Bobby Brown – Rightside double cork 1080
Today in Whistler at the inaugural AFP World Championships Slopestyle during the Telus WSSF, Bobby Brown put quite the stamp on his season. And he only needed one run to do so. Bobby's signature back-to-back double cork 1080s helped him take the win in the Blackcomb terrain park today. Second place went to Tom Wallisch, a name we've seen absent from the top of late. And rounding out the men's podium was Gus Kenworthy, whose first run was good enough to hold up for third.
L-R: Gus Kenworthy, Bobby Brown, Tom Wallisch
On the women's end of things, it was Kaya Turski yet again taking the win. Ashley Battersby found the podium for her second time this year as she took second, just two-tenths of a point behind Turski. And the reigning FIS World Champion, Anna Segal, used her second and final run to snag third place.
While the weather in Whistler is always a touchy subject, today's slopestyle contest was graced with sunshine, warm temps and the soothing voices of Reed Speedman and TJ Schiller on the mics. The three-rail, three-jump course was groomed to near perfection as this morning's men's elimination round moved into this afternoon's finals. The top three men's runs:
Simon Dumont – Switch 900
Bobby Brown – He kicked things off with a front swap on the flat-down rail into a switch double rodeo 900 japan on the first jump. After a 270 on 450 out on the gap box, Bobby misty 630'd off the cannon box. And then he brought out the leftside double cork 1080 to the rightside double cork 1080.
Tom Wallisch – Wallisch started things off with a K-Fed on the flat-down rail (front switchup to uphill 270 off). Tom's first jump was a double cork 1080 mute into 270 pretzel 270 on the long down rail. A misty 450 off the cannon box gave way to Tom's signature switch rightside 1080 blunt. Tom capped the run off with a switch double rodeo 1080 japan.
Gus Kenworthy – Coming in hot, Gus lipslide 450 disaster to 270 out on the top rail. Gus then moved into a double cork 1260 mute on the first jump. On the gap to box Gus switch 270'd on 270'd out. After an easy misty 450 off the cannon box, Gus went with the switch rightside 1080 blunt to switch double rodeo 1080 japan.
Tom Wallisch – 270 pretzel 270
But it wasn't just the top three who were putting on a show, it was all of the finalists. Narrowly missing the podium was Henrik Harlaut, but E-Dollo brought both his signature 1080 blunt and switch double wobble 900/1080 on the final hit. James Woods, fresh off his win at Andreas Håtveit's Backyard Battle, was dumping out double cork 1260s all dang day. While it's hard to tell the difference between bothers Vincent and Charles Gagnier on the hill, both with spinning more than a tornado today. Vinnie's switch double wobble 1080 was one of the smoothest tricks in the park today. John Spriggs brought his backcountry tricks to the park while Simon Dumont wins gnarliest rail trick of the day with a 450 on 630 off the gap to flat box.
L-R: Anna Segal, Kaya Turski, Ashley Battersby
On the women's end of things, Kaya Turski did what she's done all year long, she took her aerial assault all the way to the bank once again. 540s, switch 540s and switch 720s were let loose on this Canadian park. Ashley Battersby, who was oh-so-close to unseating Turski, brought the same heavy-hitting attitude to the course today. With 540s, switch 540s and switch 720s of her own, she finished tantalizingly close to top spot. Anna Segal took a different route, letting her cork 720s and flatspin 360s give her the boost she needed to end up on the podium in 3rd.
Keri Herman put on a strong showing today with big switch 540s and corked 540s. But on her second run she took a spill, keeping her from breaching her score ceiling. Kim Lamarre introduced her native Canada to her rock-solid zero spin today while the rest of the women's field tried to catch up with the top three. Devin Logan, who is in contention for the AFP Overall title finished a disappointing seventh, but she still has Superpipe to look forward to, unlike the other eight ladies in the finals today.
Ashley Battersby – Switch 540
With their wins today, both Bobby Brown and Kaya Turski have captured the 2011 AFP Slopestyle titles. While the other races are still in varying stages of completion, the Slopestyle races are the first to officially end. Russ Henshaw and Sammy Carlson finish 2nd and 3rd respectively for the men while Keri Herman and Ashley Battersby round out the top three for the ladies. For all the final AFP Slopestyle rankings, visit the World Rankings Page.
This marks the end of the first events of the AFP World Championships at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler, Canada. On tomorrow's docket: Superpipe qualifiers. Visit wssf.com for more information on the entire festival.
Byron Wells getting a little pre-slopestyle powder
Men's Finals Results
1. Bobby Brown – 94.8
2. Tom Wallisch – 93
3. Gus Kenwothy – 90.2
4. Henrik Harlaut – 85.4
5. James Woods – 82.4
6. Vincent Gagnier – 80.8
7. Charles Gagnier – 76.4
8. John Spriggs – 75.8
9. Simon Dumont – 65.6
10. Tim McChesney – 60.8
Women's Finals Results:
1. Kaya Turski – 88.6
2. Ashley Battersby – 88.4
3. Anna Segal – 86
4. Keri Herman – 82.6
5. Kim Lamarre – 73
6. Yuki Tsubota – 72.4
7. Devin Logan – 70.8
8. Dara Howell – 59
9. Maude Raymond – 36.6
