X Games: White wins superpipe, Brown takes ski big air

ASPEN, Colo. (Jan. 20) – The crowd was big, but the superpipe was bigger at tonight’s men’s snowboarder superpipe finals at the Winter X Games 14.

During a practice session only an hour before the final round of competition, defending Olympic and X Games gold medalist Shaun White smacked his face on the edge of the 22-foot-tall pipe. The blow knocked of the nine-time X Games gold medalist’s helmet and drew and gasps groan from the capacity crowd. After X Games docs checked him over twice, White was cleared for competition and went on to win his third consecutive superpipe gold.

With a score of 95.33, White bested Swiss rider Iouri Podladtchikov in second and Japan’s Kazuhiro Kokubo in third. White clenched the win in his first run with a 180 double cork, a 540 stalefish, a double McTwist and an alley-oop rodeo.

“I am pumped to have made that first run as that trick is a beast of its own,” said White. “I am excited to be headed to the Olympics with these guys. Its good company to be in. Everyone here killed it tonight.”

Earlier in the evening Breckenridge, Colo. native Bobby Brown won the skiing big air gold medal ahead of Canadian TJ Schiller in second and 17-year old Swiss skier Elias Ambuhl in third.

The five finalists were given 20 minutes to pull in the highest scoring trick they could over an 85-foot step-up gap. Brown made X Games history with two 50 point tricks and a perfect 100-point overall score.

“My winning trick was a switch double misty 1440. I’d never done it before but I saw TJ [Schiller] just stomp the most ridiculous trick I’d ever seen in my life so I was just like ‘ok I got to try something new,” said Brown. “I don’t even know how I landed on my feet. I’m beyond stoked right now.”


“It is so exciting to see how good everyone is,” said Schiller.  “I couldn’t believe Bobby had a perfect score.  No one has ever done that, ever.”


Last year’s winner Simon Dumont pulled out of the big air event after falling hard during superpipe training. He is expected to compete in the ski superpipe event.


For a complete list of this weekend’s competition and TV schedule click here.

Look for more  in-depth X-Games coverage, images and video in the next digital issue of Ski Racing.

Image: Bobby Brown looking perfect. (Eric Williams)

Snowboard SuperPipe Men’s
Final Results from Aspen/Snowmass on Friday, January 29, 2010
 
           Name                          Bib #               Hometown                             Score             
1.         Shaun White                  319                   Carlsbad, Calif.                         95.33
2.         Iouri Podladtchikov        385                   Zurich, Switzerland                    93.66
3.         Kazuhiro Kokubo           349                   Ishikari City, Japan                    91.00
4.         Greg Bretz                    348                   Mammoth Lakes, Calif.              89.66
5.         J.J. Thomas                  351                   Breckenridge, Colo.                   82.33
6.         Steve Fisher                  352                   Breckenridge, Colo.                   74.66
7.         Luke Mitrani                   317                   Mammoth Lakes, Calif.              57.00
8.         Louie Vito                     384                   Bellefontaine, Ohio                    46.66

Skiing Big Air
Final Results from Aspen/Snowmass on Friday, January 29, 2010
 
 
           Name                                      Bib No.           Hometown                             Score
1.         Bobby Brown                            592                   Breckenridge, Colo.                   100
2.         TJ Schiller                                 510  &
nbsp;                Vernon, BC, Canada                  95
3.         Elias Ambuhl                             561                   Laax, Switzerland                      90
4.         Russ Henshaw                          540                   Jindabyne, Australia                  89
5.         Jossi Wells                               536                   Wanaka, New Zealand                89