December 21, 2008 - Olympic silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler topped the women’s field Sunday to conclude the first stop of the Winter Dew Tour. The Tour has been embraced by the world’s top snowboarders and free-skiers making this weekend at Breck the place to be.

The twenty-six year old Bleiler took a new approach to her run by choosing not to start it off with her signature crippler trick.

“I definitely want to switch it up this season and work on my different tricks and never really have the stock run just because it’s more satisfying to switch it up,” Bleiler said.

“This pipe is great and the setup is great,” Bleiler said. “Being live on TV is huge and it’s definitely raising the profile of the sport so I’m backing it.”

Her winning run included a frontside 900 to a backside air crippler, a backside 540 to finish with a frontside 720. She finished with a score of 90.25.

Kelly Clark of West Dover, Vermont was second at 86.75 and Elena Hight of South Lake Tahoe, Calif. was third at 82.00.

Similar to the Dew Tour’s summer competition structure, the Winter Dew Tour is based on a cumulative points system as the top snow athletes battle it out for a piece of the $1.5 million prize purse and the chance to take home the Dew Cup at the conclusion of the season in February.

The four-day competition is the first of three stops of the Winter Dew Tour which features men’s and women’s freeskiing and snowboarding disciplines. Just over 17,000 fans enjoyed the Winter Dew Tour experience at Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado. The tour will visit Mount Snow Resort in Vermont in January and conclude in February at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in California.

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 part of the official contests  - yet.

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

Filed under: Action, Events, Snowboard by jane
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December 19, 2008 - First stop. Breckinridge. 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 and winning the women’s snowboard slopestyle competition Friday in the first stop of the inaugural Winter Dew Tour.

O’Brien won the event with a gap to boardslide to fakie, into a switch backside 780, a backside 360 and a backside 540 off the jumps to finish with a 5050 to frontside boardslide on the bottom rail. She finished with a score of 85.00. Jenny Jones of Great Britain was second at 77.33 and Bev Vuilleumier, of Lake Tahoe, Calif was third at 74.17.

“I was really nervous coming in,” O’Brien said. “It was a lot bigger than I expected seeing it’s the first contest of the year. But all the girls took to it really well. The course was just amazingly built and it was so much fun so once I got over my fear it was awesome.”

Similar to the Dew Tour’s summer competition structure, the Winter Dew Tour is based on a cumulative points system as the top snow athletes battle it out for a piece of the $1.5 million prize purse and the chance to take home the Dew Cup at the conclusion of the three-event series in February.

The four-day competition in the Colorado ski resort of Breckenridge is the first of three stops of the Winter Dew Tour that features men’s and women’s freeskiing and snowboarding disciplines. Saturday’s action features men’s freeski slopestyle finals, women’s freeski slopestyle exhibition, and men’s freeski superpipe finals while the Sunday schedule includes the men’s and women’s snowboard superpipe finals.

Winter Dew Tour at Breckenridge
Friday, December 19, 2008
Breckenridge, Colo.

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
4. Jamie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 67.83
5. Megan Ginter, Redmond, Wash., 54.83
6. Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas, Norway, 28.50

Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Points
1. Spencer O’Brien, 100
2. Jenny Jones, 90
3. Bev Vuilleumier, 80
4. Jamie Anderson, 75
5. Megan Ginter, 70
6. Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas, 65
7. Kimberly Fasani, 60
8. Chanelle Sladics, 55
9. Marie-France Roy, 50
10. Torah Bright, 45

Full results

Filed under: Action, Events, News Bytes, Snowboard by jane
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December 17, 2008 - Got a friend that wants to learn to ski or ride? Maybe it’s you that wants to venture out and learn the sport of skiing and riding! Either way, grab a friend and take advantage of discounted or FREE actitives.

Start the New Year resolving to ski or ride because January is Learn a Snow Sport Month at many alpine resorts, Nordic centers, state and national parks all over the U.S. Sample deals include:

New York: Starting January 5 and available all month (except MLK weekend 1/17-1/19), you can learn to ski or ride for free or at a 50% discount depending on the resort you choose.  Think of it: you get a beginners package which includes a beginners lift pass, rental ski or board package and a professional lesson (resort participation varies).

Utah: Utah’s 13 alpine resorts have put together special learn to ski and snowboard packages for Utah residents that are fun and affordable. Lucky 13

Vermont: As the holidays draw closer in the Green Mountains, Ski Vermont has announced that its member ski resorts will offer first-time skiers and riders free lessons, rentals and limited access lift tickets from January 4-11, 2009.

