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Louie Vito didn’t bust a move on Dancing With The Stars for you. He didn’t nude up in ESPN’s Body Issue for the ladies. And he didn’t win the halfpipe at the 2012 US Snowboarding Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain on March 3, 2012 for us. Like the monster roast beef that kicked off his first final run (see above) he did this for himself. That with a pair of doubles (front and cab) mid-pipe put Vito in the lead.

Vito stayed in the lead until Mammoth’s hometown tallboy Greg Bretz put down his second run and blasted past Vito’s by nearly three points with a 95. But Bretz wasn’t safe with his lead.

“Oh, I knew it was coming,” Bretz said. “I know Louie. He and I ride a lot together. He’s like my older brother. So I’m stoked for the kid. I just had to give him a little pressure.”

Last Run Louie must have felt the pressure because he triple up on the doubles with a run that included a double crippler, back five, front double, cab double and another monster roast beef served up right in the judges face. The upgrade did not go unnoticed as they rewarded Vito with a massive 98.2 giving him the win and the overall 2012 US Snowboarding Halfpipe Title.

“I am super stoked on winning the overall,” Vito said. “But riding with Greg and Luke today and watching them throw down some good runs really pushed me to ride better and for me that is what it is all about. The sun is out, the pipe is good and I walked away with a win so I can’t complain.”

On the women’s side Elena Hight (right) didn’t let any recent news stories hold her down in Mammoth’s perfect superpipe. She busted larger than any of the girls from the monster method on her first hit and rocked it to the finish. Hight had the whole thing wrapped up on her first run with a 88.6, but that didn’t stop her from going harder on her victory lap and raising her first score by 3.4 points to a 92.

“I am super stoked on today,” Hight said. “It was really beautiful and I got to come out and do qualifiers early this morning. I qualified first which I am really happy about and enjoy this California sunshine with my friends. It really doesn’t get any better than this.

Kaitlyn Farrington finished in second, followed by Ellery Hollingsworth with her first podium finish of the year.

In the $10,000 Maloof Best Trick Farrington won with a backside 900 and Luke Mitrani padded his wallet with a double Michalchuck.

Follow the jump for the complete results or click here for a complete photo gallery. [click to continue…]

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Seth Hill drifting into 12th place in the slopestyle finals. Click here for a complete photo gallery.

Chas Guldemond knew it was going to be a long day at the 2012 US Grand Prix Slopestyle at Mammoth Mountain. Thanks to a week of crazy weather everything got rearranged and Chas didn’t get to practice on the course on Thursday, March 1, 2012.

“This morning was the first time I got to ride the course,” Guldemond said before dropping in on his first qualifying run. “Doing it all in one day is rough. The same thing happened last year. My final run was at 5:30. But it’s all good.”

This year, Guldemond (right) didn’t have to go as long. After a first run that saw him take the lead even though he had some trouble with a landing on the first jump, he could only watch as Sage Kotsenburg landed his second run and moved ahead of Guldemond with a score of 92.

At 5:03 PM, an hour after the Mammoth lifts had stopped running, Guldemond dropped in for his final run and stomped the entire thing (including his cab 1260) for a score of 94.6. Then all he had to do was wait for top qualifiers Ryan Stassel and Eric Willett to make their final runs.

By the time Stassel and Willett slipped into the start shack the sun was beginning to set. It was obvious from the start the Stassel was a bit shaken and mistakes just piled on as he made his way down the course. Guldemond breathed a little easier, but with Eric Willett anything can happen. The top half of his run looked solid, but then he scrubbed a little speed on the first landing. Knowing he had to charge it, Willet pointed it through two more jumps. By the time he got to the final booter his loss of speed had caught up with him and he came up short resulting the biggest slam of the day. Willet was able to ride away, but it was obvious that Guldemond had done it again.

On the women’s side South Lake Tahoe’s Joanna Dzierzawski slipped past best trick winner 17-year-old Indigo Monk to win the event with a run that included both a frontside and backside three. “It was a long day but really fun,” Dzierzawski said. “The weather cleared up and it was absolutely and I don’t think I could be any more excited!”

Karly Shorr took third rocking out to Fleetwood Mac on every run.

The US Snowboarding Grand Prix at Mammoth continues tomorrow (Saturday, March 3, 2012) with halfpipe qualifiers and finals. Follow the jump for the complete results or click here for a complete photo gallery. [click to continue…]

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After three days of howling Sierra Express winds, blowing snow, and rearranged training and event schedules the 2012 US Snowboarding Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain gets underway today under calm winds and complete bluebird skies with seven straight hours of slopestyle.

Slope day begins with practice a 8:30 AM, four hours of qualifiers at 10 AM and finals at 2:30 PM. Chas Guldemond, Sage Kotsenburg, and Eric Willett are reportedly in the house. It’s going to be a crazy long day for everyone, but we’ll keep you posted. Follow us on Twitter and/or Instagram @boardistan.

The Sprint live webcast begins today (Friday, March 2, 2012) at 10 AM PST. Click here to watch live.

Follow the jump for a complete men’s and women’s slopestyle start lists. [click to continue…]

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