Author: silvia

After a full-out season of close calls and flawless victories, US snowboarder Kevin Pearce charged through the opposition, defeating his challengers and rising to the occasion to become the new 07/08 Men’s Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour Champion.

Kevin Pearce, a Vermont native, was crowned at 04.30 pm U.S. EST at the base of Stratton Mountain in front of a mass of spectators applauding and cheering his achievement. Reto Lamm, President of the Swatch TTR World Tour, presented the Swatch TTR award – a 20-kilo metal and wood, custom made trophy for Pearce.

Kevin had one of the best season records in TTR history; his pursuits for the Swatch TTR Title beginning all the way back in August. A string of victories and podium finishes throughout the season brought him all the way to the top and he entered the 6-Star Burton US Open highly favoured.

His efforts began with a second place in the Halfpipe at the 5-Star Abominable Snow Jam in Mt. Hood, Oregon. Although he struggled in New Zealand, Pearce entered the Northern Hemisphere portion of the Tour in full force, dropping a huge Cab 1260 to win the 6-Star Nokia Air & Style in Munich/Germany. His success continued on the other side of the world in Japan, where Pearce finished fourth at the 6Star Nissan X-Trail Jam amidst a field of riders that had certainly stepped up their game since Munich.

Pearce’s streak of title victories was then unleashed in Laax / Switzerland at the 6-Star Burton European Open in a Halfpipe final that blew away every rider and spectator. Legendary Halfpipe rider Shaun White had laid down what was thought to be an unbeatable run and with the final run of the entire competition, Kevin Pearce proved to the world that he is right up there beside the best snowboarders in the world. Jaw’s dropped and voices were left speechless as Pearce began with a 10 right out of the gate straight into a second 10, followed by back-to-back 9s into a gargantuan Mctwist and ending with a stylish straight air. His run earned him the HP Title as he set his eyes on to Innsbruck /Austria.

At the 5-Star Billabong Air & Style Quarterpipe, Kevin once again dominated, claiming his second straight title. But he wouldn’t stop there. After winning last year’s Arctic Challenge in Oslo / Norway, Pearce went on to win his second consecutive 6-Star Oakley Arctic Challenge, stomping huge BS Airs, his epic Mctwists and a newly honed BS Rodeo 5. After his victory in Oslo, Pearce overtook Risto Mattila from Finland for the Tour lead.

The 6-Star Burton US Open however, was Kevin Pearce’s time to shine. With a 25% point bonus in both Slopestyle and Halfpipe, Pearce didn’t back down and drove it home to become the 07/08 Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour Champion and taking home

Stratton, VT, USA – March 21st, 2008: The sun finally broke out for the Swatch TTR 6-Star Burton US Open Slopestyle finals, but the winds kicked up a notch giving riders another challenge alongside a determined field of talented professional snowboarders.

Kevin Pearce (USA), who barely held on to his Tour lead, didn’t make the Slopestyle finals, giving Risto Mattila (FIN) and Peetu Piiroinen (FIN) a golden opportunity to move into the Tour Lead with a podium finish. But in the end, it was Shaun White (USA) who took home the 6- Star Burton US Open Slopestyle Title and 1250 TTR ranking points, followed by Tim Humphreys (USA) in second and Charles Reid (CAN) in third.

The fight for Tour lead certainly had judges, riders and fans running on pure adrenaline as the Slopestyle set the stage for tomorrow’s Halfpipe and Swatch TTR showdown. Ninja snow master, Shaun White, claimed the first place position with a near flawless run that included a Cab 9, BS 9, switch BS 9 and ended with a incredibly clean BS 1080. His perfect performance moves White into the TTR Top 20 with just four TTR results. Tim Humphreys claimed the second place spot stomping tricks left, right and center, moving into the TTR Top 10. Charles Reid certainly made Canadians proud proving his worth in the pre-qualifiers and charging all the way through to the podium.

