Teter, Fischer grab wins in first Vans Triple Crown halfpipe competition

Teter, Fischer grab wins in first Vans Triple Crown halfpipe competition{mosimage}USSA — Junior star Hannah Teter, who took second in slopestyle on Saturday, exploded with 94 points to win her second straight halfpipe on Sunday, at the first stop of the Vans Triple Crown. She finished a 4.8 points ahead of Olympic gold medalist Kelly Clark. Anne Molin Kongsgaard of Norway was third with 85.3 points.

World Championship bronze medalist Steve Fisher piled up 92.5 points to win the men’s contest over Olympic silver medalist Danny Kass, who tallied 90.5 points. Last year’s Breckenridge winner Luke Wynen was third with 88.2 points.

“Hannah and Fisher absolutely killed it today and this was a major contest,” said Halfpipe Head Coach Bud Keene. “Usually this event is the warm up and nobody is really throwing too much down, but it felt like it was the last event of the season. The runs were huge, technical and it looked like everyone had been riding for the last five months.”

Teter’s victory comes over three months after she won the World Cup opener in Valle Nevado, Chile, and amidst a stacked field of the world’s best riders including fourth place finisher and 2002 Olympic bronze medalist Fabienne Reuteler of Switzerland, Olympian Tricia Byrnes, who was fifth, and young gun Lindsey Jacobellis, in seventh. Reigning Triple Crown champion Gretchen Bleiler, who won eight consecutive contests last season, was unable to compete do to a knee injury suffered earlier in the week.

“Hannah is starting to throw her 900 off axis, which is huge and she’s nailing everything big and clean. In practice, she was landing her McTwist’s, but I think she was riding with so much speed in the finals that she didn’t put it in her run,” said Keene.

The men’s field also featured a stacked deck of superstars, including Tommy Czeschin in fourth, Elijah Teter (Hannah’s brother) in fifth, Andy Finch in sixth and Ross Powers in seventh. After qualifying fourth overall for the final, 13-year-old phenomenon Luke Mitrani was 12th.

A broken board for Fisher off a 15-foot air in the first run of the semi’s nearly ended his day, but thanks to a quick dash from Swix wax tech Franklin to Fisher’s nearby home, he was able to get a replacement for the second run.

“I’ve seen Steve ride this way before, but today his run was large and he did it with ease,” added Keene. “I thought the busted board might shake him, but he was unbelievably huge. His frontside airs were at least 17 feet out of the pipe.”

Most riders in the powerhouse field will exit Breckenridge for Park City, Utah, and the first stop of the Chevy Truck U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix, which starts Dec. 17 at Park City Mountain Resort.

VANS TRIPLE CROWN (first event)
Breckenridge, Colorado
December 14, 2003
Men’s Halfpipe
1. Steve Fisher, St. Louis Park, Minn.
2. Danny Kass, Hamburg, N.J.
3. Luke Wynen, Reading, Pa.

en’s Halfpipe
1. Hannah Teter, Belmont, Vt.
2. Kelly Clark, Mount Snow, Vt.
3. Anne Molin Kongsgaard, Norway