Westbound Boarder

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

Today, Alli announced that Nike 6.0 just signed on as the title sponsor of the Winter Dew Tour season-opener in Breckenridge, Colorado.  In previous years, Nike 6.0 was an associate sponsor.

“Entering its third season, the Winter Dew Tour has established itself as a strong platform for growing winter action sports at all levels,” said Chris Prybylo, General Manager of the Winter Dew Tour. “Having an esteemed brand like Nike 6.0 extend their relationship with us to event title sponsor demonstrates the strength of the property and their brand’s shared commitment to this industry.”   Breckenridge is the first of three stops in the Winter Dew Tour’s line up this year.  Dates and times of stops are as follows:

• Nike 6.0 Open, Dec. 16-19, Breckenridge Ski Resort – Breckenridge, Colo.
• Winter Dew Tour Killington, Jan. 20-23, Killington Resort – Killington, Vt.
• Toyota Championships, Feb. 10-13, Snowbasin Resort – Ogden, Utah

Also interesting, The Dew Tour is following suit of the Olympics and many other major competitions by increasing the size of their halfpipe from 18 feet to 22.  Though it may be hotly debated, history shows that 22 foot pipes are, in fact, safer than their 18 foot cousins because there is more wall to give when riders fall.  But they also allow for more amplitude, so not only do tricks look cooler, but riders actually have time to throw down what they want while still having time to come to a perfect landing, especially as more technical tricks are becoming the industry norm.

This winter’s competitive circuit should be a good one, and I don’t know about you, but I’m stoked!

As usual and as promised, the sickest links of the week:

• Nike 6.0 To Launch a Women’s Apparel Line: This week, Transworld Business announced that beloved action sports brand Nike 6.0 is launching a women’s apparel line in the fall of 2010.  The line is inspired by Nike 6.0 team athletes Monyca Byrne-Wickey, Ellery Hollingsworth, and Carissa Moore and will be available in retail this fall.
• Secret Sweet Spots: What’s hot in the good ole Oregon? Check out MtHoodTerritory.com to find out and you could win a trip! That is right, all you have to do is watch a video, answer a question and you are entered. Two weeks, two videos and two chances left to enter…it is that simple.
• Don’t forget to check out our recap of the West Coast Invitational!