Shaun White finally made it to a Burton US Open of Snowboarding Halfpipe (did he really miss it three years in a row?). And to no one’s surprise, he won.. Something he hasn’t done since 2008. But it was close he edged Louie Vito by only 1.06 pints.
Elena Hight continued her winning ways in the women’s comp and put an end to Kelly Clark’s debatable “16 event winning streak.”
White was happy to do his part: ““Coming to the 2012 Burton US Open was amazing,” White said. “It was great to see Jake and be a part of this historical event. I’m proud to take home this victory.”
And Hight was glad she came. “I’m really happy with the whole weekend – the pipe and weather were amazing,” said Elena. “I haven’t been at the Open for a couple of years, and it’s great to come back and embrace the 30th anniversary of the event.”
Click here to watch the entire finals replay, or follow the jump for the official word from Burton. And, if you’re into it check out the rail jam which should be starting any minute live online.Shaun White & Elena Hight Win Halfpipe Titles at the 30th Burton US Open
Stratton Mountain, VT (March 10, 2012) Shaun White (USA) and Elena Hight (USA) won the 30th annual Burton US Open half pipe competition today, taking home $25,000 each and one of the most coveted titles in snowboarding.
It was a day that will go down in history for many reasons – the weather was perfect, the competitions came down to the wire and record-breaking crowds descended on Stratton to be a part of the landmark 30th anniversary of the US Open.
Both the men’s and women’s competitions were nail-biters, with the podium switching up constantly throughout the finals. In the women’s contest, Elena Hight had an unforgettable day as she earned her first-ever US Open championship title and was the first rider to break Kelly Clark’s 16-competition winning streak. With only 3/10ths of a point between Elena and Kelly, it was a very tough call for the judges to make. In the end, Elena won with a score of 86.50 and a run that included back-to-back 900s, a trick combination she’s struggled with over the past year. Rounding out the women’s half pipe podium was Ellery Hollingsworth, who came in third.
“I’m really happy with the whole weekend – the pipe and weather were amazing,” said Elena. “I haven’t been at the Open for a couple of years, and it’s great to come back and embrace the 30th anniversary of the event.”
The men’s half pipe final was undoubtedly one of the best in recent memory, with past US Open champions like Danny Kass and Shaun White battling it out with top riders like Louie Vito,Iouri Podladtchikov and Danny Davis. Shaun White was the first rider to drop, and in true form, he was unbeatable from the start. Shaun’s first run earned him his fourth US Open half pipe title and included a method, frontside double cork 1080 stale fish, Cab double cork 1080 melon, frontside inverted 540 stale fish, backside double McTwist 1260 ending things with an alley pop backside rodeo.
“Coming to the 2012 Burton US Open was amazing,” Shaun White said. “It was great to see Jake and be a part of this historical event. I’m proud to take home this victory.”
The rest of the men’s half pipe podium wasn’t decided until the last runs, with both Louie Vito and Benji Farrow earning second and third place respectively after run three. Danny Davis and Danny Kass were also crowd favorites and both gave everyone plenty to cheer about.
In addition to the US Open half pipe titles, several other major awards were given out today. Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) and Kelly Clark earned the 2012 Burton Global Open Series half pipe championship titles (each worth $25,000). Jamie Anderson (USA) and Ryo Aono (JPN) won the MINI Countryman. Ellery Hollingsworth (USA) and Taku Hiraoka (JPN) won the half pipe Creative Use of Space awards, presented by MINI. Arielle Gold (USA) and Ayumu Hirano (JPN) won the first ever Nokia Rookie Award worth $5000 each.
The 2011/2012 TTR World Tour also came to a close today at the 6Star Burton US Open. After a gripping season full of countless highlights, Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) and Kelly Clark (USA) have clinched the TTR Halfpipe World Tour Champion titles and Stale Sandbech (NOR) and Cilka Sadar (SLO) have been awarded with the TTR Overall World Tour titles.
Next up is tonight’s ‘Night Jam’ and tomorrow’s ‘Junior Jam’, then the 30th anniversary of the US Open will be in the history books. If you missed the US Open finals, highlights of winning runs and full webcasts will also be available for on-demand viewing at www.redbull.com/snowboarding-live
For classic US Open photos, event highlights, quotes from the legends, and the boards beneath the riders, be sure to download the US Open History iPad App on iTunes.
2012 US Open Competition & Entertainment Schedule
Saturday, March 10 – 7:00 pm – The Night Jam, under the lights in the main base area
Sunday, March 11 – Junior Jam
Men’s US Open Halfpipe Final Results
1. Shaun White (USA) 90.44 – $25,000
2. Louie Vito (USA) 89.38 – $14,000
3. Benji Farrow (USA) 86.00 $6,000
4. Christian Haller SUI
5. Greg Bretz USA
6. Taku Hiraoka JPN
7. Iouri Podladtchikov SUI
8. Matt Ladley USA
9. Zack Black USA
10. Danny Kass USA
11. Danny Davis USA
12. Ryo Aono JPN
13. Janne Korpi FIN
14. Kohei Kudo JPN
15. Markus Malin FIN
16. Kazu Kokubo JPN
Women’s US Open Halfpipe Final Results
1. Elena Hight (USA) 86.50 – $25,000
2. Kelly Clark (USA) 86.19 – $14,000
3. Ellery Hollingsworth (USA) 80.56 – $6,000
4. Arielle Gold USA
5. Ursina Haller SUI
6. Yuki Furihata JPN
7. Hannah Teter USA
8. Gretchen Bleiler USA
