World Event News

Europe’s version of the Winter X Games are back in Tignes for the third successive year. 150 of the world’s best freestylers will descend on the famous French resort, along with thousands of fans, to compete in eight disciplines between the 14th and 16th of March.



www.snowboardclub.co.uk/events-wxe12.html

The whole show will be streamed live from 15.30 tomorrow on extreme.com. If you look closely you might see me waving my Union Jack as SCUK gets behind the good Jamie Nicholls.

TTR and WSF are pleased to announce the confirmed rider field for the World Snowboarding Championships taking place February 10th-19th in Oslo, Norway. Over 200 men and women from over 25 countries around the world, including 3-times TTR World Tour winners Peetu Piiroinen (FIN) and Jamie Anderson (USA), 2012 X-Games winners Mark McMorris and Torstein Horgmo (NOR) as well as Olympic gold medallist Kelly Clark (USA), will compete for the Slopestyle and Halfpipe World Champion 2012 titles and $500,000 in total prize money.

The UK's Billy Morgan and Jamie Nicholls will compete in Men's Slopestyle, whilst Ben Kilner will represent in the Men's Halfpipe. Aimee Fuller and Laura Berry compete in Women's Slopestyle and Kate Foster in the Women's Halfpipe. Jenny Jones has said she won't be competing.



With this immensely strong gathering of athletes in competitive snowboarding, spectators around the globe can expect a massive dose of action in the halfpipe and on the slopestyle course. More than a 100 independent TV stations will broadcast the WSC worldwide.

TTR Pro Snowboarding, World Snowboard Federation and the WSC organizers in Oslo are pleased to welcome the athletes to the first World Snowboarding Championships for snowboarders by snowboarders since 1999.

A final round of Wildcards for influential riders, who weren’t able to qualify through competition in the past year, were handed to: Olivier Gittler and Arthur Longo from France to enter the Halfpipe contest. The Women's Halfpipe contest sees Elena Hight (USA) join the start field.

The confirmed riders have been anticipating the World Snowboarding Championships for over a year now and can’t wait to drop in and ride the world-class Slopestyle course and Halfpipe. ‘The WSC is the most prestigious competition in Freestyle snowboarding in 2012, and I am very honored to be a part of it. We have all been focusing on this the whole season, it’s that time to show your stuff’ says Belgian Seppe Smits.Hosting country Norway will warmly welcome many of their favorites in the Oslo Vinter Park Arena, such as Torstein Horgmo, Gjermund Braaten and Stale Sandbech in the men’s field, and Kjersti Ostgaard-Buaas, Silje Norendal and Linn Haug in the Women’s competition.

Henning Andersen, event director: ‘Oslo is ready for the action: The snowpark is in good condition and the final phase of the shaping process has started. The city of Oslo is welcoming everyone to the biggest sports event in 2012.’

The complete overview of all confirmed athletes can be found at www.wsc2012.com / www.ttrworldtour.com

The world’s top snowboarders unite at the iconic Bergisel Stadium in Innsbruck to throw down their tricks, fight for the title and lay claim to the prestigious Ring of Glory.

On the 4 February 2012, 20 charged riders and live music acts SIDO and Beatsteaks will gather before 15,000 amped spectators for the final 6 star event on the TTR Big Air World Tour.

Joining the action will be burn units
Ståle Sandbech - recently scored 3rd place at Air & Style Beijing
Ulrik Badertscher - holds the title for Air & Style Beijing
Werni Stock - won 3rd place in 2011
Marco Grigis - new comer to the contest & eager to show what he can do

New This Season At Air & Style

New for this season and spicing up the event is the burn jib section. Separating the rippers from the rookies, the new section demands creative flare and masterful rail skills. Having landed the jump, riders must cruise the burn jib section which now consists of the burn can and two massive 8m rail stair sets (one straight and one double kinked). The burn jib section will now count for 20% of the riders overall score.

Burn Fire & Steel Rail Contest

Following the success of last year and setting the scene for the Saturday action, burn will host the Friday night burn Fire & Steel rail contest. Taking over Innsbruck’s most historical boulevard, 20 riders will shred the burn stair set, as crowds line the streets. Live music from Indie rock band The Heavy accompanies the action. To add to proceedings and build suspense, the rider draw for Air & Style will be announced amid the action.

Afterparties - Let Burn Fuel Your Fire

And it doesn’t end there… burn will be fuelling the official after-parties across the city. Bring your lederhosens and dancing shoes, raise your steins and prepare to party all night long.

Check the official teaser film at www.burn.com/en_GB/movers/air-style.html

As part of the SCUK Winter Bash to Mayrhofen, Austria next week, SCUK are taking in the Billabong Air & Style down in Innsbruck on Saturday 4th February. We fully expected Jamie Nicholls to be there, but had to scratch him off our Christmas card list earlier in the week when he said he'd be preparing with the Nike team for the following week's World Snowboard Championships instead.

Anyway, we had a nice surprise yesterday evening to get a message from Jamie to say he would indeed be competing, probably having considered at length the possibility of not getting his usual picture of a robin on a spade handle this December. He's in the list of Qualification Riders as he aims for a place in the final and the coveted Rings of Glory!



The jump is coming along nicely and the SCUK Crew are looking forward to waving our hastily ordered Union Jack (should it arrive in time) at the Bergisel Stadium.


www.air-style.com/en/id-2012-billabong-air-style-innsbruck/news.html

Need a lift to Mayrhofen?

If anybody needs a lift out to Mayrhofen leaving the UK this Friday evening, a reminder that SCUK has places on our coach picking up at SNO!zone Castleford, Tamworth SnowDome, Hemel Snow Centre, London and Dover. Details here.