Although Peetu Piiroinen only placed fifth in the Slopestyle, he managed to out perform his fellow Finnish rider Risto Mattila, who placed tenth, moving Piiroinen into TTR World No. 2. This certainly closed the gap between Piiroinen and Pearce, who remained Tour Leader with no additional points. This creates an intense situation for tomorrow’s Halfpipe competition as Kevin Pearce, Peetu Piiroinen and Risto Mattila could all walk away as the new 07/08 Swatch TTR Tour Champion. It’s going to be a very close call as all three riders have been riding transitions exceptionally well all season long.

The Women’s Swatch TTR ranking also underwent some big changes. The shake-ups began in the women’s semi-final round with Torah Bright (AUS) unable to harness her Slopestyle skills and Kelly Clark (USA) opting to not ride in slopestyle. With two of the top women out of the finals, it opened the door for other ladies like Jamie Anderson (USA), Jenny Jones (GBR) and Sina Candrian (SUI) to make some moves in the Top 5. Kjersti Buaas’ (NOR) first run of the finals held strong all the way through giving her the Slopestyle Title, but it was Jamie Anderson’s second place that pushed her into World No. 1 ahead of Torah Bright who is now World No. 3. Jenny Jones managed to hold her ground on the icy course rounding out the women’s Top 3 both in the Slopestyle and in the Swatch TTR rankings.

Anderson and Jones are putting up an incredible fight in the last two 6-Star events on the women’s Tour. However, Torah Bright and Kelly Clark have a chance to gain some ground in tomorrow’s Halfpipe competition, as they are both top-notch Halfpipe competitors making for a dramatic lead into the 6-Star Roxy Chicken Jam next week – the final women’s event of the Tour where the women’s TTR Tour Champion will be crowned.

The 6-Star Burton US Open Halfpipe showdown gets underway tomorrow with semi-finals kicking off at 9am EST. With some big moves taking place after slopestyle finals today, it is going to be interesting to see how the race for the Men’s Swatch TTR World Tour Championship Title and a piece of the

Hemsedal, Norway – March 17th 2008: The Swatch TTR 3-Star Nordic Open- Hemsedal Park Attack took over the Hemsedal park in Norway this weekend hosting sick riding on one of the most perfect parks in Europe.

Norwegian rider Erik Botner was the strongest rider of the weekend claiming the highest spot on the men’s podium after a blizzard canceled the finals and results were taken from the semi- finals. Female rider Sigri Heen, also from Norway, dominated the women’s field with both riders taking home 550 TTR Ranking Points and part of the

Stratton, VT, USA – March 12, 2008: Yes, it’s that time of the year again. The Men’s Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour has gone through a rollercoaster ride of new Tour leaders and hard bails, and now arrives at the climactic end of the 07/08 season. Commencing March 17th, and cruising right on through to the 22nd, the 6-Star Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships in Stratton, Vermont USA will host the most incredible riders from all over the world in a final title bout for the Men’s TTR Tour Trophy.

The Slopestyle and Halfpipe showdown hosts both male and female riders, but with the women’s tour ending at the 6-Star Roxy Chicken Jam at Mammoth Mountain, USA, focus will be placed on the men as Kevin Pearce (USA), Risto Mattila (FIN), Peetu Piiroinen (FIN), Shaun White (USA), Travis Rice (USA) and many more travel to the icy east for the 26th edition of one of the most prestigious snowboard competitions in history.

The US Open is the tour-defining stop, crowning the Men’s Swatch TTR Tour Champion and distributing part the

Hemsedal, Norway – March, 11th, 2008: Following the success of last year’s event, that turned out to be one of the most successful Slopestyle events in Norway, Hemsedal is again ready to host the Swatch TTR 3-Star Nordic Open – Hemesedal Park Attack from March 14th to 16th, 2008. A

10 000 USD prize purse and another 550 TTR Ranking points are up for the taking.

