Westbound Boarder

I know, I know, with several resorts across the US now open, snow is a topic on everyone’s mind right now.  Hopefully some of these articles from around the web will help get you extra hyped to catch some freshies this weekend.

• Gretchen Bleiler talks bucket list with comedian Paul Scheer: Pro snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler takes a moment to catch up with ESPN Page 2 columnist Scoop Jackson and divulge the activities that still remain on her bucket list.  “The only thing I haven’t done is gotten that gold medal at the Olympics.”  But hey, with 4 X-games gold medals behind her, Gretchen isn’t doing too bad.  Will she go for five?  Catch the interview here.
• Columbia Sportswear chairman outwits armed robber: Being “One Tough Mother” has served Gert Boyle, the 86-year-old chairman of Columbia Sportswear, well all these years, but this week she took her toughness to a whole new level by outwitting an armed robber.  A must read story on OregonLive.com this week!  Lesson learned?  You may be able to get away with attempting to rob Gertt Boyle, but wear a North Face jacket around her and you’re toast!  Side note: The cop mentioned in the story, Officer Bunch, just happens to be my former next door neighbor!
• ESPN Catches up with Danny Davis: Coming out of a pretty severe back injury, Danny Davis talks about taking a step back this season to focus on doing more of what he wants to do, such as splitboarding and spending time at resorts he’s never ridden at before such as Jackson Hole.

Well, Shaun White and Kelly Clark stuck it again in today’s US Snowboarding Grand Prix in Park City.  Shaun saw a near perfect score of 49.5 (out of 50), with Scotty Lago trailing just behind with a 48, and Luke Mitrini coming in third.  Today marks Shaun’s fourth first place finish (out of 5) in all Grand Prix Olympic qualifying events.  But then again, Park City was just practice for Shaun, as he was already confirmed as an Olympic team member after last round.  Scotty has now had two second place finishes and one third, so he will likely be invited to join the US Olympic team a well, alongside Shaun.  Danny Davis, the one competitor to beat out Shaun (in Mammoth), and formerly a likely Olympic teammate as well, unfortunately broke his back during an ATV accident last Sunday.  He underwent surgery Monday and is now being cared for in a local hospital, alongside Kevin Pearce.  Danny is an awesome rider – one of my personal faves – so it is unfortunate to hear he won’t be joining the team in Vancouver this year.

On the women’s side, Kelly came in first (again), followed by Hannah Teter and Kaitlyn Farrington.  Kelly, in comparison to the other riders, is absolutely going bigger, which is putting her in prime position to land some of the tougher spins and tricks that you need more time in the air to solidify.  She has been doing awesome through the thick of it all, so I’m excited to see what she’ll pull in Vancouver next month.  I also really like Hannah’s riding because she always throws down a smooth, solid run that’s fun to watch, and, minus a few small flubs, I think she really stuck it in Park City.

For the women, it is pretty obvious who will be going to Vancouver, and who will be watching from the sidelines.  For the men, however, there is some stiff competition, so it will be interesting to see how the last two spots play out.

Results, Day 1 (Friday)

Men
1. Shaun White, Carlsbad, CA, 49.00
2. Scotty Lago, Seabrook, NH, 47.70
3. Greg Bretz, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 46.70
4. Elijah Teter, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 44.00
5. Luke Mitrani, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 44.00
6. Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 43.30
7. JJ Thomas, Golden, CO, 43.00
8. Danny Kass, Portand, OR, 42.70
9. Steve Fisher, Breckenridge, CO, 42.00
10. Dylan Bidez, Minturn, CO, 41.30

Women
1. Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, VT, 45.20
2. Hannah Teter, Belmont, VT, 44.80
3. Ellery Hollingsworth, Stratton, VT, 43.60
4. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 42.50
5. Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 40.00
6. Kaitlyn Farrington, Sun Valley, ID, 39.20
7. Maddy Schaffrick, Steamboat Springs, CO, 31.40
8. Kelly Marren, Hillsborough, CA, 29.40
9. Clair Bidez, Minturn, CO, 19.30

Results, Day 2 (Saturday)

Men
1. Shaun White 49.5
2. Scotty Lago 48
3. Luke Mitrani 45.3
4. Gregory Bretz 44.8
5. JJ Thomas 44.2
6. Jack Mitrani 42.3
7. Dylan Bidez 42.1
8. Steve Fisher 40.6
9. Zach Black 38.5
10. Broc Waring 38.2
11. Danny Kass 37.5
12. Andy Finch 36.7

Women
1. Kelly Clark 47.40
2. Hannah Teter 43.90
3. Kaitlyn Farrington 41.00
4. Madeline Schaffrick 36.50
5. Elena Hight 36.20

Another Dew Tour – the second stop this winter, also known as the Wendy’s Invitational – has come and gone at Snowbasin, Utah, and it has been an interesting, jam-packed couple of days of competing.  Several competitors, four awesome days of riding, two courses, one competition.  But the results are in, and Chas Guldemond with a 95.25 and Spencer O’Brien at 91 took first in slopestyle, while Danny Davis and Elena Hight won first in the superpipe.  Check out the highlights below, and be sure to catch the final Winter Dew Tour stop Feb. 4 – 7 at Mount Snow, Vermont.