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The ladies of freeskiing ignited the competition at the Winter Dew Tour in Breckenridge, Colorado today. Mother Nature provided clear skies, mild temps and just a touch of wind, as the Breck park crew supplied a massive slopestyle setup and a pristine 22-foot halfpipe for the girls to flaunt their best stuff.
The day began with the women’s slopestyle semifinal event. Sixteen ladies took to the course in a best of two run format, where the top six competitors would move onto Saturday’s main event. The top five women from the first two rounds automatically advanced to finals, and one woman from a third round (last chance qualifier) would also advance to the big dance.
From the get-go, the day provided a display of top-notch skiing. Highlights from women’s slope were delivered by Sweden’s Emma Dahlström, 13-year-old Kelly Sildaru and Norway’s Johanne Killi. Dahlström, who claimed the top qualifying spot, earned a score of 90.40 on her second run of the day, thanks to a stylish switch 720 to finish her run, as well as a technical, smooth rail section.
The youngster, Kelly Sildaru, impressed the judges with spins in both directions and a textbook switch 900 mute (see below), posting a score of 88.20. Like Dahlström and Sildaru, Johanne Killi impressed the judges with her jumping, including a left 900 tail into her run, scoring an 84.20.
Note: Kelly Sildaru’s sw. 900 mute is $. Follow us on Snapchat (@Freeskier_Mag) #Skiing #DewTour pic.twitter.com/JfCy2QGSJp — FREESKIER Magazine (@Freeskier) December 9, 2015
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For complete results, click here.
Women’s slopestyle finals will go down on Saturday, December 12. To see a complete schedule of Dew Tour events, click here.
As for women’s halfpipe, the format remained the same—sixteen athletes took two runs through the pipe. The top five after two runs advanced to finals. The next six riders then battled for one remaining position in the six person final.
To put it simply, the day belonged to Annalisa Drew from run one. Drew, a Massachusetts native, woo’d the judges and spectators with two solid runs, highlighted by a monster left 900, a series of 540s and a flair—earning a score of 88.00 on her first go-round with the stunt ditch.
Qualifying second in pipe was Ayana Onozuka, with a score of 85.80. Onozuka is no stranger to the Dew Tour pipe. The Japanese skier showcased her consistency, posting two very similar scores (84.50 and an 85.80), thanks to good combinations, including back-to-back 540s and a 720.
The third qualifying spot was occupied by Brita Sigourney. Brita impressed the judges with some of the biggest amplitude of the day, as well as clean spins. My personal favorite trick from her run was a lofty left 900. Sigourney earned a score of 84.60.
[table id=102 /]
For complete results, click here.
Women’s halfpipe finals will go down on Friday, December 11. To see a complete schedule of Dew Tour events, click here.
