpipe also had a lot of familiar names missing after the announcement of who will be heading to Vancouver on Team USA. Again, this allowed for some young guns to duke it out for top honors. Kaitlyn Farrington and Kelly Marren seemed to be the top two contenders for the Dew Cup. At the last stop of the tour, 15-year-old Maddy Shaffrick threw down a solid run that ultimately gave her a second place finish at Mount Snow. Rookie Kaitlyn Farrington was ready to bring it on her second run through the pipe. With a clean inverted 720 (the only chick to do so), a huge 540, and consistency and style throughout, Kaitlyn earned her spot on top of the podium and the Dew Tour Cup in her hands.

One event that did not follow the trend of surprising or unexpected was women's snowboard slopestyle. Jamie Anderson seems to be competing with herself these days and continues to come out on top after winning in Vermont and the Dew Tour Champ title. However, all these ladies were ready to lay it all out on the course. Coming into the last stop, Spencer O'Brien, Jenny Jones, and Anderson all had equal chances to take home the Cup. The girls were going huge with massive spins and throwing down presses that put most guys to shame. Ultimately, it was Jamie's last run that was deemed one of the best female slopestyle runs in Dew Tour history (scoring a record 96.25) that clinched the win. It was complete with text book tailpresses, perfect boardslides and frontboards, an insane switch backside 540, frontside 720, and was rounded out with a floater of a backside 180. The rest of the gals just couldn't hang after that.

Congrats to all the competitors and winners of the Winter Dew Tour. You can all breathe now. Sit back, relax, and get ready to see what our U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team has in store for us.