Earlier we linked to a promotion for fourth graders who wanted free mountain time. January’s Learn a Snow Sport program allows skiers and riders of any age to partake. Yoohoo!

And for just as much fun without the adrenaline, on January 10, 2009, the 14th annual Winter Trails, an event organized by SnowSports Industries of America, offers free snowshoeing and/or cross country skiing for those new to snow sports. Venues and information on Winter Trails can be found at Wintertrails.org.

Filed under: General, Ski, Snowboard by jane
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December 17, 2008 - The U.S. Snowboarding halfpipe roster just got a little more stacked with talent with the announcement that Olympic gold medalist Kelly Clark would be re-joining the team.

Clark, who won the halfpipe gold as an 18-year-old during the Salt Lake City Games in 2002, was a member of the national team from 2000-03. She has competed as an independent the last five years.

Clark won the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix halfpipe on Saturday at Copper Mountain, Colo., and is the defending champion in the series. She says she plans to use this season to get in top form in time for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. She’s in Breckenridge for this weekend’s first event of the inaugural Winter Dew Tour series.

U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Head Coach Mike Jankowski is amped to have Clark back and thinks she will influence the halfpipe crew in a positive way.

(more…)

Filed under: Snowboard, Vancouver Winter Games 2010 by jane
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December 15, 2008 - Fourth-grade students from anywhere — New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Canada, even the Bahamas — can ski or snowboard for free this winter at 28 New York State ski resorts (when accompanied by a paying adult).

Just fill out an application form and send it to the Ski Areas of New York with a copy of your student’s 4th Grade report card, progress report or letter from the school stating that your child is in 4th grade, along with a $19 processing fee.  

You will receive a Ski & Ride Passport with three coupons per participating ski area. When an adult lift ticket is purchased the child presents the 4th Grade Passport booklet and a coupon for that ski area is redeemed for a free lift ticket for the day.

Participating Resorts:

(more…)

Filed under: Ski, Snowboard, Youth Athletics by jane
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December 14, 2008 - Reigning overall champion Kelly Clark (West Dover, VT) boosted the best run of the day to win her third Grand Prix halfpipe competitions in a row as the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix, presented by Sprint, opened for the season Saturday at Copper Mountain.

While Clark has said that this is a season for her to reflect on her riding as a whole, as opposed to being in it for the competition, she needed no extra help in winning the Grand Prix in Copper as she threw down the two highest scoring runs of the day.

“It’s really encouraging. I didn’t know how my approach was going to go today. My focus has really been on the fundamentals these last few months and I’m really excited to have done so well just focusing on the basics,” Clark said. “I know once I get more into the technical aspects, it will be a really big strength to me.”

As far as U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Head Coach Mike Jankowski is concerned, Clark’s riding focuses will only make her a bigger force to be reckoned with.

“Kelly is riding at the top of her game right now, but at the same time she’s also looking to improve and take her riding to the next level, so watch out for more great things to come from Kelly,” Jankowski said.

Hannah Teter made a successful return to competition after taking a season off and was riding strongly as she took the third place spot.

“It was really fun. It was the first time for Copper hosting it and it’s going to be here for the next couple years. They do a really good job,” Teter said. “Right in the beginning it was super good so I’m just stoked to be here.”

For Teter, the podium spot was especially important as her winnings go directly to a village she sponsors in Kenya called Kirindon.

“I’m really excited with being on the podium. I come in with the intention of wanting to do really well, especially for my kids to make more money for them,” Teter said. 

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2009 U.S. SNOWBOARDING GRAND PRIX - PRESENTED BY SPRINT
Copper Mountain, CO - Dec. 13, 2008

Women’s Halfpipe
1. Kelly Clark, West Dover, VT, 43.20
2. Soko Yamaoka, Japan, 37.60
3. Hannah Teter, Belmont, VT, 37.50
4. Madeline Schaffrick, Steamboat Springs, CO, 36.60
5. Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 32.30

Filed under: News Bytes, Snowboard by jane
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December 11, 2008 -  While a majority of Hannah Teter’s  life revolves around riding whenever she can, the Olympic gold medal snowboarder is also a philanthropist who uses her success to sponsor the village of Kirindon in Kenya.

