It was a perfect bluebird day for the Halfpipe finals at the Swatch TTR 6-Star Burton US Open, and the temperatures stayed cold making for a nice fast pipe. It was a heated competition with so many transition specialists in attendance, and with his third place finish, Kevin Pearce (USA) has become the new 07/08 Swatch TTR Tour Champion. Shaun White (USA) once again destroyed the competition, claiming both the Slopestyle and Halfpipe US Open Titles and moving into TTR World No. 4 as Torah Bright (AUS) also left everyone in her dust, taking home the Women’s Title and moving back into Swatch TTR World No. 1.

Mason Aguirre (USA) set the bar early in a no-limit final show down, as Kevin quickly pursued. Shaun, though, reminded every competitor of his flawless skill and pipe dominance, stomping the most perfect pipe run since the 6-Star Burton European Open. But every rider was charging the pipe with the utmost precision. 9s, 10s, Mctwists and double-overhead airs; it was an onslaught of insane technical amplitude.

The chase for the Swatch TTR Tour Lead came down to the bitter end. With Risto Mattila (FIN) out of the finals, the race narrowed down to just Kevin Pearce and Peetu Piiroinen (FIN). Peetu, who finished the season at TTR World No. 2, never backed down, but didn’t seem to have what it took to catch up to Pearce, who was fighting with White for the US Open Halfpipe Title. In the end it was White who would walk away with the Title, his flawless winning run consisting of an insane FS 10 stale off the first hit, a cab 10 into his signature FS inverted 5 stale, a huge McTwist, and a FS 9 with a BS 9 ender.

Mason Aguirre held on to this 2nd place throughout the entire finals after stomping a sick corked BS 5 indy, riding right into a FS 10 tail, a corked cab 10, a FS 9, and ending with an alley-oop to FS 7 Kevin Pearce however, rounded out the Top 3 with a solid first run and riding huge all day, with a styled out BS crail, followed by a FS 10 tail, a cab 10, a FS 9 stale, finishing with a monster McTwist. His run awarded him with the 07/08 TTR Tour Title and $50 000 USD.


Torah Bright set the bar early in the finals, breaking away from the pack with a near flawless run that consisted of a BS 3 indy, a switch BS 7 mute, a BS 5, a melon to fakie and ending with a cab 7 nose grab. Gretchen Bleiler (USA) however, didn’t back down with a huge FS 9 on her first hit. Kelly Clark (USA) brought out the big guns on her second run though, making the battle for Women’s Tour lead extremely close for the third and final run.

After washing out on her last attempt, Torah was left riding on her first run. Kelly Clark was unable to top her second run’s score, a run that included a mega FS air to BS 5 mute, FS 5, a huge method, to FS 9, ending with a big backside air. It was up to Gretchen Bleiler. But a strong effort from the US rider including a first-hit FS 9, to lofty BS air, a crippler, an indy into a FS 7 and into a cab 3, was not enough to give her the lead, placing Bleiler in Third, Clark in second and handing over to Bright the US Open Halfpipe Title and Tour lead.

The Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour continues with the exciting, final women’s event in Mammoth, California, the 6-Star Roxy Chicken Jam, where the women’s Swatch TTR Tour Champion will be declared. Check out www.ttrworldtour.com for updated rankings, news, blogs and fresh videos from the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour and the 6-Star Burton US Open.

Final Results for the Burton US Open Halfpipe

Men

Shaun White USA
Mason Aguirre USA
Kevin Pearce USA
Peetu Piiroinen FIN
Markus Malin FIN
Ross Baker USA
Scotty Lago USA
Kazuhiro Kokubo JPN
Broc Waring USA
Kim Rune Hansen NOR

Women

Torah Bright AUS
Kelly Clark USA
Gretchen Bleiler USA
Soko Yamaoka JPN
Manuela Pesko SUI
Ellery Hollingsworth USA
Clair Bidez USA
Mercedes Nicoll CAN
Lindsey Jacobellis USA
Elizabeth Beerman USA

[Photos © Rick Levinson]

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