Saturday, February 20, 1999 -- Snowshoe
Halfpipe Invasion and Slopestyle Air Competition

[Coverage/Recap w/Pics] [Slopestyle Results] [Halfpipe Results]
Pictures: [SS Set 1] [SS Set 2] [SS Set 3] [Halfpipe]

Kris Wise impresses the judges with big air moves

Oh my... if you weren't snowboarding in the Halfpipe Invasion and Slopestyle Air Competition at Snowshoe on Saturday, February 20th, you missed a good one. The weather was chilly with temperatures only in the teens, but that makes for some great snow. The racing was delayed slightly as Kirsten Keller and her crew of assistants got everything in order. Just after 12-noon, Ruckus Ridge Terrain Park at Snowshoe's Silver Creek area was ready and the competitors were anxious. With the crowd of spectators cheering and MC "Johnny S" at the mic, the Slopestyle Air Competition was underway.

The slopestyle competition is a simple run down a short slope that consists of three large table top jumps. The object of the game is to pull off big air moves that impress three judges who each score the rider in one of three categories: Style, Difficulty, or Amplitude. Each competitor gets two runs down the course with the overall winners determined by the highest combined score.

Little big man, 6-year-old Sven Detko, lets the big boys know he came to play

With everyone doing their best to impress, the tricks came in bunches. Everything is fair game provided your head stays above the board; sorry, no inverted aerials allowed. So, what did these boarding daredevils have in their bag of tricks? Oh, just about everything from the basic "Ollie" to assorted board grabs to more impressive moves like the "Back Side 540", "Front Side 360", "Japan", or "Stalefish" just to name a few. See you there!

When the powder cleared and the judges tallied up their scores, the ladies' champion of air was Heather Hoyle scoring a total of 23 points. In the mens competition, the big air master was Blair Craig who totaled an impressive 51 points on the judges cards.

Weston Lombard flying high over Ruckus Ridge

As the afternoon was turning into evening, the Halfpipe Invasion got underway. Once again the competitors had two chances to impress the judges. However, instead of three big jumps, it is now just a short run down the halfpipe with the opportunity to get big air off each wall as many times as possible.

The first to "attack" the halfpipe was the crowd favorite Layla Detko. The four-year-old little lady, racing in the 7-12 womens age bracket, had no competition and easily rode away with the class win. As the sun dropped behind the trees, it was once again Heather Hoyle gathering the most points for the women. Her score of 30 was all she needed to end the day with a clean sweep. In the mens competition, it was 15-year-old Adam Cumashot who had the moves taking the overall win after racking up 47 points.

Shay Bell grabs some air and his board off the halfpipe wall

As the skies were getting dark, the day's competitors headed into the Silver Creek lodge for the post-race party. WVOutside has been to a lot of races in WV, but this event gets our vote for the best awards banquet for the money. The price for the competition was just $15 for one event or $20 for both. Other than some great fun on the slopes, what does that money get you? How about a great race t-shirt, food and beverages, trophies and Spy goggles for all the winners, and an incredible wealth of door prizes. With sponsors like Airwalk and Burton kicking in big time, we're talking about numerous goggles, shirts, sweaters, hats, coats, board bags, tote bags, snowboarding boots, along with not one or two, but four snowboards! Snowshoe knows how to put on an event that is sure to please and we can't wait to get back for more.