Wait, no Jamie Anderson and Chas Guldemond on the top spots of the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championship Slopestyle podium? Nope. Finland’s Enni Rukajärvi edged Anderson by 1.70 points for the win and Eric Willett stomped his frontside 270 boardslide, a backside tailslide 450 out, a Cab underflip 900, tailslide 270 out to a frontside 900 tail grab, and a switch backside double cork 1080 mute grab run to take out Marc “Mr. 1440 Triple Cork” McMorris and Chas Guldemond
“It was awesome to win,” Willett said. “This is only my second time competing in the US Open, so to come here and win is great. Even with the tough weather, the level of riding was insane.”
For the rest of the story, follow the jump.Enni Rukajärvi & Eric Willett Win 29th Annual US Open Slopestyle Titles
Stratton Mountain, VT (March 11, 2011) Enni Rukajärvi (FIN) and Eric Willett (USA) won today’s slopestyle competition at the Burton US Open presented by MINI. Both riders will take home $20,000 cash as well as valuable points towards the Burton Global Open Series championship titles and the TTR top-10 rankings, which will be determined tomorrow.
Today’s competition marks the first time that Enni and Eric have won a coveted US Open title, and it was clear how much the win meant to both of them.
“It felt really amazing to win today,” said Enni. “The Burton US Open is such a big event, so it really means a lot to win here. Even though the weather was difficult, the course was great and super fun to ride.”
Eric Willet added, “It was awesome to win. This is only my second time competing in the US Open, so to come here and win is great. Even with the tough weather, the level of riding was insane.”
The six women in the finals had three chances to put together their best runs. From the start of the finals, Enni rode strong, with a winning run that included a frontside 360 indy grab, a backside 540 indy grab and a Cab 540 mute grab on the kickers. This year’s TTR champion Jamie Anderson kept Enni on her toes throughout the competition. Jamie’s highest scoring run was less than two points behind Enni’s and included a standout switch backside 540 indy grab on the first kicker. Seventeen-year-old rider Silje Norendal (NOR) came in third place and was thrilled to earn a spot on the US Open podium for the first time.
Competition was tight on the men’s side and came down to the second runs. For a few minutes, it looked like Mark McMorris (CAN) might clinch the win with a run that included a Cab double underflip 900 followed by a backside double cork 1080 on the jumps. Then Eric Willett (USA) dropped in and took over the lead with a winning run that included a frontside 270 boardslide, a backside tailslide 450 out, a Cab underflip 900, tailslide 270 out to a frontside 900 tail grab, and a switch backside double cork 1080 mute grab.
The action continues tonight at the US Open in the main base area of Stratton Mountain with ‘The Jam’ followed by a free Flosstradamus show.
If you can’t make it to Stratton, check out replays of the event and live webcasts of tonight’s Jam and tomorrow’s halfpipe finals at burton.com or metacafe.com. The US Open, presented by MINI, will also air on ESPN2 on March 13 at 4:30 p.m. EST.
2011 US Open Competition & Entertainment Schedule
Friday, March 11 – The Jam Finals & FREE ‘Flosstradamus’ show
Saturday, March 12 – Halfpipe Finals & FREE performance by ‘The Sounds’
Sunday, March 13 – Junior Jam
Women’s Slopestyle Finals Results
1. Enni Rukajärvi (FIN) BURTON 86.50
2. Jamie Anderson (USA) BILLABONG 84.80
3. Silje Norendal (NOR) NIKE6.0 78.70
Men’s Slopestyle Finals Results
1. Eric Willett (USA) QUIKSILVER 90.40
2. Mark McMorris (CAN) BURTON 87.80
3. Chas Guldemond (USA) ROCKSTAR 87.20