White had already sealed up the win in Run 1 after posting a score of 94.00, beating out Swiss rider Iouri Podladtchikov, who came close with a 93.00, and Japan's Ryo Aono. But White was determined to unveil his newest trick, a frontside double cork 1260. He fell attempting the trick in Run 2, then nailed it on the final wall of his victory lap in a run that included a massive 18-foot backside air, a fronstside double cork 1080, a Cab double cork 1080, a frontside stalefish 540, a double McTwist 1260 and the frontside double cork 1260. White is officially the only person to have ever landed a frontside double cork 1260 in competition.

The UK's James Stentiford finished 4th in today's Courmayeur leg of the Swatch Freeride World Tour.

In the men's snowboard, Backstrom the American just gets better and better. Taking a line on the extreme riders right, Backstrom patiently worked the upper face as he transitioned into his first drop of the day which he executed with a silky smoothness. He then glided his way across the face to a steep and rocky section where he dropped no less than three cliffs in quick succession. Backstrom has that something that only the very best athletes have - he makes it look easy.

Backstrom said: "I'm very happy, the conditions were great for high-speed airs. I rode my preferred line, I stayed fast and fluid."

In second place was the 27 year old Austrian Max Zipser who chose the most popular line of the day on the right hand side. Max quite simply got the job done; clean, fast, fluid and controlled. A beaming Max said: "What a great day with great snow. I hit my line exactly as I wanted, took some nice jumps. I really felt in control and comfortable up there." Rounding off the podium was Douds Charlet from France who continued his early season run of podium finishes.







[Photo: J. Bernard/FWT]

With a foot of fresh snow falling over night, the expert F-Tech shaper crew pulled out the stops to make Kronplatz, Italy, proud with an immaculate kicker for the 3rd stop of the Nike Chosen Series.

From the off, local brothers Daniel (Back 7 Melon to shifty) and Oliver Reichegger (Front Rodeo 5 Stiffy) took the event by the reins, laying down a huge variety of spins and double grabs which saw them sail into the finals.
Joining them in the 10-man cut was Alex Reiner (Front 7 double tail) and David Mahlknecht (Front 10 Melon).

With a judging format that looks for a variety or tricks and spins each way in favour of single bangers, the finals saw the biggest variation of double grabs so far on the 9-stop tour. Daniel Reichegger was consistent throughout using the kicker and the bonk feature in equal measure giving the judges a stoke with a floated miller flip, classic stylish Cab 5s, a maverick back 5 double nose grab and a backside 9 nose grab - the award for MVP (most valuable player) was never in doubt.


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The UK's James Stentiford finished 7th in the Chamonix leg of the Swatch Freeride World Tour.

The men's snowboard contest saw local Chamonix rider Douds Charlet take first place followed by tour newcomer Ralph Backstrom from the USA and another French rider Aurelien Routens in third.

Rock solid in Revelstoke, Douds was again on the top of his game taking a creative line on the extreme lookers right of the face. He was smooth and clean throughout, a text book Freeride lesson for any youngsters with world tour ambitions. "It's great to win at home in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. I threw a front side 360 at the top and dropped four cliffs overall. I tried to stay fast and clean and I think I achieved that."



American Jackie Paaso who delighted everyone with one of her trademark cliff jumps in the lower part of the face took first place in the women's ski . Behind Jackie in second was Angel Collinson also from the USA and who seems to podium at every tour stop. In third, making it a great day for New Zealand riders, was Janina Kuzma. After her win, Jacky said: "I chose a line that suited my style and everything went to plan with two airs high in the face and another towards the end. I'm really looking forward to the next contest in Norway:"

The women's snowboard contest was won by US rider Maria Debari: "I was not expecting to win at all although I did ride my chosen line." In second was French rider Margot Rozies who has started the season in great form and in third was another American rider Shannan Yates.



The Swatch Freeride World Tour now moves on to Italy with a quick transit to Courmayeur-Mont-Blanc for the third men's ski and snowboard contest of the season.

[Pictures: J. Bernard]

Great snow conditions and bluebird skies welcomed the many young amateur riders who gathered on the 14th of January in Avoriaz, France, for the first stop of the Burton Park Jam Tour. Arriving from Italy, France and UK, the attending shredders aged 10 to 17 found a perfectly shaped slopestyle course where to perform their best tricks and impress the judges during the 3 scheduled jam sessions of 45 minutes each.


© Nick Collins

The crew from La Chapelle Snowpark has done a wonderful job in preparing the contest set-up, allowing riders to get very creative on the 3 available lines set in the higher part of the course: a kicker-line made of 3 kickers with medium and large take offs and followed by bonking features, and 2 rail lines beginning with a tree-bonk and followed by a 5 meters down rail, a flat box and a C box. In the lower part of the park, riders could finally choose between a down-flat-down-rail and a C-box followed by a bonking-bowl or an up-down box, and ending with a massive S-shaped box.

With such an amazing set-up, Burton team rider Niels Schack commentating the action and a cheerful attending crowd, the riding level went immediately very high in both rider categories. And it went even further after the official Burton Park Jam Tour BBQ and the DJ-set provided by DJ Yoplayer, which allowed riders to recover energy before the third and final session.



In the Mens class (15 to 18 years), local French riders dominated the scene since the very beginning and secured all three podium places throwing out massivebackside 7’s, inverted 5’s and rodeo flips on the big kicker-line. 17-year-old Nicola Savaye (FRA) ended on the highest step of the podium followed by comrades Tom Picamoles (FRA) and Simon Moscit (FRA). Theo Ramon (FRA) won the Boys class (14 years and younger) in front of 10 year old Jake Binnee (GBR) and Loan Bozzolo (FRA). To watch the official edit of the event, please head to http://youtu.be/aau9MGFD7N4.

