US riders with slopestyle podium sweep in Mammoth

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Riders from the USA have dominated the 2016-17 snowboard freestyle World Cup tour's fourth slopestyle event which was staged during the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix stop in Mammoth Mountain, CA.

The U.S. Snowboard roster claimed all podium spots in both, the women's and men's events which were finally able to go down today after snowfall and heavy wind had forced event organisers to postpone the finals twice.

In the women's event and still facing challenging conditions with flat lights, Olympic champion Jamie Anderson, the best qualifier and last to drop in of the eight girls going for the win took advantage of her experience and strong nerves scoring a 80.25 for her second run which included a frontside 180 to 50-50 to 180 off, boardslide 270 off, handplant, transfer over rail, backside air as well as a frontside 540, cab underflip 540 and backside rodeo 540 over the jump line to walk away with her career's seventh.

Hailey Langland, fresh off a big air win at the X Games and sitting on the top spot after run one finished in second position with a 77.40 while Julia Marino, winner of the X Games slopestyle gold this year who landed a cab double underflip rounded out the podium as third (71.85).

“I'm feeling grateful after a crazy week of procrastination and weather, and I think patience really paid off this week. We finally were able to run the finals, and all the girls were able to put down some gangster runs.

I couldn't be more happy after landing on the top. I can't believe I just beat a cab double underflip. I loved that,” Anderson summed up.

Teen to grab career's first

In the men's competition, it was Redmond Gerard who stood out.

The 16-year-old shooting star of the current World Cup season, who also took over the World Cup lead today due to his career's first, threw down the winning run in his first run already with a frontside 270 to boardslide, crippler 450 stalefish, boardslide, air to fakie, cab boardslide, backflip, frontside 900 and a switch backside 1260 to backside 1080 setting the bar too high with a 87.95 for the rest of the 16-men field of the two run, best one count finals.

“I'm feeling super good. I'm stoked that I put one down. At first I thought the jump section would be gnarly with the flat light but it turned out to be fine. You just had to trust your skills and trust your landings,” Gerard said

Kyle Mack finished in second (77.05) and Dylan Thomas in third (73.95) therefore not also claiming their career's first World Cup podium but also earning a decent first result in the US' national Olympic qualifier series of which the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Mammoth was the first stop.

The snowboard freestyle World Cup tour continues next week in Quebec City, Canada.

From February 9 to 12, 2017, the season's fifth slopestyle and final big air World Cup stop which also serves as final event of the Super Series will take place during the Snowjamboree 2017.