Has it been too long since a pipe contest has inundated the web-waves? Well your prayers have been answered, as the US Open (now a premium halfpipe event) has begun, with practice going down all day. Mother nature still despises pipe events, dumping a few inches of the wintery stuff on athletes today. Fortunately the sun managed to negotiate with the clouds and break through here and there, basking us in it’s otherworldly glow.
The pre-qualified list of halfpipe athletes reads like a guest list of perennial pipe invitees: the 2008 pipe runner up Taylor Seaton, Whiskey Flip inventor Peter Olenick, All-around pipe maniac Mike Riddle, “that-guy-at-pipe-events” to “that-guy-who-is-the-best-at-pipe-skiing-now” Justin Dorey, Jamaican Vacationer Lyndon Sheehan, and many more. As the Open has always been a discoverer of new talent, today’s practice held the promise of uncovering tomorrow’s pipe kings. Ian Cosco, known for pimping and jumping and heavy-heading can now do double flips, for instance. Also, fashion forward Mike Mertion blinded most onlookers with his outerwear.
Hopefully the snow chills out tomorrow and let’s everyone enjoy a nice pipe event, as qualifiers go down. Two heats of men’s athletes. Guys will fight over a few coveted spots like they were gang members, fighting over a U-shaped piece of urban turf. Expect big things to explode from the Copper stunt ditch tomorrow.