BPJT 2012 Final Results - Avoriaz, France

Kids (14 years and younger)
1. Theo Ramon (FRA)
2. Jake Binnee (GBR)
3. Loan Bozzolo (FRA)
4. Gautien Gallas (FRA)
5. Mathis Bozzolo (FRA)

Mens (15 to 18 years)
1. Nicola Savaye (FRA)
2. Tom Picamoles (FRA)
3. Simon Moscit (FRA)
4. Dylan Pecchio (ITA)
5. Paul Meyniez (FRA)

With the stop in Bardonecchia, Italy, being postponed to February 19th due to poor snow conditions, the Burton Park Jam Tour 2012 will now continue in Bialka Tatrzanska, Poland, on February 4th.

On Tuesday this week 13 year old snowboarder Becky Menday from Waddesdon, was competing in the Protest World Rookie Fest slope style competition in Livigno in Italy. This event is a 3 star Swatch TTR World Championship event and points from this would add to the current World ranking.

The competition is held over two days with 128 competitors from all over the World showcasing their best tricks on a course consisting of three 13 to 18m kickers (jumps).

Becky attended the competition as one of three girls from the Junior GB Freestyle team. All three girls made it through to the finals after the qualification was cancelled and had to compete against 28 other finalists. The event was split into two age categories with the Groms for the under 14 and the Rookies for the under 17. Each girl had three judged runs with the highest scored run counting for their final score.

Becky's best run scored 90 points and this put her into 4th place in the Groms category only one point off a 3rd place podium position.

Becky said "I am so pleased with this result as I actually scored more than the 3rd place in the older rookie category."

Her fellow GBR girls where also within the top ten places, Nathalie Silkstone age 15 placed 7th in the Rookies and Ayla Thidling age 11 placed 8th in the groms. Great results for the girls in the GB team.

Becky said "The whole event was great fun, I really enjoyed riding with my friends from all over Europe".

The start of next month will see Becky competing in the second leg of the World Rookie Fest in Avoriaz, France and at the end of February Becky has been confirmed as 1 of only 10 junior girls to compete in the prestigious Burton European Open in Laax in Switzerland.


GBR Girls from left to right, Nathalie Silkstone, Becky Menday, Ayla Thidling © Keith Silkstone

Snowboarding legend Travis Rice is aiming to discover the best all-round snowboarding talent in the world when Red Bull Supernatural hits British Columbia, Canada next month.
Rice's event format will bring together today’s best video part stars with the kings of the contest circuit for a one-day freestyle competition.

Red Bull Supernatural will take place in the 32,000 acres of Baldface Lodge, one of Canada’s top backcountry snowcat operations. Deep in the Kootenay Mountains of British Columbia, the 45+ degree slope known as 'Scary Cherry' will host over 80 man-made features which took a crew of loggers five months to construct.


Part of the event area of Red Bull Supernatural © Danny Zapalac/Red Bull

The one-day competition will take place on one of six scheduled days between February 3 and February 8 to ensure the best possible conditions – a mix of deep powder, good sunlight, and safe conditions.

Judges will base scores on overall impression, and hope to see lines that contend with even the best video parts, which Rice calls, “the control by which the state of snowboarding and progression is compared from year to year.”

With three distinct sections of the course designed to show off each athlete’s strength as well as the various disciplines of the sport, Red Bull Supernatural aims to serve up a run beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.


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Once snow accumulates on the features, a series of tree-line jumps, pillow lines and more will emerge in the upper section of the course, challenging even the most seasoned backcountry riders. The middle section will be host to an extra-wide super-kicker where fresh powder landings will be kept intact so all the riders can throw huge, progressive tricks. In the lower section of the course, a jib and rail garden will provide the final on-hill playground.

“An event like Red Bull Supernatural calls upon all necessary skills; the ability to ride natural terrain, to navigate down big mountain lines, to ride powder, pillows and adverse, crazy obstacles. Most importantly, the course will call on one’s freestyle knowledge and experience, forcing riders to integrate that into one’s all-mountain riding,” says Rice. “Running an event like this, we’re hoping to see riding that in one contest run contends with and challenges the video part segments that come out every year.”

The single-day competition will run on only one of the six potential waiting period days during the February 3-8 window, ensuring the event takes place under only the best possible conditions:

“The contestants are basically on a cat-boarding trip," says Jeff Pensiero, owner of Baldface Lodge. "They’ll be shredding lines, eating good food, hanging out, playing ping-pong and enjoying each other’s company that week. And then they get to have a wicked contest on the nicest day of the week!

“It’s a snowboarding contest that will truly determine the best all-around snowboarder in the world," Pensiero continues. "I'm excited to see the different aspects of snowboarding represented and riders competing on this custom-made stage.”

Travis Rice talks about Red Bull Supernatural from FreestyleTV.NET on Vimeo.

The MMXII space shuttle is preparing for lift-off as the world’s top snowboarders get ready for orbit at the 13th annual Burton European Open presented by MINI from February 25th – March 3rd at LAAX/Switzerland. Some of the sport’s biggest names like Mark McMorris, Kazuhiro Kokubo, Jamie Anderson, Kelly Clark and Hannah Teter are confirmed to compete at this year’s Burton European Open.

Riders to Watch

Riders to watch include Finland’s Roope Tonteri, who is defending his 2011 BEO slopestyle, Belgium’s wonder kid Seppe Smits, who kicked off his season with a win at the Pleasure Jam and local Swiss hero Christian Haller, who is currently sitting in the #1 spot of the Overall TTR Ranking. Canadian Mark McMorris will travel all the way back to Switzerland, which seems to treat him well as hejust won in Davos. 2011 US Open Halfpipe Champion Kazuhiro Kokubo (JPN) will be in attendance and showcase his smooth style in the Halfpipe event.

On the women’s side, Olympic Gold Medalist Kelly Clark will defend her 2011 BEO halfpipe title. She won every Burton Global Open Series (BGOS) halfpipe contest last winter and kicked the current season off with a win at the New Zealand Open last summer. Fellow US rider and Olympic Gold Medalist Hannah Teter, Cilka Sadar (SLO), the current leader of the TTR Overall Ranking, and two-time TTR Champion Jamie Anderson will all ride in LAAX. Also in attendance will be 2011 US Open slopestyle winner Enni Rukajärvi (FIN) and Canadian slopestyle rider Spencer O’Brien, who just came in first at the Davos event in early January.

