Aguirre & Teter take Australian Open H-pipe crowns
Thu 04 September 08
In conditions that were less than ideal for world class pipe riding, the competitors in the Swatch TTR 5Star Burton Australian Open Halfpipe certainly managed to bring it all together for an impressive finale
In conditions that were less than ideal for world class pipe riding, the competitors in the Swatch TTR 5Star Burton Australian Open Halfpipe certainly managed to bring it all together for an impressive finale. Mason Aguirre (USA) pushed it all the way through the session, overpowering a strong field of riders to claim his first TTR Title and 3rd result of the season. Hannah Teter (USA) made her triumphant return to the pipe scene, dominating the entire event to take both her first event result and Swatch TTR Title of the 08/09 season.
The men’s field was loaded with Title hopefuls and many riders looking to break the TTR Top 10. Favored to excel from the get go was reigning 2008 Swatch TTR World Champion Kevin Pearce (USA), who entered his first major competition in Perisher Blue since his World Title win at the 2008 Burton US Open Championships. Pearce finished 4th in the pipe to find a place in the TTR Top 20. Chas Guldemond (USA), who finished 5th behind Pearce, managed to stay on top of the Swatch TTR Rankings as Tour Leader, setting himself up handsomely for the upcoming Slopestyle showdown.
Mason Aguirre - 2008 Australian Open
Photo: Dan Himbrechts
In third was Finland’s Markus Malin, who earned a spot on the podium with sick 7s, a huge BS 9 and always-stylish FS Air and heads into the Slopestyle as Swatch TTR World No. 6. US rider Luke Mitrani, currently TTR No. 4, put on a spectacular show with his mind-boggling amplitude in a slow pipe that made others struggling. His massive FS 9, tweaked Japan and jaw dropping Switch Double Backflip to Fakie amped up the contest considerably. Not to be outdone by the younger Mitrani brother, Mason Aguirre stole the show on his third run, nailing his Cab 10, FS 9, Chuck Flip and Alley-oop 7 to claim victory and a position just outside the TTR Top Ten at World No. 13.
Although many spectators were looking to Jamie Anderson for a repeat of her major success in New Zealand, a win in the Australian Pipe was not in the cards. Nevertheless, Anderson managed to stick a solid run for third place and further extend her already formidable lead as women’s Swatch TTR Tour Leader. Polish shredder Paulina Ligocka was the only rider to challenge first place rider Hannah Teter, putting up FS 7s and 9s complete with solid Methods and McTwists, but Teter’s dominance could not be outdone, locking in a FS 5 Stale, BS5 and Switch 7 to reach the top of the podium.
Jamie Anderson - 2008 Australian Open
Photo: Dan Himbrechts
Attention now heads towards the upcoming Slopestyle competition that’ll have Guldemond and Anderson feeling the pressure. On top of World No. 2 Janne Korpi (FIN), World No. 3 Charles Reid (CAN), World No. 4 Luke Mitrani, and World No. 5 Stephan Maurer (SUI), Chas will have to outride Top TTR riders such Chris Sörman (SWE), Mason Aguirre, Markus Malin, Kevin Pearce, Torstein Horgmo (NOR), Mikkel Bang (NOR), and Ville Uotila (FIN) to secure his Tour lead for the Northern Hemisphere as these top riders search for the best spots in the Swatch TTR Top 10.
Jamie Anderson, known for her buttery expertise in Slopestyle contests, will once again have Hannah Teter to deal with, as Teter hopes to make the Women’s TTR Top 5 alongside Kimmy Fasani (USA) and Kara Rennie (CAN). With such an immense field of heavy hitters, expect an action-packed finale that’ll have you wishing the Northern-Hemisphere’s winter began next week.
To catch all of the highlights of the Swatch TTR 5Star Burton Australian Open Snowboarding Championships, visit www.go211.com, offering live coverage of both the Halfpipe and Slopestyle events. Also check out www.ttrworldtour.com for updated rankings, detailed news reports and video highlights of all the action from down under.
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