TAC 2013 – 1st – Iouri Podladtchikov

TAC 2013 – 2nd – Yiwei Zhang

TAC 2013 – 3rd – Ayumu Hirano

Overall World Snowboard Tour 12-13 Winner – Peetu Piiroinen

Here’s the World Snowboard Tour’s wrapup of proceedings at TAC, and at the Nescafe Champs that went down in Leysin at the same time.

At the final men’s Halfpipe event of the season, The Arctic Challenge, Peetu Piiroinen was crowned World Snowboard Tour Overall Champion in Oslo Vinterpark today. “It feels so incredible of course that I was still able to win the Overall title after Ståle got it last year. It’s just so hard nowadays, because the riding level in both Slope and Pipe is getting higher and higher. It’s a lot of work, if you want to be good in both disciplines. Ståle and I had a really good battle, unfortunately he didn’t make it to the final here at the Arctic Challenge, it would have been nice to battle it out till the end.” Peetu commented on his 4th World Snowboard Tour title.

After a steady season with 7 top 10 results and 2 podium places, Peetu beat his rival Ståle Sandbech, who had trouble with his flow in the first heat of the semi-finals. He couldn’t land as clean as we usually see him do in Pipe. Peetu came in 5th overall; he was surpassed by Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI), Chinese surprise Yiwei Zhang (CHN) and World Snowboard Tour Halfpipe Champion Ayumu Hirano (JPN).
 
As one of the favourites for the Arctic Challenge title, Iouri took the win with his second final run, laying down a Frontside 900 Tail Grab, Backside 900 Mute Grab – Frontside 1080 Tail Grab to Cab 1080 Double Cork Mute Grab and finally a Frontside 1080 Double Cork Truckdriver, scoring 90.28 points. With the last run in reversed order, first placed Iouri had to lay down his last run first, only scoring a 58.85. He followed the competition trying to beat his score from the hot seat.
Iouri commented: “The Arctic Challenge is a contest that I used to wait for, because it’s always been in the end of the season and it’s always been on a high level; of technical difficulty and also a high level on style. I am very proud that we still represent that today; really represent snowboarding the way that it should be – for example those big Backside Airs and some really really good grabs that you don’t see often, that’s important to me. And to be the winner right now is just insane! I’m excited to ride more contests with Ayumu in it; he’ll obviously be there in the future. There are not too many riders that have a little bit of skate style. I’m a skater and he’s a skater. I really like to watch people that have a little bit of skate style in their riding. So excited about that, and I hope that he’ll develop his tricks even more.”

Second sensation of the evening was Chinese Yiwei Zhang from Harbin, China. With the next World Championships of Snowboarding moving from Oslo to Yabuli in 2016, Yiwei received a wildcard to ride the Arctic Challenge and fully exploited the opportunity to show his amazing ability here. With a very impressive final run consisting of a huge Backside Air to Frontside 1080 Double Cork Frontside Grab – Cab 1080 Double Cork Stalefish -Double Crippler Frontside Grab, he captivated the Vinterpark crowd.
 
Landing his final 6Star event on the podium, Ayumu Hirano casually picked up the trophy for his already awarded World Snowboard Tour Halfpipe title, happy as ever.
 
The World Snowboard Tour 12-13 came to an end here today, but at the same time the 5Star Nescafe Champs marked the first Slopestyle event of the new 201314 season. Nescafé Champs 2013 podium:

Men                           
1. Janne Korpi
2. Spencer Link
3. Scott Moline

Women
1. Ty Walker
2. Jordie Karlinski
3. Phoebe Novelle

Riders have the chance to stock up on World Snowboard Tour points in different disciplines early this season, giving them a head start before a packed winter schedule with the Olympics in Sochi, Russia is on the horizon.
 
With the 5Star Spring Battle in Flachauwinkl, Austria on next weekend, and the first 6Star event X Games Tignes from 20th till 22nd of March, the best action in snowboarding is guaranteed for spring.

Chas Guldemond sends a back 10 to victory. Photo: Olav Stubberud

[Update: Check the video highlights of all the action from the Oakley Arctic Challenge.] Chas Guldemond and Jamie Anderson take the honours at the legendary TTR 6Star Oakley Arctic Challenge in Oslo, Norway. Check the report…

With the training sessions and earlier rounds marred by low cloud and snowfall, there was concern that this year’s Arctic Challenge might not get its chance go off to its full potential. We needn’t have worried, Terje had a word with his mate Thor, who duly dropped his hammer and scattered the bad weather for the finals in Oslo’s Vinterpark.

Jamie Anderson boots a back 3. Photo: Eleonora Raggi

Sending it first were the women, where the USA’s Jamie Anderson followed up her recent 6Star win at the BEO with another win here at the Arctic. Her run, on the excellently crafted slopestyle course, went like this:  noseslide, 50-50 to backside 180, a huge switch backside 540, backside 360, tailslide to 270 out and ended her run with a smooth backside 540. Following behind Jamie was Canadian Spencer O’Brien in second and British rider Jenny Jones made her experience count to take third place.

