NZSnowboard.com - The home of New Zealand Snowboarding

12th March 2010

Stratton, Vermont, USA Riders from around the globe are currently making the trek to Stratton, Vermont for the mens last 6Star event of the 2009/2010 Swatch TTR World Tour season. 

The 6Star Burton US Open is set to take hold of Stratton Mountain Resort all next week with slopestyle finals scheduled for Friday, March 19th and halfpipe finals set for Saturday, March 20th.  This gives the men two opportunities to obtain good results and improve their TTR ranking score for a chance to finish in the coveted TTR Top 5.  For the women, the US Open offers the chance for riders to secure a good position in the rankings before moving on to the womens season finale, the 6Star Roxy Chicken Jam.  There are a host of cash and titles up for grabs at the US Open including the mens portion of the TTR prize purse worth a total of $200,000 USD that will be handed out at the TTR Awards Ceremony following halfpipe finals which will also see the official crowning of the 09/10 Swatch TTR World Snowboard Champion Peetu Piiroinen.   

2009/2010 TTR World Champion, End of Season Cash and Final TTR Top 5
Although Peetu Piiroinen (FIN) has already taken an unassailable lead and secured the 09/10 TTR Champion title at the 6Star Arctic Challenge last weekend, riders are going to be duking it out for a prized Top 5 finish in the TTR World Rankings.  Riders who finish in the TTR Top 5 will grab a piece of the $200,000 TTR prize purse and receive automatic invites to all major TTR events for the 2010/2011 season.  Keep on the watch for the likes of Swiss destroyer, Iouri Podladtchikov, who will be defending his World No. 2 position in the TTR world ranking list from Norwegian rookie and World No. 3, Gjermund Braaten, Slovenian rider, Marko Grilc, who sits in World No. 4 and from American up-and-comer, Eric Willett, who is currently sitting in World No. 5.  Other riders on the bubble include Janne Korpi (FIN), Christian Haller (SUI) and Seppe Smits (BEL).  The slopestyle competition comes up first where there are sure to be some shake-ups before the final TTR world ranking placements are finalized after the halfpipe showdown.

Women Hustling for Good Position Before the Roxy Chicken Jam
The women have a big couple of weeks ahead with the US Open leading straight into the Roxy Chicken Jam.  Current TTR leader, Lisa Wiik (NOR), will be trying to keep the competition at bay with some good finishes at the US Open which would set her up nicely moving into the final female 6Star event.  She will need to keep on her toes as the talented Czech rider, Sarka Pancochova, is right behind Wiik in the rankings and will definitely be putting up a good fight.  Swiss rider, Sina Candrian, and Finnish shredder and newcomer of the season, Enni Rukajrvi, are two other women with the drive and talent to give both Wiik and Pancochova a run for their money.

Watch the US Open Live on Go211.com
If you cant make it out to Stratton, the Burton US Open will be webcast live March 19th-20th, 2010 on Go211.com with live announcers and up-to-the-minute scoring so you can keep track of all the action.  And, be sure to head over to ttrworldtour.com for up-to-date news on rankings changes and fresh video content straight from Vermont.








LINK:   www.ttrworldtour.com










ABOUT SWATCH TTR:
Founded by Terje Haakonsen and industry innovators in 2002, the Swatch Ticket To Ride (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 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 six results of the season (5+1 system) is crowned Swatch TTR World Snowboard Champion. For more information visit www.ttrworldtour.com.