Men’s Superpipe Finals

Women’s Superpipe Finals

Men’s Slopestyle Finals

Women’s Slopestyle Finals

Men’s Ski Slopestyle Finals

Men’s Ski Superpipe Finals

Danny Davis – cr. Jennifer Huskey / Lat34

The first stop of the Winter Dew Tour wrapped up Sunday in Breckinridge, Co., and six athletes are each $15,000 richer.

It’s a record setting event—the first winter tour for the huge Dew/Alli empire, the first exhibition for women freeskiers, and unlike the one-week, one-stop X Games, there are three stops in the Winter Dew, where repeat winners can total up huge prizes  to rival the heavy money X Games. In addition, women winners in snowboard pipe and slopestyle will get paid the same as the men.

Shaun White got his loot for winning Saturday’s snowboard slopestyle contest, while nearly unknown Canadian rider Spencer O’Brien had the run of her life and ruled women’s snowboard slopestyle, scoring seven points higher than her closest competition.

But gasps of awe and screams of joy went to Breck local Bobby Brown, who won freeski slopestyle with ever bigger tricks as he rode his run, most of them switch, including a switch misty 1080—upside down and twisting—to a switch double rodeo 900 from the top of one jump, and spinning like a gyroscope off the others.

The show continued Saturday night under bright lights, when freeskier Tanner Hall shook off all the rest to land the first 1080 of his career—at the bottom of the superpipe. He went on with back to back nines, and tricked all the way to the bottom.

While there are lots of women who go big on boards, there are not yet enough women freeskiers who throw down well enough to contest for the best at the Winter Dew, so while there are women freeskiing pipe and slopestyle exhibitions, they’re not yet part of the official contests.

Sunday’s finals were bluebird all the way, after a week of qualifying and contests where the snow never stopped. “Today was the first day it didn’t snow, but we still had great competitions the whole time. In the open qualifiers, there were close to 250 athletes,” said Chris Prybylo, the Dew’s Vice President of Events.

The wrap up was total pipe, and Gretchen Bleiler continued her domination, with halfpipe amplitude rarely seen in women riders. Danny Davis won superpipe.

Prybylo said, “We didn’t have any double winners; nobody won more than one event. Shaun White won slopestyle and finished second in superpipe. I think everyone competed really well every day.”

He went on to rave about newcomer Bobby Brown. “He’s only 17, and I think he’s going to be a great athlete. He had an incredible run Saturday. All of these guys are competing for the Dew Cup. No one has the most points yet because it’s the first event. They are also competing for an overall bonus purse that will be awarded at the finals.”

When Prybylo was asked if hearty partying was underway, he hedged a bit, then diplomatically said, “they were in a contest, they wrapped it up. I think everyone’s going to enjoy themselves tonight.”

The Winter Dew Tour stops next at Mt. Snow Resort in Dover, Vt. on Jan. 8-11, then to the season finals at Northstar-at-Tahoe in Lake Tahoe, Ca., on Feb. 19-22. Each stop will have the Dew’s signature “Village,” concerts, bands and dancing in the streets.

For more about the contest, check out the Winter Dew Tour website.

Here are the podium results of all the events:

Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals
1. Shaun White, Carlsbad, Calif. 95.17.
2. Mikkel Bang, Norway, 92.33.
3. Janne Korpi, Finland, 86.17.

Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals
1. Spencer O’Brien, Canada, 85.00.
2. Jenny Jones, Great Britain, 77.33.
3. Bev Vuilleumier, South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 74.17.

Men’s Freeski Slopestyle Finals
1. Bobby Brown, Breckenridge, Colo., 90.50.
2. Josiah Wells, New Zealand, 89.50.
3. Henrik Harlaut, Sweden, 85.67.

Men’s Freeski Superpipe Finals
1. Tanner Hall, Kalispell, Mont., 90.75.
2. Justin Dorey, Canada, 85.50.
3. Duncan Adams, Breckenridge, Colo., 81.00.

