NZSnowboard.com - The home of New Zealand Snowboarding

1st March 2009

Alts Bandai, Japan : The Nissan X-Trail Asian Open 5Star Halfpipe contest today saw riders make desperate attempts to claw their way up the ranking.  

Again 850 points and $15 000 USD were on offer, inspiring everyone to go for broke.  American rider, Chas Guldemond surprised everyone and took his second win in two days, further extending his Swatch TTR World No.2 position.  He was followed by Markus Malin (FIN) in second place with Hiroki Suwa (JAP) coming in third.  Kelly Clark (USA) came in first for the ladies, moving into World No.8.  She was followed by Zhifeng Sun (CHN) in second, with Haruna Matsomoto (JAP) rounding out the podium in third.

The three run format in the finals allowed the riders to find their feet and bring the action to the Halfpipe.  Again the sun was shining through the clouds which brought out a big crowd to watch the drama unfold.  Chas Guldemond was looking in form all throughout the day and went on to take out his first ever Halfpipe title.  His determination was evident as he stomped a huge run consisting of a gigantic Melancolin, to McTwist, followed by a FS 7 Melon, to Haakon 10, finished off with an Alley Oop Michael Chuck.  It is a great day. The crowd is closing in on me. I did not expect that It is unbelievable, It is the first time I am ever on the podium in the Halfpipe as well, said an excited Guldemond. 

All riders have their sights set on the TTR Top 5 positions and are looking ahead to the next major Tour stops.  World No.1, Peetu Piiroinen (FIN) still holds onto the top spot, and is still tailed by Chas.  Mason Aguirre (USA) has stormed into World No.6 sitting just in front of Markus Malin, who is now in World No.7.  The U.S. riders, Tim Humphreys and Luke Mitrani also both moved into the TTR Top 20 and will be looking to maintain this momentum.

Kelly Clark has cemented her reputation as the current undisputed Queen of the Halfpipe.  She displayed effortless style and amplitude from the get go and cruised to victory by putting down a huge FS Air, followed by a BS 5 Indy, to  BS 7 Tail, to Cab 7 and an FS 5, finishing with a stylish Method.  I had a great day and I am very happy with my result here today. It's good for the BGO series and the TTR, she said.  The Asian girls really showed that they will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years with Zhifeng Sun and Haruna Matsomoto both executing runs that nearly grabbed victory from Kelly.  Silvia Mittermueller (GER) did not qualify for the Halfpipe finals today, however, she has climbed to World No.2 on the Swatch TTR ranking, narrowly ahead of Jordi Karlinski (USA), who sits in World No.3.  I am so stoked to be in World No. 2. That means a lot to me, says Mittermueller. 

Just some events now remain before the Tour defining 6Star Roxy Chicken Jam and Burton U.S Open.  It is now the time  for riders to step up for their chance to move into the upper echelons of the TTR World Rankings as a finish in the Swatch TTR Top 5 and Top 3 for women draws international prestige and guarantees a portion of the $200 000 USD prize purse.  It also ensures invitations to major 5 and 6Star events next season.

Next up, the Tour heads to the U.S. where the men will face off in Park City, USA, March 7th, 2009 for the 5Star Intelligent Design.  The event could make or break the season of many riders so make sure you stay tuned to www.ttrworldtour.com for updated ranking changes, videos, blogs, and breaking news live as it happens.  






LINK:   www.ttrworldtour.com






ABOUT SWATCH TTR:
Founded by Terje Haakonsen and industry innovators in 2002, the SWATCH TTR World Snowboard Tour is a non-profit, rider-driven organization with the  mission to create the highest quality competitive snowboard environment in the world, using authenticity, accessibility, innovation as guiding principles. Since its foundation, the Swatch TTR Tour has been  developing into the most exposed snowboard tour worldwide featuring global grass root and key independent freestyle snowboarding events over a ten-month period from Southern to Northern Hemisphere locations.

Events are rated via a 1-through-6Star system, with points allocated accordingly, a 6Star  event holds the highest (1000 Swatch TTR points). Any rider participating in these events, from up-and-coming to professional talent, earns ranking points and a position on the SWATCH TTR World Ranking List. The top male and female rider based on an average of their best seven results of the season is crowned SWATCH TTR World Snowboard Tour Champion.