Snowboard Gets Super-Stoked @ Superpipe
It’s January. What happens in Vermont during January? It snows! And so it was that the Dew Tour Pipe Finals at Mt. Snow dawned with a foot and a half of fresh in the flat bottom. The park crew hauled ass to reshape things to superpipe perfection, and just slightly behind schedule, the action commenced. And true to form, 6.0 riders schooled it.
Vermont-by-way-of-Connecticut native Ellery Hollingsworth unleashed her clean, skate style and tech trick combos, including several 540 variations and an ultra-smooth backside 7. At the end of the day, she climbed onto the podium in third place–a feat made even more impressive by the fact that the two riders sitting in first and second just happen to be Olympic gold medalists. This is the kind of riding that got Ellery nominated for Rookie of the Year at the upcoming TransWorld SNOWboarding Riders’ Poll Awards!
The Men’s Final was a battery of big airs and big spins–1080s, back-to-back 900s, inverted 720s, et cetera, et cetera. It was a heavily stacked field of transition warriors, but Mason Aguirre gleaned a method from the madness and landed in spot number five. Mason’s accomplishments glow a little brighter when you realize his luggage didn’t arrive with him to Mt. Snow. Luckily, he was able to borrow equipment and gear from friends or “frends,” but he didn’t really feel comfortable and at his best until he showed up for finals in his own kit.
6.0’s Matt Ladley arrived at Mt. Snow for his first competition, and first week back in the pipe since shattering his collarbone in December. He rode extremely well and qualified with confidence in the top 10. After his final runs, he ended up in 7th and stoked–top 3 is just around the corner.
Congratulations, boys (and girl)!