Titles, Cash and Glory

The 13th Burton European Open, a 6Star TTR event, offers lots of prestigious titles, cash and championship points for participating riders, who will compete for top honors in Women’s, Men’s and Junior’s slopestyle and halfpipe competitions. A total prize money purse of US$125.000 is up for grabs as well as additional cash for the second generation of the Creative Use of Space (CUOS) Award, presented by MINI. The male and female rider with the most creative and progressive tricks in the halfpipe and slopestyle will each win US$ 5.000. Additionally, US$ 5.000 will be awarded at the end of the season to the resort shape crew that built the most creative CUOS slopestyle featuresduring the 2011/12 Burton Global Open Series. Next to prestigious titles and lots of cash, riders will earn valuable points towards the TTR and Burton Global Open Series ranking lists, which will contribute to the crowning of the TTR and BGOS Champions a week later at the 30th anniversary of the US Open in Stratton, Vermont.


Seppe Smits BS10 at BEO11 © Blazek

Live Acts

Besides next level snowboarding action, the BEO offers a great selection of evening events, including top music acts. Friday, March 2nd, the “Space“ theme-party will rock the Riders Palace Club with the Turntablerocker DJ set. On Saturday, March 3rd, Trouble Andrew and Reptile Youth will perform live for an unbelievable finale of the 13th annual BEO.

BEO Party & Concert Tickets (www.starticket.ch)

Friday, March 2nd, 2012: Spaceparty & Turntablerocker DJ Set; Tickets: 20 chf
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012: Live on Stage – Trouble Andrew, Reptile Youth, BRIGHT SHADES & KOOBRA (Starboard, FIN); Tickets: 30 chf

Schedule

Saturday, Feb. 25th, 2012: Slopestyle Junior Contest
Sunday, Feb. 26th, 2011: Halfpipe Junior Contest, Slopestyle Pre-Qualification Men
Monday, Feb. 27th, 2012: Halfpipe Pre-Qualification Men, Slopestyle Qualification Women & Men
Tuesday, Feb. 28th, 2012: Halfpipe Qualification Women & Men
Wednesday, Feb. 29th, 2012: Slopestyle Semi-Finals Women & Men
Thursday, March 1st, 2012: Slopestyle Finals Women & Men
Friday, March 2nd, 2012: Halfpipe Semi-Finals Women & Men
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012: Halfpipe Finals Women & Men

All who can’t make it to LAAX can watch the action from Feb. 29th – March 3rd, 2012 on the live webcast from the Burton European Open on www.redbull.tv and www.burton.com.

Space Mission calling!

Fans of Burton Europe on Facebook can now win a VIP Package to the Burton European Open for two - travel, housing, lift-tickets, concerts and goodie bag included! Head over to Facebook for your chance to win.

Further information can be found on www.opensnowboarding.com, www.facebook.com/BurtonEuropeanOpen and www.facebook.com/BurtonEurope

The perfect conditions in Funasdalen, Sweden for the second stop of the Nike Chosen Series for AMs saw riders travelling upwards of 1000KM from all corners of the country to compete. With a 15m table and17m to the sweet spot, the kicker and lollipop jib feature had a seeing to by 35 riders in the qualis with a cut to a 10 man final.

Under a floodlit park and a light snowfall the crowd were treated to a demonstration of style and tech; Andreas Giervaldsaeter (BS 900 Corked Melon), Simon Ahlvu, (BS Rodeo Handplant on the lollipop) and Joel Andersen (BS 360 Nosebonk).

The winner of the MVP was judged to be Joel Anderson who threw it down all day and will be given an invite the Nike Chosen Sessions in April to session with the Nike Pros on a purpose built park and the chance to be the overall “Chosen Rider”.

Nike Chosen Series - 02 Sweden Funasdalen from Nike Action on Vimeo.

From 21 to 24 February 2012, 80 riders will descend upon the resort of Livigno to compete in Slopestyle and the Burn River Jump for their piece of the $50,000 prize pot. Representing the burn units will be Arthur Longo, Werni Stock and Ulrik Badertscher who claimed 1st in Slopestyle and 3rd place in the River Jump last year – not bad for a few days’ work…

Once again the title of Burn Jib Master will be up for grabs. A sought after title awarded to the finalist who best exhibits true talent, technique and creativity across multiple course obstacles. Reigning titlist Jamie Nicholls [GBR] will no doubt be returning to defend his crown.

And before you think about bedding down for the night, get yourself to the official Burn after-party. Pumping DJs, amped crowds and an abundance of burn to fuel the party, it’s guaranteed to be a top night. For more info on the event and the parties check burn.com

Taking place in the final stages of the Ticket To Ride Snowboard World Tour (TTR) 2011/2012 between two 6 star events – the World Snowboarding Championships and the Burton European Open –the BURN RIVER JUMP is playing a major and decisive role this year: due to the fact that the best four results are counting for the TTR Slopestyle Tour Champion 2011/2012 the BURN SLOPESTYLE CONTEST in Livigno is one of the last opportunities for the riders to collect prestigious points for their ranking. Winning at a 5 star event like the River Jump earns riders 850 points, comparable to position 4-5 on a 6 star level contest.



For riders who want to compete in a field of world class snowboarders, online registration is open until February 17th, 2012 at www.burnriverjump.it. All interested male riders should register for the BURN SLOPESTYLE CONTEST now. The riders will be selected based on their ranking position on the TTR slopestyle points list released closest to the day for selection (Feb. 17th, 2012) until all 80 spots are filled. The top 10 riders out of this competition are automatically qualified for the highlight of the event, the BURN RIVER JUMP.

