• Lisa Wiik
• Silvia Mittermueller
• Kjersti Buaas
• Cheryl Maas (05/06 TTR Champion)
• Kelly Clark

For further more detailed information please contact: andy@ttrworldtour.com

RANK	NAME	COUNTRY	SCORE	# RES.	MAX. SCORE	INFO
1	Anderson, Jamie	USA	821,35	7	956,79	injured
2	Wiik, Lisa	NOR	785,99	7	863,09	TOP 5
3	Candrian, Sina	SUI	746,88	7	852,75	not there
4	Mittermueller, Silvia	GER	719,1	7	852,9	TOP 5
5	Pancochova, Sarka	CZE	690,73	7	803,29	TOP 5
6	Hollingsworth, Ellery	USA	669,84	7	788,03	–
7	Buaas, Kjersti	NOR	659,45	5	945,16	TTR Title
8	Maas, Cheryl	NED	651,58	6	854,76	TOP 5
9	Clark, Kelly	USA	644,77	5	930,48	TTR Title
10	Karlinski, Jordie	USA	597,25	7	731,98	–
12	O`Brien, Spencer	CAN	582,12	7	772,27	–
13	Sladics, Chanelle	USA	531,3	6	779	–
19	Bright, Torah	AUS	405,4	3	691,12	Only 5 res.

1. As they have the highest potential score (calculating with 2000 points), it’s between Kjersti and Kelly for the title, Kjersti having better chances with a higher maximum score and better Slopestyle skills
2. Example: Kjersti can finish TOP5 in both formats and wins if Kelly wins the HP and 8th in SS
3. Other girls in the game for TOP5: Lisa Wiik, Silvia Mittermueller and Cheryl Maas (who could all potentially still win the Tour)

Why are Kjersti and Kelly the 2 title contenders having a lot less point than Jamie and Lisa? They are also not even in the TOP 5 right now. Well, with only 5 out of 7 results, they are called “sleepers”, as they have the potential to jump up into the TOP spot at the last minute after hiding in the lower areas of the ranking till the very last minute (just like Shaun White, as he most often gets his 7th TTR 6Star result at the US Open). 06/07 TTR Champion Torah Bright will not be able to close the gap anymore as she currently only holds 3 results and 7 are necessary to accumulate the full ranking score (the best 7 results are taken and devided by 7).So Kelly and Kjersti are the 2 riders with the highest ability to win the Swatch TTR title 08/09 and Kjersti has a slight advantage in slopestyle (Her average statistical finish in SS at TTR events is 6th and HP is 8th while Kelly’s is 13th in SS and 3rd in HP). If we take the average finish and use it as it was next weekend Kjersti would have 888 points while Kelly would have 873 (again this is statistics and not snowboarding – but statistics can be pretty accurate).Check out what went down between Jamie, Torah and Kelly last year in Mammoth:[youtube width="640" height="380"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP8EIffghEw&feature=channel_page[/youtube]The possible scenarios for the 6Star Halfpipe comp are as follows:

RANK	NAME	COUNTRY	AGE	6STAR Roxy Chicken Jam HP
1st	Jamie Anderson	USA	18	Could be bumped out from the World Nr. 1 spot only if Lisa places 1st
2nd	Lisa Wiik	NOR	29	Could take Tour Lead if she places 1st; stays 2nd otherwise
4th	Silvia Mittermueller	GER	25	Fights with Sina, Kelly, Kjersti and Cheryl for the World Nr. 3 spot
5th	Sarka Pancochova	CZE	19	Could move down in the TOP 10 even if places on podium
6th	Ellery Hollingsworth	USA	17	Could move down in the TOP 10 even if places on podium
7th	Kjersti Buaas	NOR	26	Fights with Sina,Kelly, Silvia and Cheryl for the World Nr. 3 spot
8th	Cheryl Maas	NED	24	Fights with Sina,Kelly, Silvia and Kjersti for the World Nr. 3 spot
9th	Kelly Clark	USA	25	Fights with Sina, Silvia, Kjersti and Cheryl for the World Nr. 3 spot
16th	Elizabeth Beerman	USA	17	Could improve her TOP 20 position
19th	Torah Bright	AUS	22	Could improve her TOP 20 position

For further more detailed information please contact: andy@ttrworldtour.com

06/07 Tour Champion Torah Bright has not been competing much this season due to other commitments as a professional snowboarder and will therefore not be in contention for the Championship this season. But she still has a chance to finish inside this year’s TOP10 if she places high at the Open and the Chicken Jam next weekend!

The light was in&out like a raw dog on heat. So the riders were keeping it chill but there was some solid riding going downe. Riding the volcom boards 16yr old Tyler Flannagan was solid all day with bs7s & smooth rail skills.

With so many groms killing it I decided to catch up Benny Bright from the School of Shred ™ & brother/ on hill manager / coach for Torah Bright.

