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Halfpipe Rulers: Morisset and Zurek
LIVE: March 18, 2000
[preview] [duel slalom] [big air] [halfpipe] [boarderX]
With a crowd on hand, a DJ at the mixin' stand, riders, boards and bright yellow bibs overflowed the pipe. Today was a freestyle, bare-it-all, judged jaaaahm session. In most contests, the qualified riders get two, maybe three, final runs to be scored. But that's not how it went down today. The men had 50 minutes and the women 30 — top three runs counted — with sleds racing them up the sidelines of what became an Enduro-pipe.
Under a brilliant blue sky, Guillaume Morisset of Canada was numero uno. He defined consistent. Each and every run was tightly knit and perfectly executed. I think he's still surrounded by fans thrusting Open posters and pens at him. The crowds were out today and everyone wanted the signature of their favorite HP rider.
Then came Ross Powers — in 2nd place, for a change. We know what he's capable of, and after a strong season he's stoked to be on back on The US Open podium. A local superstar, and last year's winner, he had some groupies of his own. Xavier Hoffman, 2nd last year, came in 3rd, after stoking the judges, and the crowd, with unprecedented stability and consistency in the air.
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| "Abe Teter, local, poacher extraordinaire, had the crowd foaming at the mouth..." |
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And the women? To put it simply, they were relentless. Each would boost down the pipe, catch a sled ride to the top, and do it over and over and over again. Eventually, the crowd thinned, but the top riders kept coming back for more; they couldn't get enough of this picture-perfect pipe. When the timer went off, Canadian Natazsa Zurek wasn't even winded. Her backside, back-to-back McTwists looked effortless throughout, and the judges liked her style best.
Second place went to Shannon Dunn, who's been ruling the pipe all season long. She took 3rd here in '99 and saw the likes of the podium this season at each Grand Prix event. Last, but not least, Barrett Christy finished 3rd. I think she did the most laps. At one point, she dropped in two consecutive times before other women could get an edge in.
Abe Teter, local, poacher extraordinaire, had the crowd foaming at the mouth. Every time he dropped in, the banners were beaten within an inch of their lives as he swung huge air over the roaring crowd. Nothing fancy — just really, really big.
Has anyone ever seen Trevor Andrew without his headphones? What the hell is he listening to anyway? His McTwists were 14 feet out — need I say more?
Props out to Anne Molin Kongsgaard, metal-studded belt and all. When it comes to amplitude, she's a step above the rest of the ladies. If she were measured solely on her amplitude, she couldn't lose. Wait 'til she mixes in the technicalities — she could raise the roof.
Of course, the day wouldn't have been complete without an animal costume. Instead of the Pink Panther, a golden bear appeared, kinda like Winnie, but slimmer. He wasn't up for riding the walls; he dropped in and pointed it for the bottom of the pipe. Shortly thereafter, a spectator mounted a banner and rode it down to the bottom, crashing into the jubilant crowd.
With wins in both GS and halfpipe, the Canadians are schooling everyone, and there are sure to be some high red-and-white placements in Sunday's BoarderX. I won't mention any names, but I'm guessing Canada will be represented. Check back, things get faster tomorrow.
— Lucas Kane, keeping the batteries warm for MountainZone.com
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