Thursday night will feature the BURN RIVER JUMP finals. The top freestylers will wow the crowd thanks to the amazing set-up over the river “Spoel” in the center of Livigno. Riders can choose among different solutions to cross the rivers’ gap and to win the title ”Burn River Jump Champion”, taking home the biggest part of the prize-money cake.



Created by Burton Snowboards Italy and supported by the partners Burn, APT Livigno, SkiPassion and Mottolino, the Burn River Jump 2012 will guarantee stunning freestyle action in an unique Italian atmosphere.

Mark the date, come to Livigno and check out some of the world’s best riders rocking the Mottolino Swatch Snowpark and the kicker at river “Spoel”.

As we reported yesterday, the UK had a number of young riders competing at the Protest Rookie Rider Fest. Yesterday's qualifications saw Rowan Coultas through to today's grom finals and 5th place and Jake Terry finishing 22nd.

All the boys above him are Norwegians from the Norwegian Snowboard School.

They ran out of time yesterday for the girls' qualifiers so they will run this morning with both finals this afternoon.

Grom Boys

Rank Bib Last Name First Name Nationality Sponsor Birthdate Best Run
1 78 ROISLAN MONS NOR DC, OAKLEY, SEET,SWAG 28/01/1997 248,0
2 82 EILERSTEN HAAKON NOR BURTON,SWAG 02/03/1997 242,0
3 83 TISCHENDORF FRID SAETHER NOR 29/03/1997 241,0
4 76 KLEIVDAL STIAN NOR BILLABONG, K2, VONZIPPER,AERIAL 7 29/04/1997 236,0
5 12 COULTAS ROWAN GBR VANS, ADIDAS,CLAST, TSA,GRENADE 21/06/1997 198,0
6 53 LINDMOSER ALOIS AUT BURTON, TIGAS, WEAZLEWEAR 12/02/1997 170,0
7 115 ZULIAN EMIL ITA BURTON, ANON, RED 22/08/1997 164,0
8 25 STATE TIT SLO ELAN,686, ADIDAS, EYEWEAR 10/11/1998 139,0

9 8 SPITTERS JESSY NED K2, ELETRIC, UNCLESBOARDSHOP 02/04/1997 136,0
10 36 BURCH DARIO SUI SPECIAL BLEND,DOODAH 15/03/1997 135,0
11 117 GANZ NICOLA ITA NITRO, RAIDEN 26/11/1997 107,0
12 21 VANDERVEYAR STEF BEL 686, CAPITA,SPY,UNION, 08/06/1999 106,0
13 49 HED EDWIN SWE SMITH, STICH N STONES, LIB-TECH 10/06/1997 96,0
14 27 KRALJ KOS MAX SLO FREESTYLE SNOWBOARD SHOP 13/09/1997 94,0
15 126 FEDERICO CHIARADIO ARG RIPCURL, BURTON,ANON, RED 23/03/1997 88,0
16 43 CLIVAZ PIERRE SUI RIPCURL,K2 16/07/1997 83,0
17 135 LIVIERO NICOLA ITA NITRO,100-ONE 23/04/1999 83,0
18 37 HERMANN YANNIK SUI O'NEILL,DRAKE, NORTHWAVE, SMITH, LEVEL 01/05/1997 70,0
19 111 FRAMARIN LORIS ITA 03/16/1998 69,0
20 96 PAJER MIKI CZE ANALOG, ANON,RED,BURTON 10/10/1997 61,0
21 9 THIO DANIEL NED NUL15.NL, 015 09/03/1997 56,0
22 16 JAKE TERRY GBR FLOW, BILLABONG, AMPLIFI, FBBB, NXTZ, DAKINE 02/07/1998 55,0
23 4 VAN BAUNHORST ZIGGEY NED FLOW, OAKLEY, POW, FREESTYLESHOP 20/07/1998 51,0
24 23 RUMMENS JENS BEL IMPERIUM, 06/08/1999 49,0
25 24 DEMEY DIETER BEL 25/01/1997 46,0

For more results, check out Facebook.

The TTR 3Star Protest World Rookie Fest 2012 started yesterday with 126 riders from 17 nations standing out as the biggest event of the World Rookie Tour ever. The UK's entrants included Jake Terry, Becky Menday, Ayla Thidling, Nathalie Silkstone and Rowan Coultas.

Despite the wind storm damage of last week, the Mottolino Swatch Snowpark looks in perfect shape thanks to the crew of shapers who spent night and day to create the perfect set up for the crowd of rookies just arrived in Livigno. The 8th edition of Protest World Rookie Fest is starting now with the qualification day at the snowpark and the cable-snow contest with a prize money of 1000 € cash free in the afternoon.

Also the UK's Jake Binnee came second at the TTR 2Star Burton Park Jam in Avoriaz on Saturday in the under 14. This was his first ever European comp, so well done to him too.

Rookie Fest qualification was today and the finals tomorrow.

www.worldrookietour.com

Qualification

The Protest World Rookie Fest 2012 is on fire with tons of action at the Mottolino Swatch Snowpark and in the new Cable Park in Livigno downtown. Day 2 of the event saw the first trainings for the 126 riders in the starting list: they all shred the slopestyle set up including 3 table top and ending in a multi rail obstacles still to be completed. In the afternoom the Protest Cable Session happened in the center of Livigno awarding a 1.000€ prize money to grab in a "cash for trick" contest.

Protest World Rookie Fest 2012 in Livigno: Training Day from Board.tv on Vimeo.

But the Protest World Rookie Fest is not just about competing. The program of day 2 included also the workshop "Wanna be a Snowboard Pro" by Bob Klein from USA. Bob was one of the very first pro ever, today he is in the "snowboard hall of fame" and he works as a professional athlets manager in Octagon, world leading company in this particular market.

Cable Session and "Wanna Be a Pro" workshop @ Protest World Rookie Fest from Board.tv on Vimeo.

