Chloe Kim and Scotty James earn season opening wins at Copper Mountain
Dec 08, 2018·Snowboard Park & Pipe
Copper Mountain (USA) - The 2018/19 FIS Snowboard halfpipe World Cup season opened with a bang on Saturday, as Chloe Kim (USA) and Scotty James (AUS) claimed victories in an incredible day of riding at the Toyota US Grand Prix FIS Snowboard World Cup in Copper Mountain (USA).
With the perfectly-cut Copper pipe running smoothly and a collection of the best halfpipe riders in the world on hand for the eight ladies and ten men finals, the stage was set for an epic opening to the halfpipe season, and the riders on hand did not disappoint.
As the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic gold medal winner and one of the biggest stars in winter sports, 18-year-old Kim has shown remarkable poise in her meteoric rise to fame, certainly thanks in no small part to her unparalleled skills on a snowboard.
On Saturday she demonstrated those skills again, illustrating why, when she is on her game, no other athlete in the ladies’ field can hold a candle to her. Earning a score of 92.25 for a second run that included a frontside 1080 tail grab into a cab 900 indy in the middle, Kim easily claimed the victory in Copper for the third consecutive season.
“Today was a really good pipe to start the season off with and all the girls were loving it,” said Kim just before the awards ceremony, “It’s really good to get back to competing. This summer was insane, pretty hectic, so I’m stoked to come out here and get a win in the first competition of the season.”
As with last season’s competition, Kim’s teammate Maddie Mastro ended the day in runner-up position with a score of 85.00, saving her best run of the day for her final attempt, beginning things off with a huge method and going back-to-back with a Haakonflip 720 into a crippler 540 to finish things off.
“It’s a good way to start the season out, getting a podium in the first competition,” said Mastro, “It’s never good to start your day with a throwaway run like I did, but I’m happy I was able to put a good one down afterwards.”=
Third place on the day with a score of 77.75 was China’s Cai Xuetong, as the two-time defending world champion earned her 20th career World Cup podium
Final run heroics give James the win
Over on the men’s side fans were treated to a titanic back-and-forth battle, as Scotty James and Toby Miller (USA) traded massive runs throughout the competition, with James eventually coming out on top with a score of 96.75 for a third and final run that saw a unique switch crippler chicken salad in the middle section and three double corks in a row to close things out, including a last hit frontside double cork 1260 indy that he landed with mere inches left in the pipe.
“I feel really good coming into this season,” James said, smiling in the finish area, “I feel like I’m in a better place than ever before, across the board. I’m really enjoying riding and travelling and everything that comes with the sport, and I think that shows in my riding, as well.
“Toby’s been riding really well,” James continued, “I was stoked to see him put that one down and put the pressure on me there. I think that’s kinda what it’s gonna be like all year. I think snowboarding’s in a really healthy place right now, a really good level of competition, and it’s good.”
Having just earned the title of junior world champion back in September in Cardrona (NZL), Miller showed he’s ready to battle with the big boys, thrilling the home US crowd with an explosive second run that featured four double corks and temporarily put him into first place with a score of 94.00. However, he fell on the last hit attempting to up the degree of difficultly in his final run and had to settled for second - the first pro-level podium of his career.
“It feels amazing to get this podium today, especially with the level of riding out there,” the clearly stoked 18-year-old said from the finish, “It felt like everyone just kept upping it each run. It was insane. I couldn’t be more excited, and I’m so hyped for the other riders, too. It’s going to be a good season.”
Third place went Miller’s teammate Chase Josey with a score of 90.50, the fourth career World Cup podium for the 23-year-old.
Up next for the 2018/19 FIS Snowboard halfpipe World Cup season is competition in China’s Secret Garden resort, where the riders will once again get a taste of the action at the future venue of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
QUICK LINKS:
Ladies’ top three runs highlight videos FIRST / SECOND / THIRD
Men’s top three runs highlight videos FIRST / SECOND / THIRD
TRICK LIST
Men
Scotty James - Frontside 1080 Tail, Switch Crippler Chicken Salad, Switch Backside double 1080 Mute, Backside double 1260 Mute, Frontside Double Cork 1260 Indy.
Toby Miller - Frontside Double Cork 1080 mute, Cab Double Cork 1080 Mute, Frontside 900 Tail, Backside Double Cork 1260 Mute, Frontside Double Cork 1260 Indy.
Chase Josey - Frontside Alley-Oop 360 Indy, Switch Double Michalchuk backside grab, Cab Double Cork 1080 Mute, Frontside 900 Roast Beef, Double Michalchuk Japan.
Ladies
Chloe Kim - Method, Frontside 1080 Tail, Cab 900 Indy, Switch Backside 360, Mctwist Indy.
Maddie Mastro - Method, Frontside 900 Indy, Backside 540 Stalefish, Frontside 720 Indy, 720 Stalefish, Haakon Flip 720 Stalefish, Crippler 540 Indy.
Cai Xuetong - Frontside 540 Melon, Backside 540 Mute, Air to Fakie Melon, Cab 720 Tail, Frontside 900 Japan.
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