Men’s Snowboard Superpipe Finals
1. Danny Davis – 94.75
2. Shaun White – 93.50
3. Scotty Lago – 90.00

Women’s Snowboard Superpipe Finals
1. Gretchen Bleiler – 90.25
2. Kelly Clark – 86.75
3. Elena Hight – 82.00

I’ve got a good feeling that this won’t be the only record the “Flying Tomato” will break during his long and illustrious career.  Shaun makes winning Gold medals look like it’s going out of style.  And you know Shaun is all about STYLE.  The guy virtually dominates every big competition that he practically enters.  I foresee Shaun being the biggest “action sports” fashion designer.  In order to do so, he’ll probably have to branch out into FANNYPACKS and MENS UNDERWEAR. 

On top of all his achievements, Shaun just completed another landmark achievement.  Shaun White was the first athlete to win a Summer Dew Tour event in skateboard vert and he continued that success on the Winter Dew Tour by becoming the first person to earn a winter victory.  White scorched the competition on Friday at Breckenridge Ski Resort, earning a 95.17 and capturing the first Winter Dew Tour men’s snowboard slopestyle title.

“I might as well go for it now,” White said.  “It was cool to just put my head down and bust through it.  I’m excited.  I’m doing all the stops so it’s nice to start out right.” 

Check out the Press Release Below…

With today’s victory, White now has a chance to become the first summer and winter Dew Cup champion.  White won the skateboard vert Dew Cup in 2007 and with his 25-point lead in snowboard slopestyle, he is the favorite to win a Dew Cup on the Winter series. 

 
In a day filled with firsts, Spencer O’Brien won the women’s snowboard slopestyle event and the first win of her career.  The Courtenay, Canada native dominated the competition, posting a score of 85.00, more than seven points higher than Jenny Jones, the second place finisher. 
 
Now O’Brien finds herself leading the season long point standings in the slopestyle discipline.  A strong finish at the second stop of the Winter Dew Tour at Mt. Snow Resort in Dover, Vt. (Jan. 8-11) and at the third and final event of the 2008-09 season, the Toyota Championships at Northstar-at-Tahoe in Lake Tahoe, Calif. (Feb. 19-22), and the 20-year-old could become the first women’s slopestyle Dew Cup champion. 
 
“The course was just amazingly built and a lot fun,” O’Brien said.  “Once I got over my fear it was awesome.”
 
The action continues on Saturday, with the men’s freeski slopestyle finals and the men’s freeski superpipe finals.  Bethel, Maine native Simon Dumont is looking to sweep the freeski disciplines this weekend.  He qualified first in the superpipe prelims on Friday and will attempt to duplicate his success in the slopestyle prelims tomorrow morning and the finals held that afternoon. 

Tokyo, Japan saw a great day of snowboarding as thousands of fans packed the ever so innovative Tokyo Dome for the highly anticipated Big Air competition at the 6 Star Swatch TTR Nissan X-Trail Jam.  You never would have guessed it was hot and humid outside if not for the short sleeve tee’s.  But who knows, boarders always find a way to wear their UNDERWEAR out on the slopes. 

In an outstanding final, Torstein Horgmo of Norway consistently pull out the best tricks of the night to win the second of two formats, but it was the Flying Tomato himself, Shaun White of Gnarlia USA, with the highest combined score from both the Big Air and the Quarterpipe who claimed the first 6Star TTR Title and 1000 ranking points of the 08/09 Season.  Each boarder was awarded with a cute hat for this winter’s snow season.

Is it going to be a dominant performing year by our favorite snowboarding fashinista?  Possibly. 

“I am stoked. I did not think I would do the event today because my legs were hurting from yesterday. But I tried my best and I am very glad I came.”  White now sits at Swatch TTR World No. 26 after just one competition of the 08/09 season, having posted two high-value results.

But the Flying Tomato still has his work cut out for him if he wants to catch up to Torstein Hormo who is in 3rd place and Chas Guldemond who sits atop of the leader board. 

