NZsnowboard.com

15th August 2007

Wow, what a week it was for the 2007 Burton Open!  As promised, we are throwing out a womens specific wrap up of the week that was.

It all started out well, with the first two days of qualifying bringing some pretty good weather, but when we got to the slope style finals on Friday, the wind had picked up and the weather was deteriorating pretty quickly.


Local Girl Shelly Gotlieb with a backside 360 tail grab

Jenny Jones took out the field, with super solid runs including a front three Mute grab off the 70 footer and a 5050 on the stair feature.  Claudia Fliri from Austria, pushed American Hana Beaman into third place with a front board on the c-box and a cab five off the first kicker followed by a front three on the big kicker. It was really awesome to see that ladies throwing some solid and stylish spins, and if the weather hadnt been a factor I think we could have seen a lot more.

Sunday morning surprised everyone including the weatherman by turning up sunny. There were a few sore heads that morning as Shapeshifter had brought down the house, followed by the Manual magazine after party the night before but never the less, the show must go on.
 The half pipe finals proved to be a good watch, with a competitive but fun vibe, you could tell the girls were pushing each other. The level of riding in the womens half pipe circuit has really stepped up a notch over the last few years and its really something to witness first hand.


Burton Global Team Rider Kelly Clark

Kelly Clark set the amplitude mark straight away with her huge stylish airs, usually going as big as the guys on her first hit, She backed that up with runs including, front 5s. Front sevens and cab 3s, Kelly is always so entertaining to watch, she really has been a driving force for womens half pipe, pushing the level of riding higher and higher.


Aussie Girl Torah Bright with an Air To Fakie

But it was the Australian Torah Bright who came through on the day to take out the win. Torah nailed her runs consistently, with solid cab 7s and front 5s and she even took out the best trick of the comp, with a switch back 5. A well-deserved Third place went to Manuela Pesko of Switzerland.

Walking away from this years open, I couldnt help but feel a little chuffed about just how far the level of womens snowboarding has come. Gone are the days when the spectators walked away once the guys rounds were over. The ladies these days are just as entertaining to watch and hey, lets face it, we are a little better looking too!

- Haley Ashby