Moreover Red Bull UK pro Jamie Nicholls join the Protest World Rookie Fest in Livigno to shred with the participants. Rumors says that he will spend the next 2 days in the Yeti suite!



More pictures on Facebook.

The Protest World Rookie Fest in Livigno is organized by the World Snowboard Federation in collaboration with Board Riders, and it was made possible by Protest Boardwear, Ride Snowboards, Surf To Live and Snowpark.it, Swatch Mottolino, Livigno Tourist Office and Skipassion, energized by REDBULL supported by Tech Riders and CHUCKBUDDiES. You can follow the Protest World Rookie Fest on our international media partners Onboard European Snowboard magazine, Cooler, MPora, Entry and Board.tv.

In his third appearance at the event, Finnish rider Juuso Laivisto claimed his second first-place finish at China’s 5Star TTR Red Bull Nanshan Open. “It’s been awesome to see how the event has grown the last years, since I won it the first time, when it was still a 4Star. I was stoked with my win, it was definitely heavy competition today. The others were just a little unfortunate I think.” Juuso said. 2nd in this last 5Star Slopestyle competition before the World Snowboarding Championships in February, was Sam Hulbert (USA), before Roope Tonteri (FIN) rounding up the podium.

With judges including Michi Albin, Ingemar Bachman and Scotty Wittlake in charge of narrowing yesterday’s 12 top-ranked riders down to four for the afternoon’s Super Finals, the level of riding was significantly elevated from the qualification round as riders gave their all for promises of fame, glory and of course the TTR points and prize money. After two runs each, USA’s Sam Hulbert would enter the Super Finals ranked first, followed by Juuso Laivisto, Roope Tonteri (FIN) and Teddy Koo (KOR).

Juuso Laivisto claimed first place on his second run, going huge with back-to-back bs900 mute, followed by a 50-50 to method on the polejam, bs lipslide on the downrail finishing off in style with a tweaked out fs360 nosebonk on the Red Bull cube. Roope Tonteri (FIN) unfortunately was unable to stomp what could have been a first place run, landing a cab900 indy but reverting out on his impressive bs1260 mute attempt – still finishing his run off in style with a switch boardslide 270out on the polejam and a lipslide 270out on the downrail, enough for third place. Sam Hulbert took second with a bs720 to fs1080 on the kickers and was the only rider to hit the jib section’s oversized-pipe with a 50-50 to bs360 out.

The TTR Worldtour Slopestyle Ranking sees Roope Tonteri still holding on to his leading position, followed now by newcomers in the top 3 Sam Hulbert an Maxence Parrot (CAN).

The Overall ranking list sees no changes in the lead, but with his 3rd place in Nanshan, Roope managed to climb to the top 3 here as well.

The TTR World Tour will continue on the 5Star level with the Burton Canadian Open from January 30th - till February 4th. Afterwards, all moves to Europe for the Final Big Air competition of the season, the 6Star Billabong Air & Style in Innsbruck, where the Big Air Tour Champion will be crowned. The RedBull Nanshan Open was the last 5Star opportunity for men to gain Slopestyle points to qualify for the World Snowboarding Championships in Oslo, 10-19 February.

Till January 23rd riders can still gather some points on the 1-3Star level, for the complete event schedule please go to www.ttrworldtour.com/events

[Photos: pmstudio, but again, no idea who they are beyond the obvious podium]

This Saturday saw 26 riders from 12 different countries storm Beijing’s Nike Nanshan Park as the Red Bull Nanshan Open celebrated a decade as China’s largest and longest running slopestyle contest. 400,000 viewers tuned in to the live online broadcast to watch Finnish rider and current TTR Slopestyle points leader Roope Tonteri reign supreme, qualifying first going into tomorrow’s finals.

Windy conditions during the morning runs subsided for a calm and sunny afternoon session as riders attacked the fresh park setup, consisting of a huge double kicker line followed by range of creative options in the lower section that allowed riders to choose a range of options to suit their style.

Roope Tonteri’s first-place run consisted of a huge bs720 on the first kicker followed by a jaw-dropping double rodeo 900 on the second. A boardslide up the polejam, boardslide 270out on the downrail and cab360 over the wallride secured his spot at the top of the table. Canadian rider Maxence Parrot placed second with a bs720 over the large kicker, indy backflip on the second, a 50-50 to 180out on the jumbo-pipe and finishing off in style with a cab180 nosepick to 270 transfer over the wallride. Knut Eliassen took time off from his day job as Nitro team manager to qualify third with a cab900 to bs720 double grab on the kicker section before getting inventive with a handplant up the spine, nose-pressing the downrail and handplanting the wallride.


Roope Tonteri © pmstudio

Despite no Chinese riders scoring high enough to make it through to day two, the local contingent still showed they have game with Zhang Wei’s run including a fs720 to bs360 on the kickers and Andrew Wang stomping a cab540 to fs360, followed by stylish bluntslide to 270out on the downrail.

With all eyes now focused on the twelve qualified riders, we’ll be hoping for no wind and perfect riding conditions for tomorrow’s finals. Those that want to stay up to date with tomorrow’s action by can check the live CCTV5 coverage or tune in to the live stream with the details below:

CCTV5 Coverage - Sunday, January 15th, 2012
11:00-12:30 CST (Finals)
13:30-14:30 CST (SuperFinals)

Live Stream: http://sports.sina.com.cn/z/2011nssb/

Big mountain legend and Quiksilver snowboarder James Stentiford killed it on the Freeride World Tour last year, with podium finishes and a 6th place overall. This year Stentiford is back and stronger than ever, with hopes of glory and a hunger for the title.

"I know I can win one if I get a good line and with a bit of luck on the day."

The iconic 40-year old, a legend on the UK scene, finds his place amongst the top freerider's in the world and is the only Brit to qualify. He faces tough competition from other international big mountain legends, such as Xavier de la Rue, but with experience rivalling the best of them and the support of the British crowd, James is definitely ready for the challenge.