The ESPN empire has announced the first in the ever-expanding lists of athletes who will compete in the 13th Winter X Games at Snowmass, in Aspen, Co. Of course, the leader of the list is Shaun White, the one name that probably won’t change. White is the star of the X Games (both summer and winter).

The lineup is as stellar as usual; meaning every top skier and snowboarder will be there. In fact, 160 athletes have already been invited to show their skills in skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling.

All the comps, which take place January 22-25, 2009, will be shown live; not only on ESPN cable, but on major network ABC.

ESPN announced that among those throwing down will be:

- Shaun White: Seven-time Snowboard Winter X Games gold medalist and 2006 Winter Olympic gold medalist
- Gretchen Bleiler: Three-time Winter X Games Snowboard SuperPipe gold medalist and 2006 Winter Olympic silver medalist
- Tanner Hall:  Defending Skiing SuperPipe champion and seven-time Winter X Games gold medalist
- Tucker Hibbert: Three-time Winter X Games Snowmobile SnoCross gold medalist
- Kees-Jan van de Klooster:  Winter X Games 12 Mono Skier X gold medalist
- Lindsey Jacobellis: Four-time Winter X Games Snowboarder X gold medalist and 2006 Winter Olympic silver medalist
- Travis Rice: Three-time Winter X Games snowboard medalist
- Sarah Burke: Two-time Winter X Games and defending Skiing SuperPipe gold medalist
- Daron Rahlves: Winter X Games 12 Skier X gold medalist and widely considered as the most accomplished speed skier in American history with 28 World Cup podiums and three World Championship podiums over the course of the last decade.

There will be more names added to the list; to keep updated, go to  www.expn.com.

Though X Games gold medalists get an automatic invitation to compete, other athletes are chosen by a selection committee which is made up of those who have experience with, and are totally familiar with, the sport.

And if you wonder about the description of ESPN as an empire, consider this: ESPN will be showing these X Games to 122 countries, from Africa to New Zealand. X Games competitions are global, and are held in Middle Eastern countries like Dubai, as well as Brasil, Malaysia, Mexico, China, Spain and many more. There are now X Games bikes and skateboards for sale. The network is a Mecca for action sports, and because mainstream media doesn’t realize how lucrative the action sports world really is, ESPN pretty much has the field all to itself.

That’s how empires are made.

Who says that you can’t play TENNIS in the city?  Or where does it say in the rulebook that COWBOYS aren’t allowed in a metropolis?  What can we learn from these examples?  When there’s a will, there is a way.  Especially with the cowboy.  I don’t know how he survived on the streets of NYC for so long.  We’re living in a different day and age and if these rural beings want to venture out beyond their realm, they should have the right to.

Snowboarding has joined the city phenomenon.    Join 16 of the world’s best snowboarders in New York City on the banks of the East River February 5th from 3 – 9 pm, as they compete to own a piece of a $100,000 prize purse at the 5Star Swatch TTR event. Red Bull Snowscrapers marks the debut of the largest snowboarding contest held in an urban setting in North America complete with top music acts (soon to be announced) and a spectator village located in East River Park (corner of Houston and FDR).  Read the Press Release below for all the info.

For the first-time ever, Red Bull will create an amazing 90-foot state-of-the-art structure for top riders to own the iconic Manhattan skyline. The athlete’s will drop in from a nine-story building before flying off the specially constructed kicker toward an immense 80-foot long hip. The innovative hip built by world-renowned designers Frank Wells and Mike Bettera of Snow Park Technology allows riders multiple angles of trajectory— frontside or backside, landing on either the right or left side of the massive 45-degree spine. Additionally, the groundbreaking ramp design will allow spectators to get up close and personal giving fans an opportunity to experience the action first hand as the riders spin roughly four stories into the sky.

