NEW YORK – February 22, 2009 – Mason Aguirre won the snowboard superpipe competition Sunday in the Winter Dew Tour Toyota Championship and Shaun White earned the Dew Cup season title.
The 21-year-old Aguirre, from Duluth, Minn., began his winning run with a frontside 1080 melon grab into a Cab 1080 nose grab. He continued with a frontside 900 with a melon grab, a backside flat spin 540, an air to fakie and he finished with a switch alley-oop backside rodeo 720. He scored 94.50.
Steve Fisher of Breckenridge, Colo., was second at 87.00 and White, of Carlsbad was third at 81.75.
“Just going into today I was just more focused on me,” Aguirre said. “A lot of times when guys are riding so well in the finals it’s hard not to focus some of your attention on their riding. But today I just tried to have it all be about me and just have a good time. I haven’t won a contest since Australian Open so it was good just taking the top spot today and having it be legitimate.”
This was the second Winter Dew Cup for White, who captured the slopestyle title in Friday’s event.
“I wanted this Cup pretty bad so I knew I needed to just do well today,” White said.
In the women’s field, Australian Torah Bright won the event and Kelly Clark, of West Dover, Vt. earned the season title.
Her winning run began with an air to fakie into a cab 720, followed by a crippler. She is the only female snowboarder who does a backside 360 into a switch backside 720, her final tricks of the run. She earned 95.50.
“Surprisingly the weather is the only bad thing,” Bright said about the stormy conditions. “The pipe is actually in really good shape. It was slow in practice but once they salted it and it got a little colder, then it set.”
Clark was second at 90.00 and Hannah Teter of Belmont, Vt., was third at 83.50.
“For me the season has really been about the basics and the fundamentals of my riding skills,” Clark said. “So right now to win this series is a bonus because I didn’t set out with any goals of winning any series titles this year, so this is just like icing on the cake for me.”
White and freeskier Tanner Hall tied for male athlete of the year based on the highest overall points, and Clark and snowboard Spencer O’Brien tied for female athlete of the year.
Also awarded on Sunday was the Toyota Go Big Award, which was given to freeskier Bobby Brown and snowboarder Steve Fisher. The award is given to an athlete for their ability to “go big” and stand out from the competition. Both a snowboarder and a skier were recognized for showing remarkable determination, incredible tricks and amazing runs.
Tom Wallisch won the freeski slopestyle competition Saturday, his first tour event after missing the first two stops because of injuries.
The 21-year-old Wallisch, from Pittsburgh, had a few wobbles on his first run, but executed a flawless second run to score 92.83. Canadian Alexis Godbout was second at 91.83, and New Zealand's Jossi Wells was third at 90.50.
"I haven't been in too many big competitions, let alone live TV,'' Wallisch said.”I got a little overexcited and went a little too big at first, but I went back up and just tried to focus on what I was doing and just put it all into perspective. I just skied through the course like any other day in the park and I was able to ski through it and it worked out.''
His winning run began with a 270 on to pretzel 270 out on the box and a blindside misty 630 out on the cannon rail. He continued with a rodeo 900 with high mute grab into a switch tails over 270 disaster. He finished with consecutive switch 1080's on the last two jumps.
PK Hunder, of Norway, finished sixth in the event, but won the Dew Cup season title in freeski slopestyle.
"It means a lot,'' Hunder said.”I got injured last year so I was hoping this would be my comeback year so winning the Dew Cup is probably one of the biggest things out there, so I'm really stoked.''
Later in the day, Tanner Hall won the freeski superpipe competition and he also earned the Dew Cup season title.
Hall, of Kalispell, Mont., displayed consistency and amplitude on his second run which included a 1260, consecutive 900’s, an alley-oop flatspin 360 to a switch 900. He scored 93.75 points.
Simon Dumont, of Bethel, Maine was second at 92.50 and Colby West of Breckenridge, Colo. was third at 87.00.
“When I went down on my last run I knew I was either going to be first or second, and that’s always a good feeling,” Hall said. “It gave me confidence to just go out and lay it all on the line for that last run.”
As the Dew Cup champion, Hall supported the concept of the inaugural series.
“For the overall winner it shows a natural progression and a sign of consistency to the winners,” Hall said. “For all three stops you got to be on your game if you want to come out on top at the end, and I think it’s great.”
