January 2010

Mark Sullivan and The Tailgate Alaska Freeride Festival crew are back for 2010. Join some of the most stoked snowboarders from around the world as they gather on Alaska’s Thompson Pass for the ultimate freeride snowboarding session March 26 to April 11, 2010.

Tailgate Alaska is an open-invitation gathering. Anyone is welcome to show up at our location: 29.5 mile on the Richardson Highway, a parking lot, carved out of the drifted snow in the middle of Thompson Pass. . . Set in the ultimate arena for riders, in the middle of Alaska’s Chugach mountain range, Tailgate Alaska is your opportunity to come ride the most compelling peaks in the world at their best. Access to powder and mountain terrain is virtually unlimited. . . Sit out the downtime in our heated, wi-fied basecamp or take in some of the activities that will keep you riding and show you Alaskan culture firsthand.

As Sullivan says, “The goal is to get more people up to Alaska to enjoy the best riding on Earth!” Click here to register, or here to listen to a Rob Kingwill ditty about the Tailgate closer party.

[Link: Tailgate Alaska 2010]

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Tyler Flanagan (pictured above in qualifiers) took second with 46.7 points.

Not a whole lot was surprising about the US Snowboarding Grand Prix Slopestyle finals today at Mammoth Mountain. Chas Guldemond and Jamie Anderson, the highest qualifiers took the event as well on Sunday January 10, 2009.
“I work really hard at what I do. Since last spring I haven’t been on the podium, let alone top 5, so I’m stoked to be back up here,” Guldemond said.

Anderson was pretty stoked as well. “I’m so happy. I don’t usually do 7s. I’ve been working on them, but they’re not one of my consistent tricks. So I was proud of myself to actually step it up and try because it wasn’t a guarantee that I was going to land,” Anderson said. “I was risking it. The first one I kind of fell on, but the second one I stomped, so I’m pumped.”

For the full story follow the jump.
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It was another crazy day in the Mammoth Super Duper pipe and this time Shaun White and Gretchen Bleiler came out on top of in the US Snowboarding Grand Prix.

That makes Shaun White the second snowboarder to clinch his spot on the US Olympic Halfpipe Snowboarding team.

“I’m happy to be on the team and secure that spot. Now I can just work on my stuff and get dialed,” White said. “I was feeling great because I had a second and a first, and that’s pretty strong hold on getting on the team. But a first and a first is guaranteed, so I’m really excited.”

Earlier in the week Gretchen Bleiler told us that she wasn’t that worried. “All I have to do is do the run I know how to do,” she said.

Today it looks like she finally figured it all out.

“I feel awesome. This whole season I’ve just been trying to figure out a run for myself, and today I switched it up completely and figured out a run that I’ve never done before, and it worked for me,” Bleiler said. “It feels really good to win today and I feel so much more confident.”

Men

1. Shaun White, Carlsbad, CA, 47.00
2. Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 45.60
3. JJ Thomas, Golden, CO, 45.00
4. Luke Mitrani, Mammoth Mountain, CA, 44.20
5. Zack Black, Breckenridge, CO, 43.30
6. Steve Fisher, Breckenridge, CO, 41.90
7. Scotty Lago, Seabrook, NH, 39.40
8. Matt Ladley, Steamboat Springs, CO, 39.30
9. Elijah Teter, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 37.90
10. Dylan Bidez, Minturn, CO, 30.40

Women

1. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 44.10
2. Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 43.30
3. Hannah Teter, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 42.80
4. Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, VT, 41.80
5. Ellery Hollingsworth, Stratton, VT, 41.60
6. Holly Crawford, Australia, 33.30
7. Clair Bidez, Minturn, CO, 26.50
8. Maddy Schaffrick, Steamboat Springs, CO

Click here for complete mens and womens results and scoring. Or follow the jump for the official release. . .
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