"Has anyone ever broken their neck doing this?" guest MC Josie Dye, of 102.1 The Edge, asked the frothing crowd. They cheered - wanting blood - as rider's spun
through the air onto the flat, bumpy landing.
Actually, yes Josie they have, but maybe reminding the
riders as they are dropping isn't the best motivation.
Qualifiers
Last year's double-flipping third-place finisher, Mike Osachuk, was
wearing a flagrant gold snakeskin jacket as he strolled through the village
before the qualifiers kicked off. Fresh off the plane from BC he had dollar
signs in his eyes, but would have to battle the field of 20 to get into the
nighttime final.
By the end of the marathon three-hour qualifiers, only a few
competitors remained. 40 km/h uphill wind gusts meant the gods would decide
whether a knuckle or safe drift down the landing was in a rider's future. Harsh
wipeouts entertained the crowd almost as much as double flips.
The course consisted of the not-too-big, but big-enough
jump into a mogul field straight line of a landing. Riders then had a last
chance to leave a lasting impression on the judges by hitting the Coors Light triple
tall boy can jib.
Jon Versteeg.
The women's field was trimmed from a massive field of three down to a more manageable two. Fearing Sam Denena's safety due to her miniature
stature, only Jenna Blasman and Dianne Rudge would be attacking the Big Air.
On the men's side the top 15 advanced into the bright
lights of the nighttime final, while the others would be watching from the Rusty's
patio.
The March break crowds at Blue Mountain didn't
disappoint with all kinds of fashionable people milling around the course. It's
good to see denim one-piece Von Dutch suits still in vogue on the slopes.
Andrew Skelhorn.
Main
Event
True to predictions, Jesse Fulton was no longer entertaining
the crowd on the mic. Maybe this was connected to him waking up at 4:30pm
without a voice? Josie Dye and Cassandra Ironside continued to do their thing
and DJ O-God put the final energy into the world's longest DJ set.
The jump was around 75 feet from lift-off to touch down, winds were down, speed was up, but riders were having a hard time landing clean
on a bumpy slope that could have been a few degrees steeper. A few riders
perfectly navigated the run-out though. The stage was set, let the 1080 and double
back games begin.
Zak Stone.
For reasons unknown at press time, Jenna Blasman didn't
end up competing. As the only female competitor in the field Dianne Rudge
technically didn't have to do much to take 1st place. She didn't let
that stop her from stomping massive back 3's anyway. No victory laps for
this girl.
Diane Rudge.
Many of the men ate it on the landing, but the one who
had the hardest time with the landing was last years champ Mike Osachuk. Double
backflips are not a trick you want your rotation to come a little short on.
Don't worry Os, broken collarbones usually heal in month or two.
Cole Cummings was the only other throwing the double,
this kid is impressive for a 15-year old. Brandon Morris was spinning around
the front 1080's. Victor of the Slopestyle and Rail Jam, Jon Versteeg showed
off his massive bag of smooth tricks. All kinds of nines and tens, but what set
him apart was the how deep he was punting into the landing. Ryan Caesar was
back on his game and wore more pink than any other competitor - females
included.
The judges looked thirsty for the entire two-hour jam
and had their work cut out for them. With so many near misses and nicely done
tricks crowning a winner would be tough and not without controversy.
Jon Versteeg.
When it came down to it Kevin Konings took the win with
a back 10 so clean it left us wondering if it was a 7. Jon Versteeg landed in 2nd,
narrowly missing the triple sweep, with a cab 9 being his top scoring run. Zak
Stone rounded out the top three with his backside ten double cork, just barely
off-axis but certainly stomped. He didn't look too happy on the podium, walking
off as the winners name was called. Let the message boards sort this one out.
WOMEN'S BIG AIR
1) Dianne
Rudge
2) -
3) -
Men's podium: Jon Versteeg and Kevin Konings, Zak Stone MIA.
MEN'S BIG AIR
1) Kevin Konings - back ten
2) Jon Versteeg - cab nine
3) Zak Stone - back ten (double corkish)
Kevin Konings.
The Cold Party
The night wasn't officially over until Coors Light had
it's closing moment, allowing the riders to blow off three days of riding steam with
the naughty boys and immoral girls of Collingwood. Fritz Helder and the
Phantoms gave music to the night. Fritz started out looking more like a member
of CB4 than Tyra Banks (as is their usual style), much to my disappointment, but ended the night in
topless style. I was satisfied - the studs on T-Hills leather jacket stood to
attention, the naughty boys and immoral girls danced on stage, and Coors Light
rained down upon everyone. The Telus Triple Challenge wrapped another
three-days of successful snowboarding.
Words: Andrew Sayer
Don't forget about to other parts of the Triple Challenge trifecta: Slopestyle and Rail Jam.