On Friday, Olympic gold medalist Shaun White won the men’s snowboard slopestyle Dew Cup with the overall points lead, but was edged to second place by Norwegian Torstein Horgmo.
“I was hoping to be up there with the Dew Cup in hand and drop in and have a fun run, and that’s kind of what happened,” White said. He is the first athlete to win a Dew Cup in both the summer and winter Dew Tours.
White finished with 89.67 points to Horgmo’s 93.50. Charles Guldemond of Truckee, Calif. was third at 88.00.
Horgmo’s winning run included a Cab 270 to fakie on the first rail to a switch boardslide 450 out on the second rail. He landed a frontside 1080 with an indy grab on the first jump, to a gap on the down flat down rail. He finished with a frontside 270, a backside 900 with a melon grab and a switch backside 1260 on the last jump.
“I don’t come here to beat anybody but myself,” Horgmo said. “Even though that run at that moment was better than everybody else’s today, it doesn’t mean I’m a better snowboarder than those guys. It’s cool to be up there with my friends today and be able to put down and see them ride hard. It was a good day.”
In the women’s field, Jamie Anderson of South Lake Tahoe, Calif. won the snowboard slopestyle event with a score of 87.50. Canadian Spencer O’Brien placed second at 87.17 and clinched the Dew Cup based on her points lead. Janna Meyen-Weatherby of Bend, Ore. was third at 81.50.
Anderson’s winning run began with a boardslide to switch out on the rail, to a cab 270 switch out on the second rail. She continued with a switch backside 180 to a boardslide switch out, a switch frontside 540, a cab 540 and finished with a backside 180.
“I was stoked to win here,” Anderson said. “My family was out here rooting me on so that’s always good moral support. I had fun at the last two Dew Tour events I went to. I’m stoked for Spencer.”
O’Brien said she was thrilled to be the first athlete awarded a Dew Cup in the inaugural Winter Dew Tour series.
“It’s pretty amazing,” O’Brien said. “I’m so stoked. This whole series has been really awesome and just so much fun. I was really nervous coming into this one, but to clinch the Cup has been awesome.”
Hip hop star and two-time Grammy winner Common headlined the Verizon Wireless music stage with opening band Tweak Bird following the snowboard competition. FUEL TV filmed the show for one of its half-hour "Check 1,2" shows. The show will air on FUEL TV on April 13, 2009 at 8 pm ET/PT and will re-air several more times in the coming month.
The four-day competition is the last of three stops on the tour that features men’s and women’s freeskiing and snowboarding disciplines. Approximately 26,300 fans enjoyed the Winter Dew Tour experience at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in California.
Winter Dew Tour Toyota Championships at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort
Friday, Feb. 20, 2009
Truckee, Calif.
Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals
1. Torstein Horgmo, Norway, 93.50. 2. Shaun White, Carlsbad, Calif., 89.67. 3. Charles Guldemond, Truckee, Calif., 88.00. 4. Dan Brisse, Richmond, Minn., 78.33. 5. Brandon Cocard, Truckee, Calif., 77.67. 6. Brandon Reis, Peterborough, N.H., 74.50. 7. Tyler Flanagan, Mammoth Lakes, Calif., 73.67. 8. Scotty Lago, Seabrook, N.H., 70.33 9. Mikkel Bang, Norway, 65.50. 10. Nick Poohachoff, South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 63.17.
Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Points
1. Shaun White, 280. 2. Torstein Horgmo, 260. 3. Mikkel Bang, 215. 4. Andreas Wiig, 190. 5. Sam Hulbert, 147. 6. Brandon Reis, 135. 7. Scotty Lago, 127. 8. Eric Willett, 122. 9. Daniel Ek, 121. 10. Charles Guldemond, 120.
Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals
1. Jamie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 87.50. 2. Spencer O’Brien, Canada, 87.17. 3. Janna Meyen-Weatherby, Bend, Ore., 81.50. 4. Chanelle Sladics, Newport Beach, Calif., 76.17. 5. Torah Bright, Australia, 69.00. 6. Christina Curry, Turner, Ore., 56.50.
Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Points
1. Spencer O’Brien, 280. 2. Jamie Anderson, 275. 3. Jenny Jones, 220. 4. Chanelle Sladics, 210. 5. Bev Vuilleumier, 185. 6. Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas, 170. 7. Christina Curry, 155. 8. Kimberly Fasani, 145. 9. Megan Ginter, 140. 10. Torah Bright, 115.
