Westbound Boarder

We were able to show face at both the Breckenridge and Ogden Winter Dew Tours this year and had a blast. Check out a few of my favorite pics from the extravaganza:

The pro ladies dog piling Kelly Clark after she landed the second ever comp 1080 (after she landed the first comp 1080 in the pipe at the X-games).

Meeting my man KP....again

Dew Tour winner, Louie Vito!!! (Oh, and my husband on the left)

I’m out here in Breckenridge, Colorado again for the third day of the first Winter Dew Tour Stop, the Nike 6.0 Open.  With prelim rounds behind us, today riders prepped for the men’s and women’s ski and snowboard halfpipe finals.  Unlike yesterday’s sunshine, though, today’s weather blanketed the pipe with snow, which threw competitors for a loop and slowed them down considerably.

Louie Vito ended up winning the men’s pipe finals with a score of 90.25, and considering the second place male, Matt Ladley, finished with a 75, I’d say Louie stomped it.  His winning set included a front double ten, cab double ten and a crippler (no double corks, Louie?)  You can tell just by looking at the scores that the conditions threw several riders off.  Olympic bronze medalist Scotty Lago, for example, finished with a best score of only 14.

On the women’s side, Spain’s Queralt Castellet took first place, with Elena Hight following right behind.  I’m surprised Kelly Clark, who took sixth in the finals, didn’t end up finishing with a higher score, especially since she took first in the prelims, followed by Elena Hight.

Despite the heavy snow that slowed down the pipe, today’s event was a success, and riders continued to push the boundaries with stylish tricks and good momentum.

Check out the full halfpipe finals results below, and tune in tomorrow for slopestyle.

Women’s Superpipe Final Results

Men’s Superpipe Final Results

Men’s Ski Superpipe Final Results

*Results courtesy of Alli

I’m out here in Breckenridge helping out with the first winter Dew Tour stop of the season – its been one heck of a tour so far!  More than 380 riders from 18 different countries are competing in this year’s tour, including Kelly Clark, Elena Hight, JJ Thomas, Scotty Lago, Sage Kostenburg, Mason Aguirre, Jamie Anderson, Chanelle Sladics, and Louie Vito.  This year, the tour opted to follow the new industry standard and debut a 22 foot halfpipe instead of the 18 foot pipe it has used in the past, so we should see some pretty sick tricks over the next couple of days.

Today, Kevin Pearce made a quick appearance in the village (apparently it is one of his first public appearances since his big injury), and he should be all set for an interview with Fuel TV tomorrow afternoon.

Yesterday and today, the tour held qualifying rounds, and the men’s superpipe finals are on deck for tomorrow.  Keep checking back for the latest updates!

To give you a little sneak peak of the slopestyle course, check out the video from Alli below.

Some Friday news tid bits for you today; enjoy!

Links to Surf

• Surf + Travel + Documentary + Timmy Curran = Awesome! Timmy Curran’s newest venture “The Union Express,” a documentary that follows him along the California coast as he checks out the major surf spots, is set to be released on iTunes April 14.  Check out the trailer over at HUCK; I’m buying this one for sure!
• Win a 14-Day Trip To Greece: Wait a minute… say what?  This just in – Contiki Vacations, Diane’s Beachwear and FOAM Magazine are offering a chance to win a fourteen-day trip to Greece. The vacation package includes visits to Athens, Mykonos, Santorini and Ios, and a shopping spree at Diane’s to find that perfect bikini for sunbathing and island-hopping in style.  Sweepstakes candidates can submit their entries here.  The contest runs through April 2010 and the winner will be announced on Foam’s website May 5, 2010. The winner will receive one Contiki Greek Island Hopping trip which includes hotel accommodations, meals, a dedicated crew to show the sights and a $200 gift certificate to Diane’s Beachwear.

News Bits

• Check out Spring-A-Ma-Jig at Mt. High this Saturday: Not only is it Louie Vite ride day at High, its also the first annual 9of three) Spring-A-Ma-Jig rail jam and pond skim! (Apparently Vito’s a guest judge for the bikini contest).  Deets over at Mt. High’s Web site.
• The Dew Tour selects Las Vegas to host the final stop of the 2010 season: Action sports… Vegas… Best of both worlds! (Where can I sign up?)  Last week, the Alliance of Action Sports announced that it selected las Vegas to host the Dew Tour Championships (the fifth and final stop of the Tour), as well as the final awards ceremony.  The tour will commence October 14 – 17, 2010 at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.  Tickets for the 2010 Dew Tour will be on sale soon and will be available via Ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster box offices.  Visit allisports.com for more information.  Full tour schedule:
  • Skate Open, ISF Skateboarding World Championships: June 25-26 Boston, Mass. – TD Garden
  • Nike 6.0 BMX Open: July 23-24 Chicago, Ill. – Museum Campus
  • Wendy’s Invitational: Aug. 12-15 Portland, Ore. – Rose Quarter
  • Toyota Challenge: Sept. 16-19 Salt Lake City, Utah – EnergySolutions Arena
  • Dew Tour Championships: Oct. 14-17 Las Vegas, Nev. – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

With all five Grand Prix events officially behind us, today, the 2010 US Winter Snowboard Team was finally announced, with one spot on both the women and men up for grabs.  Without further ado, here are the six shredders who will be representing the US in Vancouver next month (the last two will be announced in a press conference Monday afternoon):

Men
Shaun White
Louie Vito
Scotty Lago

Women
Kelly Clark
Gretchen Bleiler
Hannah Teter

Congrats to all, and good luck!  And in case you missed yesterday’s Grand Prix in Park City, you can catch the highlights and full event coverage today at 3pmET on NBC.

