Billabong Banked Slalom

At just 18 years of age, Australian World Cup snowboarder Alex “Chumpy” Pullin proved too quick for his opponents after claiming 1^st place in the Billabong Banked Slalom presented by Panasonic on Sunday, April 20^th 2008. The event took place on Mt. Hotham and is based on snowboarding events that took place in the 80’s and 90’s where all that mattered was who reached the bottom of the mountain first.

Pullin took strong control over the International field which consisted of over 100 snowboarders, all the way from the opening ride to the final event. He won the final ten man decider with a time of 51.80 seconds, earning him $2,000 USD and a Panasonic VDR D150 Digital video camera. The second and third place winners, Taan Robrhan (United States) and Clint Allan (Australia), followed close behind with times of 52.48 seconds and 52.58 seconds respectively.

Despite crashing in the first round and suffering from a grazed and bloodied face, Pullin managed to maintain his form throughout the competition. In a recent interview Pullin said, “I took a hit in qualifying when I caught an edge on one of the banks and fell flat on my chin. I tried not to let that affect my confidence and luckily I kept the momentum going right through to the final.” Pullin also added, “There were a few Olympic team members in this field so I respect a lot of these riders and acknowledge the history behind this event.”

In the women’s division, 21-year-old Stephanie Hickey (Australia) bagged first place with a time of 57.75 on Mt. Buller. Laura Williams (Australia) finished second with 57.77 seconds and Abi Bright (Australia) calimed third with 1:00.77 seconds. A very elated Hickey said, “The course was quite technical in parts and a bit slow in others but overall a wicked event. I love the whole concept of this format and I’ll be back next year for sure.”

So Australia shines once again after bringing to light an age-old snowboarding tradition of reaching the bottom of the mountain fastest!

Shaun White Wins 4-Star Snickers Classic and Popcorn Wallride

Bright sunshine, loud music and fantastic entertainment; the last and final event of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour could not have gone more perfectly in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. The final event was the 4-Star Snickers Classic and Popcorn Wallride, which took place on Saturday, April 19^th 2008, with the riders displaying their moves in full-swing.

Shaun White, making his second European appearance this season, bagged first place after performing tricks such as FS 180 to a crazy Inverted Cab 9 up top, a BS 9 and a huge Cab 1080. White walked away with 700 TTR ranking points and $10,000 USD. In addition to this, White also received $50,000 USD for his stellar performances in every contest he entered, and also for achieving the number one spot in the Swatch TTR rankings, having received his 6^th TTR result. Though White currently holds the number one Swatch TTR position, his fellow American rider, Kevin Pearce, retains the title of tour champion.

The event took place on top of a glacier in Saas-Fee. The slopestyle course was designed specifically to allow riders to perform their various unique tricks, and impress the judges. The course had a kicker in the middle, a step up kicker in the bottom and a gap to table to feature up top. However, despite all its scenic beauty, the audience’s attention was focused on the riders at all times.

Shaun White was by-far the most entertaining, but the second and third place winners had a few tricks up their sleeves as well. The second place winner, Laivisto performed a Half Cab to BS 7, a jaw-dropping Double Back Flip, a FS 900 and a Switch BS 7. Fredi K., a Swiss legend, bagged third place after performing a Half Cab to FS 3 melon, a Cab 9, a BS 9 and a Switch BS 7. Laivisto and Fredi K. walked away with $6000 USD and $3000 USD respectively.

So, after 10 months of sheer entertainment, the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour bids good-bye to another successful year.

North Face Ski Challenge

The North Face Ski Challenge Tour is an event open to all residents of Europe between the ages of 12 and 18 years. This youth-dedicated event is the only one which mixes free ride and freestyle. The event concluded just last weekend in Val Thorens, with the winner of the final walking away with a two-year sponsorship contract with the North Face.

Throughout winter, 350 hopefuls from Europe gave it their all, hoping to qualify for the tour finals. Over the weeks, the number of participants started increasing rapidly. Finally, 73 young skiers from 11 nations across Europe were selected to take part in the tour finals held on April 12^th and April 13^th. These 11 nations included the UK, Finland, Italy and Switzerland.

Director of the Club des Sports in Val Thorens, Vincent Hudry said, “We believe that the North Face Ski Challenge has the potential to reach a young, new public and demonstrate to the snow sports world how big hidden talents can be. This is, in fact, totally coherent with what we’ve been doing for years during the Boarder Week. This is why this will be our only ski event.”

Sweden’s Tom-Oliver Hedvall was the top finisher in the ‘king’s’ category (16-18 years), and walked away with the sponsorship contract. After hearing the final result, a partly fazed Hedvall said, “I can’t believe this is happening to me. This is like the most magical dream come true. I’m very excited to see what this is going to bring me over the next few years…!” Apart from a kit, the North Face contract also involves helping develop Hedvall’s potential to the fullest, exposing him to the international pro rider scene and gathering support to help him enter other relevant free ski events in the coming winter seasons.

So congratulations Europe, you have once again discovered your skiing ‘king’.

John Nicoletta - Tragic Death

On Friday, April 11, 2008 Colorado extreme skier John Nicoletta died in a jump- off-rock-wall during the Subaru Freeskiing World Championships at the Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood. Nicoletta lost control while attempting to ski off a band of rock known as the “Headwall”, leading to his death at the tender age of 27. The assistant emergency medical services chief of the Girdwood Fire Department, Terry Kadel, described Nicoletta tumbling down head over heels down the side of a mountain which measures up to 3000 feet above the valley ground.

Kadel had seen Nicoletta cart wheeling towards his death during a live broadcast in a restaurant where he was picking up food. Even though the fire station was called upon immediately, they were unable to help, as Nicoletta had stopped breathing and was in cardiac arrest. A helicopter ambulance, which had been called upon at the same time, was unable to attend to Nicoletta as they were busy carrying a different patient to another destination. The impact of the fall was so severe that he died as soon as he hit solid ground, with his helmet instantly falling off.

Alaska state trooper, Sergeant Bryan Barlow said the cause of Nicoletta’s death has been finalized as “massive blunt force trauma to the chest”. Commonly described as an “ex-Eastcoaster”, Nicoletta was one among 70 men and 26 women who qualified for the extreme competition at Alyeska, fighting for the cash prize of $12,500. Nicoletta had finished second at the Subaru Telluride Freeskiing Open just two months ago, and had featured in various ski videos as well. After Nicoletta’s fall on Friday, the competition had been halted. But after discussions with various competitors, the competition has been resumed once again.

Girdwood fire Chief Bill Chadwick, did however admit that with increasing new areas being opened up at Alyeska for the ski competition, the risk factor increases as well.

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