Winter Dew Tour Toyota Championships at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009
Truckee, Calif.
Men’s Freeski Slopestyle Finals
1. Tom Wallisch, Pittsburgh, 92.83. 2. Alexis Godbout, Canada, 91.83. 3. Josiah Wells, New Zealand, 90.50. 4. Sammy Carlson, Tigard, Ore., 89.83. 5. Charles Gagnier, Canada, 89.17. 6. Per-Kristian Hunder, Norway, 89.00. 7. Simon Dumont, Bethel, Maine, 85.67. 8. Nick Martini, Winchester, Mass., 85.50. 9. Mike Riddle, Canada, 83.00. 10. Bobby Brown, Breckenridge, Colo., 82.83.
Men’s Freeski Slopestyle Points
1. Per-Kristian Hunder, 230. 2. Alexis Godbout, 220. 3. Bobby Brown, 205. 4. Josiah Wells, 205. 5. Sammy Carlson, 185. 6. Henrik Harlaut, 170. 7. J.F. Houle, 165. 8. Simon Dumont, 146. 9. Charles Gagnier, 137. 10. Nick Martini, 136.
Men’s Freeski Superpipe Finals
1. Tanner Hall, Kalispell, Mont., 93.75. 2. Simon Dumont, Bethel, Maine, 92.50. 3. Colby West, Breckenridge, Colo., 87.00. 4. Kevin Rolland, France, 86.50. 5. Xavier Bertoni, France, 84.25. 6. Matthew Philippi, Breckenridge, Colo., 83.75. 7. Matt Margetts, Canada, 80.25. 8. Tyler Peterson, Sandy, Utah, 78.75. 9. Mike Riddle, Canada, 67.00. 10. John Strenio, Burlington, Vt., 62.75.
Men’s Freeski Superpipe Points
1. Tanner Hall, 280. 2. Simon Dumont, 260. 3. Justin Dorey, 220. 4. Duncan Adams, 169. 5. Colby West, 160. 6. Mike Riddle, 144. 7. Kevin Rolland, 135. 8. Xavier Bertoni, 135. 9. Taylor Seaton, 126. 10. Peter Olenick, 124.
Winter Dew Tour Toyota Championships at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009
Truckee, Calif.
Men’s Snowboard Superpipe Finals
1. Mason Aguirre, Duluth, Minn., 94.50. 2. Steve Fisher, Breckenridge, Colo., 87.00. 3. Shaun White, Carlsbad, Calif., 81.75. 4. Jack Mitrani, Stratton, Vt., 77.00. 5. Jarret John Thomas, Breckenridge, Colo., 73.75. 6. Ross Baker, Reno, Nev., 72.25. 7. Louie Vito, Bellefontaine, Ohio, 71.75. 8. Elijah Teter, Belmont, Vt., 70.25. 9. Michael Goldschmidt, Truckee, Calif., 58.25. 10. Scotty Lago, Seabrook, N.H., 56.00.
Men’s Snowboard Superpipe Points
1. Shaun White, 270. 2. Steve Fisher, 215. 3. Scotty Lago, 190. 4. Mason Aguirre, 181. 5. Danny Davis, 175. 6. Elijah Teter, 175. 7. Greg Bretz, 135. 8. Louie Vito, 130. 9. Jarret John Thomas, 108. 10. Kevin Pearce, 102.
Women’s Snowboard Superpipe Finals
1. Torah Bright, Australia, 95.50. 2. Kelly Clark, West Dover, Vt., 90.00. 3. Hannah Teter, Belmont, Vt., 83.50. 4. Ellery Hollingsworth, Darien, Conn., 80.50. 5. Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 78.50. 6. Elizabeth Beerman, Weston, Vt. 70.75.
Women’s Snowboard Superpipe Points
1. Kelly Clark, 280. 2. Hannah Teter, 245. 3. Elena Hight , 205. 4. Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas, 195. 5. Ellery Hollingsworth, 185. 6. Elizabeth Beerman, 160. 7. Molly Aguirre, 160. 8. Torah Bright, 128. 9. Charmaine Ironside, 115. 10. Kaitlyn Farrington, 105.