"Hopefully I can surprise a few people, I don't really feel under pressure like some of the younger riders so hopefully that will be an advantage."

So get your mascot outfits ready and your fingers crossed, as things kick off on the 21st of January in Chamonix. It's the first stop of the Swatch Freeride World Tour and what better way to start than on his training ground!

You can follow James' progress on the Quiksilver blog: www.quiksilver.co.uk/england/news with up to date news on all the team. For more information and details on all the tour stops check out: www.freerideworldtour.com.

[Photo credit: Ducasse]

On the 3 February 2012, Maria Theresien Strasse in Innsbruck’s historic town centre will be the venue for the second edition of Burn’s FIRE & STEEL: an urban handrail snowboarding contest featuring some of Europe’s hottest jibbers.



As part of the annual Air & Style rider draw and concert, in which competitors in Saturday’s contest find out who they will be facing in the head-to-head Big Air format, FIRE & STEEL is an exciting addition to the pre-contest build-up. The event is free and headlining live on stage will be indie rock band, The Heavy.

With an all-new ‘Stairset’ featuring two 8m rails and a giant burn can obstacle, the action is guaranteed to be taken to a new level for 2012. Meanwhile, with 5 Wildcards open to all entrants qualifying via video entry on burn’s facebook page, this is set to be an electrifying contest where up-and-coming talents have the chance to win cash-for-tricks alongside local stars and top pros alike. The 5 Wildcard winners will each receive two night’s accommodation and tickets to Saturday’s Air & Style contest – go to fireandsteel for the full story.



So, if you’re a talented rail rider keen to take on the pros, make sure you submit your video entry by 20 January 2012. Or, if you just want to watch the action, join us for FREE in downtown Innsbruck on Friday night, where the steel will be cold and the action will be HOT!

Check out last year’s contest...
9IOKec">YouTube.

In the Swiss winter wonderland of Davos, Canadians Spencer O’Brien and Mark McMorris won the 6Star Big Air competition at the O’Neill Evolution. Gripping until the last run, Mark was followed closely by Eric Willet (USA) and Seppe Smits (BEL) in third place.

Swiss rider, Sina Candrian, came second, followed by rookie Anna Gasser (AUT) in the women's competition. The women’s final was extremely exciting, counting in rookies like 3rd placed Anna Gasser (AUT), leaving some experienced favorites behind.

It was Anna’s last run that secured her spot on the podium. With a stylish Backside 540 Mute Grab and Frontboard to 50-50 Frontside Out on the rail, she surprised everyone, including herself: ’I can’t believe it, I am so happy! This morning I was very nervous, but during training, it all felt so good and I relaxed a bit more, that may have been it!’Spencer O’Brien, who locked in the highest score of 93.45 for her Frontside 720 Nosebone and a Gap Lipslide on the rail in her 2nd run stated: ‘I am super excited over my second win of the season, especially with a trick that I haven’t really done that much. It was a good time here in Davos!’

With record amounts of snow all week during the qualifications, it was a rather mild women’s final today weather-wise, but a powderwonderland nonetheless. As the snow started coming down more densely, things were heating up at the same time in anticipation of the men’s final.



Amongst a thrilled crowd of thousands, the men’s final was exciting down to the last run. Eric Willett lost his first and second run lead to Mark McMorris by only 0.30 points, with Mark performing a nearly perfect Backside Double Cork 1260 Mute Grab and Gap switch hardway to 270 out on the rail. None of the finalists were holding back in going BIG, which influenced the atmosphere amongst the spectators tremendously, giving the riders the necessary energy to perform.

Mark McMorris, who surprised himself today, commented on his win: ‘Eric rode insane, and would have deserved the win as much as I did.’

Jamie Nicholls from the UK finished in 8th place overall, with Billy Morgan not getting through to the final 16 after the heats. Ben Kilner, Sam Turnbull and Lewis Courtier-Jones were all knocked out in the heats. For the UK girls, Katie Blundell didn't make it through to the finals. Some amazing results though; this is the top level of competition in the world.

In the Big Air Tour ranking, Eric Willett grabs the lead from Roope Tonteri (FIN). Seppe Smits advanced from 12th to 5th position, remaining in his 5th position in the Overall Rankings. With his first Big Air result of the season here at O’Neill Evolution, Swiss rider, Christian Haller, advanced to the 1st position in the TTR Overall World Tour rankings. O’Neill Evolution was the last Big Air contest before the Big Air final Billabong Air&StyleFebruary 4th, in Innsbruck, Austria, where the TTR Big Air Tour Champion will be crowned.

The O’Neill Evolution Big Air results count on the qualifying road to the World Snowboarding Championships in Oslo, and was the last chance to gather points on the 6Star level. Riders have another few chances to qualify for the Halfpipe and Slopestyle disciplines of the WSC. The RedBull Nanshan Open in China is the last 5Star Slopestyle opportunity for men. A number of 4Star level events in both Halfpipe and Slopestyle provide further opportunities to collect points until the deadline on January 23rd, 2012. Check the full qualification information on: http://ttrworldtour.com/about/world-snowboarding-championships.html

Men's Finals

O'Neill Evolution 2012 - Men's Final from O'Neill on Vimeo.

Women's Finals

O'Neill Evolution 2012 - Women's Final from O'Neill on Vimeo.

Jamie Nicholls is through the finals of the O'Neill Evolution as record snowfall continues to hit Davos, Switzerland.


Jamie Nicholls (GBR) on the end-section

Due to the weather round 2 was cancelled, so both Jamie and Billy Morgan progressed straight through to the semi-finals. Jamie finished 7th overall with 81.58, with Billy in 25th on 66.60. Stale Sanbech was the top scorer with 91.50. The top 16 progressed through to the final later today.

