Breckenridge, CO – Mark McMorris, a teenager from the prairie flatlands of central Canada, soared high on Saturday and then unveiled a difficult array of tricks on Sunday to sweep snowboard big air and slopestyle Dew Cup competitions this weekend in Breckenridge.
The 19-year-old from Regina, Saskatchewan began the weekend in impressive fashion by dominating Saturday evening’s Big Air event. The 2012 Winter X Games Big Air and slopestyle champion was rewarded for his performance with a mark of 96.75. Sage Kotsenburg of Park City, Utah finished second with 86.75 points and Staale Sandbech of Norway was third with a score of 69.25.
“I would have to say it was definitely the triple cork,” he said Sunday when asked the key to his big air victory. In the big air event riders jump off a kicker, perform tricks in the air and land on a 30-degree slope and are judged on style, degree of technicality and their landing.
In a competition he described as “pretty intense,” McMorris decided his backside double 1080 might not be enough in qualifying to advance so he upped his game to the triple cork 1440 to easily advance to the final. And then did it again, twice, in the final to secure his victory.
“A lot of people were trying hard tricks after I landed that, and there were a lot of guys falling. That’s the reason I won.”
McMorris capped his weekend by posting the best marks in both runs of the slopestyle event. Again, his score of 95.00 far outdistanced his competitors. Chas Guldemond of Reno, Nev., was second with a score of 90.75 followed by Sandbech at 85.75.
Slopestyle is the newest discipline in the Olympics. Unlike big air, riders compete on a course that contains a variety of large jumps, terrain features and rails. Facing a tough weather day — windy, snowing, flat light – McMorris put down what he called a “safety run” on the first run and his score, 90.00, was high enough to put a lot of pressure on his competitors. Not content, however, he stepped it up in the second run, upping his technical elements and improving his score.
“It was just a good day,” he said. “I’m really psyched to find my stroke so early. Usually it takes to mid January to get some good results. But I’ve been working with amazing people who helped me get to where I am.”
“The weather was really tough today, but I think we all did our best and are having fun which is what snowboarding is really all about,” Guldemond added. “I’m really happy with my finish today and glad I was able to keep my speed up despite the wind and snow.”
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Winter Dew Tour – iON Mountain Championships
Breckenridge, CO
Snowboard Big Air – Dec. 15, 2012
1 Mark McMorris – CAN
2 Sage Kotsenburg – USA
3 Staale Sandbech – NOR
Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle – Dec. 16, 2012
1 Mark McMorris – Canada
2 Chas Guldemond – USA
3 Staale Sandbech – NOR