Killington, VT, USA – March 10th, 2008: The final 5-Star event of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour promises to shake things up in the TTR World Rankings as many world-class riders head to Killington Vermont, USA for the Chevrolet Grand Prix.

The two-day competition, taking place March 15th and 16th 2008, offers up two opportunities for riders to bank 850 TTR ranking points in both Halfpipe and Slopestyle formats, while also competing for a portion of the monster

It was a dramatic finale to one of the most significant competitions on the Tour. The Swatch TTR SIX(6)STAR Oakley Arctic Challenge, greeted with sunny skies and an enthusiastic crowd, wrapped up today with US rider Kevin Pearce taking home the title along with 24.500,- US Dollar and moving into the TTR World No. 1 position. Shayne Pospisil, also from the United States, took second place while Peetu Piiroinen of Finland once again proved he’s one of the best by rounding out the Top three and maintaining his grasp on TTR World No. 3.

Pearce was stoked with his Title win but is still looking to the future: “We just finished up the 2008 Arctic Challenge and it’s another SIX(6)STAR win for me. It feels good! It was good to see everybody stepping up… and it was good to see Terje pushing it…I’ve done a lot of TTR events this year and now I’m finally on top. It’s been a long journey. I feel pretty good about it. Seems like just yesterday it was the start of the season. But it’s coming down to the last couple events… and now it all depends on the US Open. I’m psyched. It’s going to be a good ending.”

Pearce also took home the trophy for Best Trick of the day with his crowd and judge pleasing Inverted BS 540 with a Double Grab at 7.1 m. All eyes may have been looking for a new World Record, but the highest air of the day, stomped by Peetu Piiroinen, was 7.5 m, just over 2 m shy of the 9.8 world record set last year by Arctic Challenge founder and TTR patron Terje Haakonsen.

In the same fashion as the semi finals, riders were judged on their best runs, but things were stepped up for the finals. Each rider was given five attempts to stomp three of their best tricks. Added to those three scores was a variation score that judged riders on their ability to mix things up with each hit.

Pearce’s attempts included a McTwist with a Tweaked Japan, his best-trick-winning Inverted BS 5 Double Grab, a massive BS Air Method, a Chuckflip 7, and another solid BS Air. Pospisil kept things a little simpler, starting off with a FS Air and then landing a stylish BS Air. On his third hit he busted out the BS 3 Alley-Oop, then went for a BS 5 and finished the afternoon off with a FS 3. Piiroinen returned with his signature Finnish style, opting for a BS 5 Tail on the first hit, unfortunately washing out the landing. He stomped a BS 5 Tail Grab on his second attempt, holding the grab until the last possible second. His third hit gave him the highest air, floating a clean BS Air Tail Grab at 7.5m. After a failed initial attempt, Peetu finally landed a Chuckflip on his last hit.

Some big changes in the TTR Rankings were set after a great afternoon of friendly snowboard competition. Risto Mattila who was previously the Tour Leader is now TTR World No. 2 after his 7th place finish in Oslo. Risto will definitely be looking to get back on top in the coming weeks. Andy Finch who was throwing down epic airs all day long keeps his place of TTR World No. 4 as Nicolas Mueller, who brought along his legendary Swiss style, now sits in the top ten at TTR World No. 8. Scotty Lago who didn’t fair too well in Norway still managed to improve his ranking with a SIX(6)STAR result and now sits at TTR World No. 9.

Check out www.ttrworldtour.com for fully updated Swatch TTR Rankings along with blogs, news, and videos that document all the action from The Oakley Arctic Challenge. In case you missed the competition, you can still catch every detail over on www.freecaster.tv. Be sure to stay tuned to TTR as the Tour moves to Japan for the FIVE(5)STAR Nissan X-Trail Nippon Open where we could see some more big changes in the rankings, setting things up for the final SIX(6)STAR event, the Burton US Open, where riders have one more chance to claim a share of the overall