For the past two years Teter’s helped with numerous projects in Kirindon. Using proceeds from Hannah’s Gold, the awesome Vermont maple syrup she sells, she’s provided farming tools, seeds and fertilizers, supported sustainable farming initiatives, purchased home base care kits and trained home visitors in home care of HIV patients, purchased bicycles, conducted recreation sessions for vulnerable children, and much more.

Teter grew up in a small Vermont town where she used to help her dad collect sap that he would boil down to make into maple syrup every spring.  Now Teter donates all the proceeds from her “Hannah’s Gold” syrup and will be donating any prize money she earns this season. She is also hosting an auction on Go211.com where people can bid on snowboarding gear and also has plans to start selling “Goodness” sweatbands on the site.

“We recently went there [Kirindon] to really get a feel of what’s going on and what the money is doing,” Teter said. “It was so inspiring because not only is the money doing a lot, it’s just impacting the whole community.”

“The clean water project and wells and rain catchment systems make a huge difference. We saw some of the old drinking holes and they are just so dirty,” Teter said. “We also got to see an addition that was put on one of the schools that really needed it and there’s also a boarding school being funded by us now that’s for girls who have run away from marriages.”

(more…)

Filed under: Charity/Cause, Profiles, Snowboard by jane
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December 11, 2008 - The 13th annual winter action sports competition will feature more than 160 men and women from across the globe competing for medals and prize money in the following sports: Skiing, Snowboard and Snowmobile.

For the complete, updated list of Winter X Games 13 athletes, log on to www.expn.com.

*NOTE: The invited athlete list is constantly being updated and is subject to change.

Among the first wave of invited athletes:

•       Gretchen Bleiler: Three-time Winter X Games Snowboard SuperPipe gold medalist and 2006 Winter Olympic silver medalist
•       Lindsey Jacobellis: Four-time Winter X Games Snowboarder X gold medalist and 2006 Winter Olympic silver medalist
•       Sarah Burke: Two-time Winter X Games and defending Skiing SuperPipe gold medalist

All athletes receiving invitations to compete at Winter X Games 13 are chosen by a sport-specific selection committee. Criteria and timing of invitations varies by sport and discipline as it is based on the state and event schedules of that particular sport. The only exception is each gold medalist from Winter X Games 12 (2008) receives an automatic invitation to compete.

ESPN’s Winter X Games 13 will be held for its eighth consecutive year at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen/Snowmass, Colo., January 22-25, 2009.

Filed under: Action, Ski, Snowboard, X Games by jane
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Burton Snowboards is opening its LA doors THIS Thursday night- for the ladies only!

Ladies night will be a true shopping night geared to get your kit refreshed, your threads dialed, and feast your brain on new tricks of the trade.

Brings friends, and get stoked to meet new ones, this night is the right way to kick off the new winter season.

WHEN:
Thursday December 11th 2008
8175 Melrose Ave.
6PM – 8PM

Filed under: Events, Snowboard, shopping by admin
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December 9, 2008 -  Five of the most progressive female riders in the world will be at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire to launch “The Ladies Room” on January 10 and 11, 2009. Colleen Quigley, Hana Beaman, Jacqui Berg, Desiree Melancon, and Iris Lazzareschi make up the pro roster of coaches for the weekend camp.

The event is organized by Quigley, a well-respected all-around rider. She’s joined by X Games Silver Medalist Beaman who also has a Nippon Open slopestyle win in 07 and a third place slopestyle finish at the New Zealand Open on her list of accomplishments. Berg has been a pro for 14 years and is known for her film parts in Runway Films “La La Land” and “See What I See,” along with fellow coach Desiree Melancon. In addition to filming, Melancon also claimed second place in the 2008 Vans Cup Rail Jam in Lake Tahoe. Rounding out the team, Tahoe native Lazzareschi was honored last month as Snowboard Canada Women’s November rider of the month.

The Ladies Room will cater to all levels of female snowboarders, ages 8 and above, with a focus on progressive female riding in the terrain park. A two day Ladies Room costs $235 and includes all day coaching, breakfast, lunch, prize packs and giveaways from sponsors like Burton, Nikita, Oakley, Dakine, Red Bull, Air Blaster, Eastern Boarder and Zinka. A one-day Ladies Room option for either Saturday or Sunday will cost $150. Spots for the one-day camp will be limited. Discounted lift tickets will be available at registration for non-season pass holders.

Registrater now online at www.waterville.com.

Filed under: Events, Snowboard, Training by Pretty Tough
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