Whistler (BC), Canada – The TTR World Snowboard Tour’s first 5Star event of the 2010-11 season, the Billabong Ante-Up, resulted in an all-Canadian podium on Saturday at Whistler Blackcomb. Sebastien Toutant took the top spot, making him $20,000 richer.nThe summertime event was held in the Camp of Champions park on the Blackcomb glacier and featured a massive 75-foot gap jump. The Ante Up hosted 40 riders in a big air format who were all going for a piece of the $50,000 prize purse and 850 TTR ranking points.
In addition to his victory, Toutant also secured the World No. 3 spot in the TTR World Rankings and received an automatic invite to the 6Star Billabong Air & Style Innsbruck later in the season.
All the riders were pulling off some impressive tricks all day and it came down to a double cork 1260 podium with the top three riders doing different variations of the trick. Toutant won the first place podium spot with a flawless Cab 1260 double cork.
“Winning the first 5Star TTR big air contest was just amazing,” Toutant said. “It was an epic final and it’s sick because I’ll be in the top of the TTR rankings going down to New Zealand in August.”
Coming in second place behind Toutant were fellow Canadians Matts Kulisek, who landed a backside 1260 double cork for $15,000, and Mark McMorris, who took third place to earn $10,000 for his frontside 1260 double cork. Other notable mentions include Norway’s Gjermund Braaten, who also stomped a backside 1260 double cork to take fourth place which, when combined with his 2009-10 season-end bonus points, bumped him up into TTR World No. 1.
TTR Tour’s newest 3Star event on the calendar
With the first 5Star event of the 2010-11 season in the bag, the tour will move down to the southern hemisphere in August for the 5Star Burton New Zealand Open, which is the next major event on the calendar. But first, 15 teams of Australia’s best freestyle snowboarders will compete for a share of $19,000 in the second annual Mountain Dew Hut Jam on Mt. Buller ski area’s Bourke Street run on July 31.
The country’s richest local freestyle snowboard contest features a massive 2.5-meter-high house-proportioned Mountain Dew hut as its centerpiece and established itself in 2009 as a totally unique event, not only due to the hut but as a team event, with each team selecting its best two jibbers to ride together.
In 2010, the event has two new elements – the Gatorade Rookie Award and a 3Star Swatch TTR ranking.
“The Dew Hut Jam is a new concept for an event in Australia, with solid prize money and the team element where riders have to work together and stomp their tricks to win,” says Mountain Dew snow
event curator Russell Holt.
The winning duo from 2009, Team Quiksilver’s Nathan Perry and Tim Laidlaw, took out the battle in style, landing big tricks including a 540 over the hut. It was 15 year old Laidlaw’s win that inspired the creation of the new 2010 Gatorade Rookie award.
“I’m really stoked on the new Gatorade award this year. Some lucky young Aussie shredder is going to get hooked up – big time. This support is invaluable to young Aussies who have to travel so far
during summer to keep riding and pushing towards the next level,” says Holt.
The Dew Hut Jam takes place under lights on Mt Buller’s Bourke Street beginning at 6 p.m. AEST on Saturday, July 31.
World Rookie Tour kicking off
Rookies get another chance this summer, this time in Europe as the World Rookie Tour is ready to start the 2010-11 season with the upcoming Swatch TTR 2Star Slopestyle Summer Rookie Fest in Val Senales, Italy. Scheduled from July 6-10, it will be the only summer TTR event of the Alps and it will assign an invitation to the 4Star Protest World Rookie Fest 2011 in Livigno, Italy.
Among the many activities of the event there will be freestyle camps with international pro riders, BBQ, skate contests and a Red Bull Party. Riders from all Europe will participate at this International camp and contest for a unique chance to improve their riding skills, English knowledge and to meet new friends from all over. Among the special guests of the rookie camp, there will be two-time World Rookie Champion Roope Tonteri of Finland, who is currently number 8 in the Swatch TTR World Rank.
For the rookies who wish to train and learn new tricks there will be also a Rookie Camp, held from July 3-10 with snowboard clinics for riders of any level. For more info on the camp check out www.rookiecamp.eu.
3Star indoors in Germany
In other recent TTR World Snowboard Tour action, the 3Star One Big Parkzeit was held indoors in German’s Jever Skihalle Neuss on June 19th, the first time that the event was part of the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour.
Elke Cogghe from Belgium and Florian Heim from Austria stood atop the podium that day out of nearly 100 snowboarders from eight nations, ranging in age from 14 to 54 years who competed. Athletes present their tricks and styles in the freshly shaped park of the ski dome. Four judges took on the difficult task to determine the best riders that day.