Women's podium - Jones, Anderson and O'Brien. Photo: Olav Stubberud

It all came down to the final runs in the men, with each dude pushing hard to step their game up. When all’s said and done, American Chas Guldemond proved that he’s one of the most fearsome slopestyle riders around by putting down a near-perfect run – Cab 270 to frontside boardslide on the down rail, a switch 50-50 to method on the canon rail, Cab 1260 on the step-down jump, backside 1080 on the step-up jump, a 50-50 to backside 360 on the flat rail and finished with a crowd pleasing double backside rodeo on the last jump. Chas was pushed hard by his young compatriot Tyler Flannagan, who finished a mere 2 point behind in second, while another young up-and-comer, Sage Kotsenburg, bagged third.

Chas was pumped: “I’m really happy with the way I rode and to stay in first place through the last run really means a lot to me. I think it was my day today and it all came together perfect. What an amazing experience.”

Chas and Jamie both bagged themselves a fat chunk of the $100,000 USD prize purse and 1000 Swatch TTR World Ranking points. With only one major 6Star contest left to run, Jamie’s gotta be the bookies’ favourite for another TTR World Tour crown, while Chas’s win bumps him up a couple of places World No. 16, which set him up nicely for a run towards a piece of the $200,000 USD TTR end-of-seaon prize purse.

Check out who’ll be throwing down today in the Men’s and Women’s Semi Finals at the Oakley Arctic Challenge.

The Arctic Challenge slopestyle course is looking bonza, there’s some of the sickest shredders on Planet Earth on point ready to send it, and today it’s the Semis where cats will be duking it out for a shot in tomorrow’s Finals.

With riders like Jamie Anderson, Kjersti Buaas, Jenny Jones, Cheryl Maas, Gjermund Braaten, Mark McMorris, Seppe Smits, Chas Guldemond and Ethan Morgan strapping and lapping, you know this one’s gonna be off the chain. Tune in and watch what goes down in tomorrow’s Finals LIVE on the TTR site. The webcast is at the bottom of the page.

Here’s how today’s action will shape up…

Process Films are a new film crew out of Norway that look to be promising big things. These guys were criss-crossing the globe last winter with a selection of über-talented Scandies like Tore Holvik, Joacim Nyhaugen, Sindre Iversen, Mats Hofgaard, Torgeir Bergir and many more. For those bummed at the shutting up shop of Factor Films, Process looks to be continuing the tradition of opening the world’s eyes to the staggering pool of talent in the Scandinavian countries. Check out their haps on the Process Films site.

They’ve just dropped a tight edit of their take on this year’s Arctic Challenge, featuring some of their homies and other hammer droppers getting wicked on TAC’s epic slopestyle course. Check it out.

Cinematography: Per Sveinung Larsen and Matt Pain Edit and Graphics: Matt Pain

Where: Oslo, Norway

The Arctic Challenge 2010. Photo: Andy/TTR

As already announced, this Friday the 6Star Oakley Arctic Challenge (TAC) saw 32 of the snowboarding’s best slopestyle riders battling for one of twenty spots in the semi finals that will be held on Saturday. Norwegian wonder-shred Torstein Horgmo qualified first on his Norwegian home turf.

After a difficult start into the day with icy conditions and speed problems on the second jump, the decision was made to only take the first jump into account during qualifications. When the skies had cleared around noon, qualifications started off full swing. Torstein Horgmo outshone his competitors with a backside 180 switch 180 into fifty-fifty to cab 360 out on top rail, a backside 540 off the cannon rail, a huge switch backside 900 on the kicker and a backside 720 transfer on the hip. With his killer second run in the qualifications, another famous Norwegian, Mikkel Bang, came into second closely followed by Canadian rookie Mark McMorris who recently tool third in the 5Star Burn River Jump in Livigno.

With most TTR Top 20 riders present in Oslo, qualifications for the semi finals were no walk in the park. Peetu Piiroinen (FIN), who can secure his second Swatch TTR World Champion Title this weekend, made the cut into semis and qualified in ninth place. Other riders who battle for a spot in the TTR Top 5 this weekend are World No. 3 Gjermund Braaten (NOR), World No. 4 and winner of the 6Star Billabong Air & Style Marko Grilc, winner of the 5Star Burn River Jump slopestyle format and current World No. 9 Eric Willett (USA), and the young Norwegian in World No. 10, Stale Sandbech. Korpi (FIN), Autti (FIN), Malin (FIN), and Haller (SUI) were not successful today and did not make the cut to the semis. In two weeks time at the last 6Star event of the Tour, the le-gen-dary Burton US Open, the best five riders of the TTR World Ranking list will receive a piece of the end of season Swatch TTR prize purse of $200,000 USD as well as the guaranteed invites to next season’s 6Star events.

