Breckenridge, CO – It was another day and another win for Sandy, Utah’s Louie Vito on Saturday as he took to the Winter Dew Tour pipe in Breckenridge to solidify his second victory in as many weeks. The win follows the season-opening victory he earned at the Visa U.S. Halfpipe Grand Prix last Saturday.nThe snow was falling hard across all of Colorado, and Breckenridge was no exception as the new powder in the pipe posed a challenge for athletes trying to keep their runs tight.
“I’m feeling super stoked. It was definitely challenging weather but Breck did a good job of clearing the new snow out. I’m happy I landed a run,” Vito said.
Vito was followed on the men’s podium by U.S. Snowboarding teammates Matt Ladley (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) in second and Greg Bretz (Mammoth Mountain, Calif.) in third.
Vito put together a front double 10, cab double 10, crippler, michaelchuck front 10, cab 7 for what marked his career first Dew Tour win.
“It’s a good way to start the season off with my first Dew Tour win and second win of the season. But now I have to keep it moving,” Vito said. “Everyone’s going to be going strong at the next contest, so it’s another day, another contest and good times.”
According to U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Head Coach Mike Jankowski, Vito overcame some obstacles in order to take the win.
“Today was a super challenging day with the conditions. Louie had a couple tough breaks in practice with some pretty hard crashes. He really had to dig deep and show what he has as a rider and as a professional,” Jankowski said. “He made it count on that second run and we couldn’t be more proud of Louie.”
On the women’s side, Spain’s Queralt Castellet took the victory, followed in second by Olympian Elena Hight (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.) and in third was Kaitlyn Farrington (Sun Valley, Idaho), who not only won the season’s first competition less than a week ago at the Visa U.S. Halfpipe Grand Prix, but celebrated her 21st birthday by taking third in Breckenridge.
For Hight, the day marked the first competition of the year after being out sick for the Grand Prix a week ago.
“To be able to come back from a hard last week and do well here was nice. It is great to start off the season on the right foot and feel confident in my riding. I’m definitely stoked,” said Hight.
The halfpipe snowboarding athletes now take a break for the remainder of the year before kicking off the 2011 season.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 Winter Dew Tour – Nike 6.0 Open
Breckenridge, CO – Dec. 18, 2010
Halfpipe
Men
1. Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 90.25
2. Matt Ladley, Steamboat Springs, CO, 75.00
3. Greg Bretz, Mammoth Mountain, CA, 73.75
4. JJ Thomas, Golden, CO, 69.50
5. Christian Haller, Switzerland
6. Trevor Jacob, Malibu, CA, 58.50
7. Steve Fisher, Breckenridge, CO, 54.50
8. Mason Aguirre, Duluth, MN, 53.50
9. Luke Mitrani, Mammoth Mountain, CA, 29.25
10. Ilkka-Eemeli Laari, Finland, 19.25
11. Scotty Lago, Seabrook, NH, 14.00
Women
1. Queralt Castellet, Spain, 85.25
2. Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 80.50
3. Kaitlyn Farrington, Sun Valley, ID, 74.25
4. Sophie Rodriguez, France, 59.75
5. Soko Yamaoka, Japan, 47.25
6. Kelly Clark, W. Dover, VT, 36.00