Surreal Snowscape at O'Neill Evolution 2012 from O'Neill on Vimeo.

Stale Sandbech (NOR) powers into finals

You can watch the finals live at 4.10pm today, but in the meantime here's some other videos from the event.

Katie Blundell finished 24th in the women's semi-finals.

Thursday's Qualification

Davos, Switzerland, Thursday January 5, 2012. Heavy snow arrived as forecast this morning at the TTR 6 Star O’Neill Evolution Big Air and Rail event in Davos, coinciding with the first round of Men’s Qualification. All three Round 1 Qualification Heats were completed, cutting the Men’s field from 75 to 30 riders who move on to the second round. At times, the fresh snow created speed issues, but did little to dampen the level as British rider, Billy Morgan, put down the score of the day with a double backside rodeo to gapped cab 270 on the kinked rail.


Billy Morgan (GBR) score of the day with double backside rodeo to cab 270

It’s hard to describe the atmosphere here in Davos for the O’Neill Evolution. It’s even harder to imagine how hard it is snowing. A testament to an immense effort from the organizers, shapers, event staff and above all, the riders, the first round of qualifications were completed on schedule. It was a surreal experience to see the look of concentration on competitors’ faces as they focused on their heat, soon replaced by a look of elation as they arrived back at the contest site after a powder run.

The Night Final event lights were illuminated from the start of the first 09:00 training session and remained switched on all day to assist visibility. Before the snowfall intensified, the overnight fine-tuning of the main kicker was tested with broad approval from riders, before speed became an issue resulting in the optional line to rail set up favoured by the contestants.

In a two-run, best run counts format, the top 10 riders from each heat made it through to Round 2 of Men’s Qualification. Some of the runs of the day as scored by the judges included:

Heat 1
Sven Thorgren (SWE) Backside Double Cork 1080 to gapped stalefish to nose press
Jamie Nicholls (GBR) Backside 540 crail to gapped Cab 270 to frontside boardslide
EthanMorgan (GER) Frontside 720 tailgrab to frontside tailslide on the down rail

Heat 2
Markus Mathis (SUI) Backside Double Cork 1080 mute to frontside tail slide torevert on the wall
Petja Piiroinen (FIN) Backside Double Cork 1080 mute to frontside 50-50 on the wall.
Emil Ulsletten (NOR) Frontside 1080 melon to frontside tail blunt to 270 out on the down rail

Heat 3
Billy Morgan (GBR) Double Backside Rodeo to gap cab 270 on the kinked rail
Ville Uotila (FIN) Frontside 1080 Mute to gapped backside lip slide
Rocco Van Straten (NDL) Backside Double Cork 1080 to frontside boardslide on the down rail

The results for the first round of the Big Air at the TTR 6Star O'Neill Evolution Big Air are now in.

Jamie Nicholls finished 2nd in Heat 1 with a score of 75.30, whilst Billy Morgan finished 1st in Heat 3 with the highest score of the day of 85.58.

Sam Turnbull finished 11th, with Ben Kilner in 12th in the same heat as Billy, so just miss out on a place in the next round. Lewis Courtier-Jones also failed to progress through Heat 2.

Both Jamie and Billy have a way to go yet. Another round, then in to the semi-finals where the invited big guns also get to play, before Saturday's final. Awesome work chaps and best of British!

www.oneill.com/evolution/resultsdownload.html




Jamie Nicholls


Billy Morgan


Billy Morgan


Billy Morgan


Ben Kilner


Sam Turnbull

Photos © O'Neill

After a decade of driving the Chinese snowboard scene, the Nanshan Open celebrates its 10th birthday in style this January 14th & 15th by gaining 5-star TTR status to become the largest slopestyle snowboard competition in Asia.

The Nanshan Open earns its reputation as one of the most enjoyable contest trips on the TTR World Tour by providing a perfect blend of contest riding, cultural immersion and local hospitality. The local Mellowparks.cn park and event crew step it up each year to build one of Asia’s top slopestyle terrain parks - mixing huge, perfectly shaped jumps with creative and challenging jib features in the Nike Nanshan Park. A true ‘for-riders-by-riders’ event, organizers Steve Zdarsky and Marco Huang can be seen testing the huge kickers themselves on training day, while the rest of their crew always find time to ride and hang with the competitors post-event. It’s clear that the crew shares a strong passion towards the sport - surrounding the event with a truly friendly and laid-back atmosphere, somewhat rare in today’s competitions!

As top snowboarders from all corners of the globe converge on Chinese soil for a shot at the prize, 2012 promises to be the year the 10th Red Bull Nanshan Open reaches new heights for Chinese snowboarding!

As the excitement rises for January's 10th Red Bull Nanshan Open, it is with great pleasure that we can release the rider list! Featuring snowboarders from 12 different countries, including many familiar faces as well as some exciting new ones, the Nanshan Open's 10th incarnation is shaping up to be the most impressive to date! Twelve of the 23 invited riders have participated (and placed highly) in previous Nanshan Opens and are returning hungry for more, including 8th Red Bull Nanshan Open winner Juuso Laivisto and previous Transworld Rookie of the Year Austin Smith (3rd place at 5th Red Bull Nanshan Open). The remaining rider spots feature some of the world's best, including current TTR #1 in Slopestyle Roope Tonteri and Brian Fox! The invited international riders will be competing against a strong Chinese contingent, decided by the local TTR 2Star qualifier this January 7th in which the top six-to-ten local riders will earn the remaining spots!

In addition to the star-studded rider list, equally exciting is the all-star judge line-up! Almost a 'who's-who' of OG shredders from all corners of the globe, it will be Ishi (JPN), Ingemar Backman (SWE), Scotty Wittlake (USA), Iztok Somatic (SLO), Michi Albin (SUI) and Alan Wong (CHN) who will be keeping an eye of things! View the full rider list below, and be sure to check out their individual rider profiles on the mellowparks.cn website by clicking here!