Mark McMorris at the Arctic Challenge 2010. Photo: Andy/TTR

Results

1 Torstein Horgmo
2 Mikkel Bang
3 Mark McMorris
4 Seppe Smits
5 Chas Guldemond
6 Ulrik Badertscher
7 Eric Willett
8 Gjermund Braaten
9 Peetu Piiroinen
10 Sam Hulbert
11 Mads Hoffgaard
12 Sage Kotsenburg
13 Roope Tonteri
14 Ville Outila
15 Tore Holvik
16 Brandon Reis
17 Arthur Longo
18 Stale Sandbech
19 Matti Kinnunen
20 Marco Grilc

Peetu front 10s his way to his first ever 6-star TTR win at the BEO. Photo: Danny Burrows.

As The Arctic Challenge approaches, Peetu’s in a good position to become the first rider ever to win back-to-back TTR World Tour titles.

While Peetu Piiroinen‘s solid consistency saw him crowned TTR champ last year, he never managed to bag a 6-Star title on his procession to the top spot. This season, however, he’s more than ironed out that annoying crease with back-to-back firsts in the Slopestyle and Halfpipe at the 6-Star Burton European Open adding to the points he got from podiuming at the O’Neill Evolution (third in slope and pipe) and the Billabong Air&Style (2nd). That this compact ball of Finnish power has been on fire is an understatement. With many riders opting to focus on the Olympics, Peetu focussed on both, bagged Silver in Vancouver and is within touching distance of retaining his TTR crown not to mention taking first in the non-TTR Toyota Big Air last week. So hot right now? The kid’s gone nuclear.

Heading in to this weekend’s Arctic Challenge (a slopestyle contest this year), Peetu’s sat on 924.64 points. Is he sitting pretty? Will he get his hands on the trophy ahead of the season-ending US Open? Let’s take a look…

Double P topping the BEO podium. Photo: Danny Burrows.

Here’s the skinny. Regardless of how other riders do, if Peetu places 5th or higher at The Arctic Challenge he wins the whole shebang. Done deal. He’ll be the TTR’s first ever back-to-back champion.

However, if he finishes 6th or lower at TAC the Champagne popping will have to wait as Iouri Podladtchikov could wrestle first place from him with two first place finishes at the US Open Slopestyle and Halfpipe. If Peetu comes lower than 8th at TAC, Iouri could snag the title with any combo of 1st and 2nd at the US Open.

The Arctic Challenge’s decision to make the change from a monster quarterpipe to a slopestyle contest this year also shakes things up further. Had it been another huge QP, we would have gone all in for Peetu getting 5th, if not winning the things outright – the guy is one of the select few riders who can really push it on such creations. But a slopestyle, with its many hits and TAC’s unique judging criteria, could be different. With guys like Torstein Horgmo, Mikkel Bang (who ran Peetu close in the BEO slopestyle), X-Games winner Eero Ettala, Germund Bråten and Marko Grilc in the mix, not to mention a barn load more talented shredders who’re also capable of having a say, that 5th place is far from guaranteed.

First hit of his winning pipe run in Laax. Next hit was a monster front double cork 10 that sent everyone nuts. Photo: Danny Burrows.

You want our prediction? Peetu will get the points he needs. As his runs at the BEO and the Olympics showed, he just does not have it in him to hold back and, furthermore, he’s one of those guys who has the uncanny knack of putting it down when it really counts. TAC’s gonna be intense, that’s for sure, so make sure you check out all the action from Oslo on March 5th-7th.

If you can’t make it to Oslo to see things unfold in the flesh, get your face marbles involved in the live webcast on www.ttrworldtour.com.

Stellar list of riders set to face off in the new Slopestyle format.

Postponing the Oakley Arctic Challenge due to inadequate snow conditions in December did not have a negative impact on the riders’ list. Joining this year’s slopestyle dominator and U.S. Winter X-Games gold medal winner Eero Ettala, will be Ståle Sandbech – Oakley’s 16 year old super talent – who just came back from Vancouver . Also confirmed to compete from 5th – 7th March in Oslo are top riders Niki Korpela, Torstein Horgmo and Mikkel Bang.

Starting out as a small pilot project back in 1999, the Oakley Arctic Challenge is now established as one of the greatest snowboard events in the world. It is the only TTR 6 star event owned by a professional rider. 10 years after the first riders where invited to Norway by Terje Haakonsen, “TAC” still experiments with formats, arenas, judging systems and TV production in an everlasting search for perfection. Accepting no compromise throughout his whole career, Terje still makes life hard for his crew by pushing the limits for possibilities in a snowboard event.

With the re-introduction of slopestyle, “TAC” wanted to take the variation score a step further. Slopestyle contains per definition more variation than a quarterpipe as there are multiple obstacles in one run and rails, kickers, hips and corners varies in shaping. So the Oakley Arctic Challenge looked in another direction. The ambition was to create something progressive and new, to stay true to the sport and be fair to the riders – and create something exciting and easy-to-grasp for the fans. By judging every obstacle and displaying each score in every riders run, there is no hiding for the judges. Everything is out in the open, giving rider’s instant feedback on their performance.

Check the complete Rider list, Details on the “green” Event and more on www.t-a-c.no