Mammoth Lakes, CA – Olympians Louie Vito and Elena Hight won Saturday’s halfpipe, concluding the Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain.
It was a sweep for the USA women and men with Hight scoring an impressive 92.8 followed by teammates Farrington and Ellery Hollingsworth, of Darien, Conn. For the men, Mammoth local Greg Bretz finished second behind Vito and Luke Mitrani, of Breckenridge, Colo., third.
Vito, of Sandy, Utah, was crowned series champion thanks to a progressive second run on Saturday consisting of three doubles that earned him a score of 98.20.
“I am super stoked on winning the overall,” said Vito. “But riding with Greg and Luke today and watching them throw down some good runs really pushed me to ride better and for me that is what it is all about. The sun is out, the pipe is good and I walked away with a win so I can’t complain.”
“I am super stoked on today,” added Saturday’s women’s champion, Hight. “It was really beautiful and I got to come out and do qualifiers early this morning. I qualified first which I am really happy about and enjoy this California sunshine with my friends. It really doesn’t get any better than this.”
Saturday’s women’s runner-up, Kaitlyn Farrington of Bellevue, Idaho, won the women’s series title. The series titles were a repeat for Vito but a first for Farrington, who ran from the podium to catch her flight to the Burton Vermont U.S. Open at Stratton Mountain and is recovering from wrist surgery she suffered three weeks ago. Each was awarded $20,000 for their effort. Farrington earned Saturday’s Maloof Best Trick with a huge back 900 while Luke Mitrani earned it for the men with his double Michalchuck. Each won $10,000 for best trick.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix
Mammoth Mountain, CA – Mar. 3, 2012
Halfpipe
Men:
| Rank | Bib | Name | Year | Nation | Result | Points |
| 1 | 11 | VITO Louie | 1988 | USA | 260.00 | 320.00 |
| 2 | 9 | BRETZ Gregory | 1990 | USA | 208.00 | 256.00 |
| 3 | 14 | MITRANI Luke | 1990 | USA | 156.00 | 192.00 |
| 4 | 16 | BLACK Zachary | 1990 | USA | 130.00 | 160.00 |
| 5 | 25 | JACOB Trevor | 1993 | USA | 117.00 | 144.00 |
| 6 | 7 | SHAW Spencer | 1993 | USA | 104.00 | 128.00 |
| 7 | 3 | CALLISTER Kent | 1995 | USA | 93.60 | 115.20 |
| 8 | 26 | DAVIS Brandon | 1995 | USA | 83.20 | 102.40 |
| 9 | 31 | DAINO Bryan | 1990 | USA | 75.40 | 92.80 |
| 10 | 28 | PIKE Scott | 1989 | USA | 67.60 | 83.20 |
Women:
| Rank | Bib | Name | Year | Nation | Result | Points |
| 1 | 58 | HIGHT Elena | 1989 | USA | 260.00 | 260.00 |
| 2 | 10 | FARRINGTON Kaitlyn | 1989 | USA | 208.00 | 208.00 |
| 3 | 19 | HOLLINGSWORTH Ellery | 1991 | USA | 156.00 | 156.00 |
| 4 | 15 | GOLD Arielle | 1996 | USA | 130.00 | 130.00 |
| 5 | 13 | NICOLL Mercedes | 1983 | CAN | 117.00 | 117.00 |
| 6 | 16 | CONRAD Sarah | 1985 | CAN | 104.00 | 104.00 |
| 7 | 8 | SODERHOLM Haille | 1996 | USA | 93.60 | 93.60 |
| 8 | 21 | TSUYUKI Katie | 1982 | CAN | 83.20 | 83.20 |
| 9 | 20 | SHAW Brooke | 1991 | USA | 75.40 | 75.40 |
| 10 | 4 | KELLY Kirby | 1995 | USA | 67.60 | 67.60 |