UPDATE: Elena Hight and Greg Bretz were added to the half pipe team, rounding it out to a full team of eight riders.  Yeah!

I know we have all been anxiously waiting to hear who will be riding on this year’s 2010 Olympic Halfpipe team.  This weekend, Park City, Utah will play host to the fifth and final round of the Olympic qualifiers, where 30 riders will be vying for the remaining spots on this year’s team.

The US Snowboarding Grand Prix made stops earlier this year at Copper Mountain and Mammoth Mountain, so Park City will be the third and final stop of the tour where the 2010 Olympic team (four men and four women) will officially be announced.

We know that Shaun White, who has already seen two first place finishes in former qualifying rounds, has already solidified his spot on this year’s US Olympic team in the men’s category.  Louie Vito, with two second place wins, is in good shape as well. Other probable contenders include JJ Thomas, Zach Black, Scotty Lago, and Mason Aguirre, though the last two spots remain somewhat uncertain.

On the women’s side, Kelly Clark’s two earlier wins in qualifying rounds have already secured her a spot on the team, with Gretchen Blieler being a shoe in as well.  Elena Hight and Hannah Teter also have the odds in their favor, though Ellery Hollingsworth will give them a good run for their money.  Between these five ladies, the four open spots up for grabs this weekend in Park City seem fairly predictable.  The only question now is, which one won’t get to see Vancouver this winter?

Catch the US Snowboarding Grand Prix on January 23, 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT on Fuel TV or via the live stream here: http://www.fuel.tv/USSnowboarding

In case you haven’t religiously been following Dancing With The Stars this season (like, um, we have been?) pro snowboarder Louie Vito, along with fellow competitor Melissa Joan Hart, were finally eliminated last week.  It was a good run, and I think Vito shocked viewers nationwide, churning out some pretty good dancing moves.  But, hey, someone had to get cut, right?

Check out the video of his latest (and last) dance below from ABC below.  Hey, Louie, can we expect to see some Jitterbug-influenced moves in the Olympic pipe comp. this February?

And of course, Louie’s exit just wouldn’t be complete without some good ol’ fashioned Kimmel commentary:

Despite the judges criticism (and my undeniable bias) Louie Vito and his super hottt dancing pro, Chelsie Hightower, can dance like there is no tomorrow. Perfecting the Jitter Bug this evening, Louie brought his snowboard skills to the dance floor with an impressive back flip down the stairs to an all star sexy smooch at the finish.

Louie Vito has made it through ABC’s Dancing with the Stars through week six, however tomorrow night is the eliminations. Want Louie to make it through week 7? Call up and vote tonight!

My just left for Costa Rica, and its starting to rain in LA (OK, well, it sprinkled the other day… that so counts!) – naturally my mouse wandered to travel sites this week   Here are some of our favorites!

• Interested in skiing in Austria? Um, I am!  This week, the Telegraph published a guide of the best ski resorts in Austria.  Ischgl, here I come!  Next on the list – Switzerland, perhaps?
• What’s the best snowboard park in North America? Apparently Transworld readers voted Buttermilk.  Check out the full list.  Anyone tried more than two on the list, and do you agree?
• Billabong Rail Jam for Women: Billabong’s got a Rail Jam just for women?  Sweet!  Check out the deets for locations and specifics.
• Pics from More the B film premiere in Melbourne: Dang, this looks like fun…
• Louie Vito’s Still in the DTWS Running: What would a blog for chicks be without at least mentioning Louie Vito?  Well, after coming out of almost last pace last week, he’s still in it again after the elimination round of week 5.  Check out his performance dancing the tango below. (And seriously, will someone tell me what’s up with the hair?!)

Again, as always, our favorite links of the week.  Check ‘em out and leave a comment with your faves!

• Ride With Vito: After a fab debut on TV show Dancing with the Stars, pro snowboarder Louie Vito’s bringing action sports to the living room’s of millions.  Now, Louie will be auctioning off a day of riding with him as a fundraiser plus a whole premium get-up, Lat34 reports.  Girls, get those bidding dollars ready!  The fundraising package will go to benefit the Park City Snowboard team.
• Shaun White is Awesome: Shaun’s so cool that Red Bull built him his own personal half pipe (and Web site to go along with it).  Check out Project X on ESPN.
• Win A Trip To Mammoth: Matix Clothing and Ride Snowboards are giving away an all-expense trip for two to Mammoth Mountain, complete with a set-up from Ride (my second favorite brand of snowboards!)  The contest runs until November 23, so be sure to enter here!
• What Will Tourism Look Like in 2023? One initiative called “Tourism 2023,” recently profiled in Fast Company, is attempting to find out.  What do you think tourism to ski resorts will look like in 2023?

« Older Entries