Val D'Isere, France. Severe snow storms causing technical complications forced organizers of the TTR FOUR(4)STAR event, Xbox Big Day Out, to cancel the slopestyle night session Finals in Val D'Isere, France, 01st March, 2007.
Qualification rounds throughout the week had already been marred by strong winds and heavy snowfalls. Riders had put on a good show despite the weather, but conditions led to increased technical difficulties as infrastructure became more difficult to work with in the harsh elements. The last-minute decision to cancel the Xbox Big Day Out Slopestyle Finals led to a split of the 15,000euro prize purse amongst the 22 men Finalists. The show did go on however, as a 'highest air on the hip ' trick session took place for the crowds, with local rider Emeric Front (FRA) winning the 1,000euro cash.
'The snow conditions were really bad and we couldn't take riders up to the top of the course because the risk of avalanches was too high. We ran a few test runs but in the interests of riders' safety, we had to unfortunately cancel the Finals,' explains Youbi Ahmed, Xbox Big Day Out Head Judge and ex-pro snowboarder.
The 11th edition of the Xbox Big Day Out will continue to return to Val D'Isere next season. www.xboxbigdayout.com www.ttrworldtour.com