Wednesday, December 26

Mammoth Grand Prix, Day One

By Jaymo
EXPN.com

Through the windshield of the Snowcat you could barely make out a pipe, let alone a superpipe. Pat Melondowski had a decent base to deal with, but by no means did he have it easy. Needless to say, just like Pat always does, he tore up the snow and created a world-class superpipe ready for the likes of Danny Kass and Shaun Palmer to tear apart..........and tear it apart they did.

The Mammoth Superpipe contests held Dec. 16th and 17th were sanctioned by the FIS, and were the first of the Olympic Team points race! Over 120 riders, both men and women, signed up for this back-to-back contest setup.

Instead of building a pipe and having a competition, the organizers built a pipe and had two competitions - back to back. Both competitions were separate and even had different sponsors, but both were FIS sanctioned and both handed out coveted FIS points. The FIS points will be tallied after the events at Oregon's Bachelor (Jan. 4-6, 2002) and Colorado's Breckenridge (Jan. 9-13, 2002) to see which Americans will be competing at the Olympics in Salt Lake City in February.

A typical superpipe by normal Melondowski standards it was! The shining sun did not hurt either. As you may know, if you watch the weather, pacific storms have been all over the place, and the sunny morning was a nice surprise. The sun always makes a competition that much better. The snow was fast and gave everyone dropping in a chance. This pipe was an equal opportunity booster! If you got busted going small, you only had yourself to blame.

The field was a who's who of rulers: Kass, Richards, White, Teeter, and Palmer. That's right - Shaun Palmer. I'll cut straight to the chase and let you know that Palmer didn't win, but he did prove himself to be in the top 25% of everyone there. Without a doubt, he set the record straight that he:

1. Still knows how to rage and have fun. 2. Is quite possibly one of the best snowboarders ever. 3. Knows how to blow off mainstream media like no other.

"Why are all these people asking me for interviews about the Olympics? I'm just having fun, I told them to get away from me". -Shaun Palmer

Anyway, Palmer won the "best backside method" and clearly set the record straight that he is not burned out, grumpy or washed up. So all naysayers get over it and spend more time worryin' about your own bad self.

The first competition was held on Thursday, December 13th, and Danny Kass won. He didn't even need to do the cab 1080 off the first hit. He actually started with straight airs. Needless to say, the guy went off. Headphones? Check! Style? Check! Skills? Check! Just to think, there were people doubting Kass since he seemed to goof off most of the summer skating. I'd say after the beating he dished out, clearly taking the comp by stomping 'Kassaroll' inverted sevens and a cab 1080, that his summer training of lots-o-skating PAID OFF!

Danny Kass

Ross Powers has developed a new contest run, and it's a good thing because the one he was using last year had gotten stale. His new contest run is flawless. He connected a mathematical bag of tricks, which had clearly been rehearsed and dialed. His style is very different than Danny's "whatever" technique, but without a doubt, his 2nd place was deserved. His airs were big, and his inverted sevens were linked together like salt is to seawater. I also think it is safe to say that Powers has got a McTwist that is almost hypnotic. They are dialed.

Kim Christiansen from Norway got third. To make a long story short...he's rad.

Fourth Place was ANDY FINCH! Shaun Palmer grabbed this kid and threw him on his team a couple years ago, and it's paying off. Andy, from his supple leather Level snowboard gloves to his technology driven Palmer Snowboard, has got what it takes to really go off. His style is hard to describe because it is so unique. It has a little "Kass Whatever" going on, but at the same time has a concentrated formula. He is like a professional poker player with a hilarious card face. He stands at the top of the pipe with this crazy grin.

For the story and results of the second day of competition, check out the "also see" stories.

This is Kris Jamieson telling you to let your riding speak louder than your words!

Ride On Baby, your bro Jaymo.