New York spectators may deem them insane, but for the competitors, pushing the limits is a constant frame of mind. Although both their skill and style will be put to the test, the challenge here lies in the Red Bull Snowscraper’ s unique double-sided pyramid landing that pushes the envelope of big-air competition and rider adaptability.

With so many angles of approach, options, and opportunity, the athlete who ultimately conquers may be determined by their creative state of mind. And that creativity will be rewarded handsomely with hefty $50,000 to the winner. With so much on the line Red Bull left nothing to chance enlisting snowboard legends to judge the banner event soon to be announced.

Iconic snowboarders including Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White, freestyle / backcountry legend Travis Rice, ultra-progressive phenomenon Pat Moore and soon to be announced others will compete against the majestic backdrop of the East River and the New York City skyline in a contest that should prove to be the biggest winter event in the city.

The Red Bull Snowscrapers will join the ranks of the most prestigious snowboard events on the planet as a 5Star stop on the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour. “We are very excited to have the Red Bull Snowscrapers come on as a 5Star event on the TTR World Snowboard Tour” says Reto Lamm, President of the TTR World Snowboard Tour. “It is great to have another innovative Red Bull concept on tour and there is no better location then New York City to put this on. New York has a huge snowboard community and this will be a great opportunity to showcase our sport on such a large platform.” The TTR crowns a World Snowboard Tour Champion at the culmination of each season and pays out an end-of-season prize purse worth $200,000.

In conjunction with Oakley’ Week, Fuel TV’s “The Daily Habit” will look a bit different for a few days as they will temporarily relocate to downtown Breckenridge and Copper Mountain, Colorado.  This will be the first time the hit show will not be shot in Los Angeles, rather in front of a real mountain backdrop. 

Look for Oakley’s world class snowboarders including Olympic gold medalist, “The Flying Tomato” Shaun White, National Geographic Adventure’s “Adventurer of the Year” Gretchen Bleiler, two-time Olympic silver medalist Danny Kass, seven time X Games gold medalist Tanner Hall and many more to be featured in one-on-one interviews on Breckenridge’s Blue River Plaza, as well as on-hill shred sessions at Copper Mountain.

“FUEL TV is really excited about our upcoming partnership with Oakley,” says Scott Paridon, FUEL TV VP of Production and Development. “We look forward to featuring its world class athletes on ‘The Daily Habit’ in a completely new location. These shows will take FUEL TV to a whole new level and provide viewers with a fun and unique experience.”

Oakley / FUEL TV Presence at Breckenridge Resort:
Breckenridge “Blue River Plaza” Filming: Open To Public

* Schedule Subject To Change *

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
· 2pm to 3pm: Jake Blauvelt
· 3pm to 4pm: Seth Morrison

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
· 1pm to 3pm: Shaun White
· 3pm to 5pm: Gretchen Bleiler

Thursday, December 11th, 2008
· 10am to 12pm: Eero Ettala
· 12pm to 1pm: Danny Kass
· 1pm to 2pm: Tanner Hall and Simon Dumont

The airdates of Oakley Week on FUEL TV’s “The Daily Habit” will be January 12 – 16, 2009, make sure to check it out on Comcast channel 409 in Summit County, CO.

MTV and Target teamed up with Ubisoft to present the videogame with a huge launch party this past Tuesday at one of Hollywood’s coolest SHINY SHIRT Clubs, on the ever so SHINY SHIRT street, Sunset Blvd. Shaun White was the guest of honor. And in perfect theme with the night, all was “White”… the ladies, REAL snow, an antler chandelier and even a polar bear! The venue was decked with a snow lodge feel, open bars, and Shaun White Snowboarding video game stations throughout for all to test drive.

MTV’s reality TV show’s whose IT list was out in full form. Audrina from The Hills (never heard of her), Tila Tequila (Myspace chick?), Kelly Osbourne (dating LUKE HOWELL) and pro skater, Bam Margera were just a few of the celeb faces seen out in the crowd supporting the new video game launch. Check out some pics HERE.