N: What do you reckon of the course layout?
B: it’s wicked…I love it

N: Who is the hot favorites for the slopestyle?
B: Jye Kearney, a young grom from Oz that will give the likes of Mikkel Bang & Chas Guldemond a run for their money.

Chas hears Benny’s statement & replies:
Im very focused, in a zen like state, and choose to remain silent on this matter …

N: What about the pipe Benny?
B: Snowpark always rips fat pipes out….but this year it’s killer.

N: And who should we keep an eye on in da PIPE?
B: I’m looking forward to seeing 14-yr old Scotty James battle it head to head with Kazu. Can this aussie meat pie eater, out eat the samurai? Watch it live you fools on Go211.com…ah yeah and don’t forget about www.torahbright.com. (ann.: cheap plug, haha)

Stay tuned for further bits.

Matthias clucking about the weather

Crazy weather has been following the Swatch TTR World Snowboard tour for the last couple of weeks and the Roxy Chicken Jam, being held this weekend at Mammoth Mountain, California, has been no exception. The first day of the Chicken Jam (the last 6-Star event on the women’s tour) was delayed due to some unexpected snowy weather today.

The organizers of the event tried to wait things out to see if the weather would improve, but conditions were just not fit to run the qualifier competition. With the weather forecast pointing to bluebird sunny skies for the next two days, the decision was made to wait until the riders had optimal conditions to run the comp.

Jamie Anderson defying the conditions

Some riders still braved the windy conditions and headed up on the hill to cruise around and get a feel for 2008 Roxy Chicken Jam setup. The slopestyle course is looking prime with two jibs at the top of the run and three kickers each with two take-off options. The halfpipe was a bit hard today, but the sun should soften things up nicely for the competition tomorrow. The Chicken Jam mascot was seen ripping things up on both the slopestyle course and in the halfpipe which was crazy site to see on the hill.

Chicken got jammed

Stay tuned to see who will be crowned Queen of the TTR Women’s World Tour as the ladies battle it out for the World Tour Champion title and a piece of the Women’s TTR Prize Purse worth $110,000.

Updated schedule for the tomorrow’s halfpipe event:

9:30- 11:30am Halfpipe Qualifiers
12:30-2:30pm Main Event-Halfpipe Finals
2:45-3:15am Chicken Jam Mascot Compeition
3:30pm Halfpipe Awards

We’ll tell you tomorrow what came first: the chicken or the egg…

A world class crew of men and women pipe slayers have made their way to Park City Mountain Resort for the World Superpipe Championships taking place this weekend. Utah has been going off this season with over 500” inches of snow making conditions super fun all over the mountain. Mother nature took a break from puking snow on the Wastach Mountains and greeted the riders with sunny skies today. And needless to say, the Park City Mountain Resort crew had a prime 22-foot pipe in perfect condition for the competition this weekend.

Things kicked off today with an all-day training session in the massive, perfectly shaped pipe. On the men’s side, Mason Aguirre, Janne Korpi, Luke and Jack Mitrani were all throwing down some big airs all day. Luke was sessioning the last hit in the pipe pulling crazy switch double backflips that had the crowd going. It will be interesting to see if Luke can get that trick dialed during competition tomorrow. Shaun White also rolled up to the pipe for a couple of runs and, as always, was putting some smooth runs together. Aussie rider, Mitch Allan, was also putting up some nice airs and dialed spins.

Mitch Allan © – jakemcbride.com

For the women, Kelly Clark and Torah Bright were boosting some lofty airs. And, Ellery Hollingsworth pulled some smooth maneuvers out of the bag as well. It was a pretty mellow day of practice and everyone was having a fun session under the sun.

Kelly Clark / Torah Bright © – jakemcbride.com

The Swatch TTR World Tour is coming down to the wire with the World Superpipe Champs being the second to last FIVE(5)STAR event of the season and only one SIX(6)STAR left for the men and two for the ladies. Competition for a piece of the $250,000 prize purse is getting crazy.

With Kevin Pearce not making it to the competition this weekend, it opens up some opportunity for other riders like Risto Matilla, Peetu Piiroinen and Andy Finch to make some moves for the Men’s TTR World Champion Title. For the ladies, Kelly and Torah will definitely be battling it out here in Park City and over the next couple of weeks at the US Open and Roxy Chicken Jam. It will be interesting to see how the end of the TTR World Tour will pan out.

Keep clicking on http://www.ttrworldtour.com for more updates from the World Superpipe Championships including video clips from today’s training session and tomorrow’s finals.

