The rowdy weekend kicked off with the Friday night media pre-game party. Under the Miami-style setting (pink lights and palm trees) of the Phoenix Hotel, action sports heroes danced and drank to a free buffet of techno music and tasty beverages. Despite hookers down the street and crack dealers around the corner, it was a surprisingly tranquil scene. Some even felt lax enough to take a fully clothed dip in the Andy Warhol-designed pool.
There must be something about a solid night of partying that makes snowboarders want to throw down. Or maybe it was the cloudless warm day, the newly remodeled scaffolding jump and the $15,000 prize. Either way, Icer Air's big air competition sent shivers through the spine of snowboard competitions everywhere.
Both Travis Rice and Andreas Wiig blasted double-cork spins over the 50-foot table. Rice, in his first run of the finals, laid down a double back rodeo 1080, a trick that had never been landed in competition. Andreas Wiig isn't one to let a competition slip by. In all three of his final runs, Wiig popped into frontside double-cork 10s. Unfortunately, he couldn't get the ground back under his feet.
Chas Guldemond pulled a clean back 10 and attempted a backside 1260, placing him third. Tim Humphreys hit a clean cab 9, sick enough for second place. With a 95, Travis Rice won by more than 12 points. He thanked the audience by tossing his winning board into the crowd.
Results:
1. Travis Rice
2. Tim Humprheys
3. Chas Guldemond
- Dylan Silver
- Photos from snowboardermag.com