Snowboarding slopestyle is such a great way to end the Winter X Games VI because it gives so much action to snowboarding fans. Between the rails, the fun box and picnic table, the scattering of kickers, the quarterpipeish "shark's fin" with a rail on top and end-run Hollywood super booter, you pretty much get all facets of competion freestyle riding.
Today's slopestyle was in many ways a day of transition, a day for new blood in the sport to shine. 19 year old
Travis Rice, representing from Jackson Hole, stole the show with his first run. The Winter X first timer rode like a man possessed, stomping all things in his path. After churning through a solid bag of tricks, including a huge and stylee backside 180, a clean as hell backside rodeo and then he came riding switch towards the Hollywood super booter. If you were watching you might have been thinking cab nine. But no! Out of nowhere Travis threw down a crazy controlled switch frontside 720 and came roosting towards the judges with his young blood pumping.
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| Travis Rice and a big backside 180 during his Slopestyle gold medal run at Winter X Games VI. |
"I tried to turn it up at the bottom of the course and do something burly for the judges,"
The judges took notice giving him a 90.67.
"On the first run I wanted to get a half decent score and try to up it from there." Said Travis, "I really wanted to run a cab 270 board slide (after his first) but I fell on both runs. You don't like to walk away from that but whatever, it's all good."
This score would hold for the remainder of the event securing Travis the gold, but not without some heated competition. 15 Year old "Wonder Boy"
Shaun White was in hot pursuit and saved his best for last, stepping it up with both front and backside 720s then ending his run with a huge and clean cab 900.
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| Shaun's got game on the rails. |
"I'm so stoked about the backside 720," said White. "I just kept looking at it and I just thought, whatever, I have to go for it. I'd always been scared to do it. I tried it when I was younger and hurt myself."
He truly wanted to get busy with the gold, but today he would have to settle for another silver (Shaun took second in Men's SuperPipe) with an 89.67, one point below Travis' first score.
All eyes were on favorite
Kevin Jones to defend his gold from last year's Winter X, but despite his new board company and crazy rail skills, he was edged out to fourth by long time hero and pipe originator
Todd Richards.
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| Todd with a clean frontside five. |
Todd was riding clean and consistent, charging the course with the finesse of a true competitor. Being one of the oldest pros (Todd is 32, more than twice the age of Shaun) to remain competitive and with a run like his you can see why. 270 to boardslide, back to back to back 540s and a clean as hell cab 900 finished his run, moving him just below that silver with an 89.00. After securing third place Todd strapped his newborn son, Camden, to his back and trooped around the grounds showing off his new creation.
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| From left to right - Shaun White, Travis Rice and Todd Richards. |
Shaun now has two Winter X Games medal to date and Todd brings his medal count up to seven. He has competed in Winter X every year since it's inception in 1997.
Related Photos:
Men's Slopestyle Gallery
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