Updated Rider List:

Men:
Markku Koski
Louie Vito
Peetu Piiroinen
Keir Dillon
Mitch Allen
Mason Aguirre
Gary Zebrowski
Markus Malin
Jack Mitrani
Janne Korpi
Luke Mitrani
Toni-Markus Turunen
Andy Finch
J.J. Thomas
Justin Lamoureux
Shaun White

Women:
Meg Pugh
Sophie Rodriguez
Soko Yamaoka
Kelly Clark
Kjersti Buaas Oestgaard
Leslie Glenn
Ellery Hollingsworth
Lisa Wiik
Torah Bright

Up on the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier at the Roxy Park, qualifications for the Swatch TTR SIX(6)STAR Roxy Chicken Jam went down today and we had a chance to catch up with some of the girls up on the side lines. Qualifications went down without a hitch, except for the slightly cold weather. Nevertheless, the Top 8 qualifiers will be moving on to tomorrow’s main event! Here’s a run down of the girls who made it:

1. Aline Bock, Age 25, Germany
2. Heidi Paumola, Age 20, Finland
3. Sarka Peneochova Age 17, Netherlands
4. Britte Van der Pouw Age 17, Netherlands
5. Aimee Fuller Age 16, Great Britain
6. Sandy Gecek Age 28, Austria
7. Steffi Hamann Age 24, Germany
8. Basa Stevulova Age 20, Slovakia

Aline Bock took the top spot of the qualifiers with a sick first run that included a FS 3 mute, a BS180 nose, and a rock to fakie on the Wall Ride Box. Aline was stoked on her run saying

“I never expected anything like winning, and it’s sick that I get to ride tomorrow, but I’m kinda scared to ride with all the others, but hopefully it works out fine as well! My winning run was my first run, and was the first contest of my whole career that I didn’t feel under pressure at all. It was super smooth and I was super calm, just thinking well, whatever. All the young girls were throwing down crazy tricks, I was just riding and trying to get my tricks down with easy style. It was funny for me and I’m really stoked!”

We also caught up with Tina Birbaum, the Roxy Chicken Jam Event Organizer, by the judges booth on the sidelines. She was stoked and gave us a few words on the event!

“Hi I’m Tina Birbaum, and we’re here at the Roxy Chicken Jam in Kaprun and it’s a Swatch TTR SIX(6)STAR event. It’s Friday now and it’s a beautiful day at -14 degrees Celsius on the qualification day. The girls are ripping on an amazing course today, we have three kickers, one after the other, and then we have some rails and a quarter pipe. We’re doing pretty well. But it’s a bit slow, but I’m think we’re going to change some things so that tomorrow they have more speed. Tomorrow we’ll have the main session. 5 of the qualification girls will go on to the main session. We have a really good field of riders, Jamie Anderson, who last year won the Roxy Chicken Jam in Kaprun, Torah Bright, who won the TTR World Tour last year, Cheryl Maas, and we have Tara Dakides who won the Roxy Chicken Jam in the States and lots and lots of other good riders. We have really good weather it looks like, and lots of spectators hopefully, and yeah it’s going to be really nice, and tomorrow night we have the Roxy Chicken Jam Party which is always a great thing, it’s right before Christmas, so it’s a Christmas party and all the girls are going to dress up which is going to be fun, and that’s going to be a late night!”

About 2 seconds later, we ran across the park and found Torah Bright! With a bright smile she gave us the low down:

“Hi I’m Torah Bright and we’re in Kaprun for the Roxy Chicken Jam Swatch TTR SIX(6)STAR event, we just have the qualifications going on right now, and right now it’s wafting in out with clouds, and it’s beautiful and sunny, so I think everybody is pretty stoked. It’ll be a good showdown. And tomorrow we have the finals! We have Cheryl Maas, Jamie Anderson, Tara Dakides is rumoured to be here, a lot of good girls are here! It’s a SIX(6)STAR TTR event! The best are here!”

Claudia Fliri was also chillin (literally – it was freezing!) on the sidelines for the qualification action and she gave us some info on the Chicken Jam and her plans for the TTR season:

We are here at the Roxy Chicken Jam in Kaprun, have you got any powder riding in today? Ummmm…not really. I’ve been outside on the side of the slopes a little bit, but actually for me it’s more important to get on it here in the park. That’s the main thing right now.

How’s the park looking? Oh pretty sweet at the beginning it was really really slow, but now It’s getting better, they’re just adjusting the course, but still the last jump is hard to clear, so the set up will be changed for tomorrow, with a little bit of a slight improvement? Haha. So yeah tomorrow we can…work it!

What are your plans for the tour this year? Are you going to try ad make it out to more SIX(6)STAR events? Oh yeah yeah for sure, I’m totally going to follow the tour again, I like to ride TTR, its cool, and for you guys it’s something to measure you know, and that’s pretty sweet. I started my season in New Zealand, and got a lot of points! So it was pretty sweet! But in New Zealand I got hurt so I had to take a break for three months, and I had surgery on my knee. But now I’m back to normal. It still plays with your mind though. I’m getting used to it though!

What do you think about girls riding? Last year it stepped up a lot, do you think it’s going to be bigger this year? Yeah, definitely. But it also depends on the conditions, if it’s not that fast, sure you’re going to do safer tricks without too many spins and stuff. But at the Roxy Chicken Jams it’s just all girls riding, so the girls can show their skills which is the main important thing, especially with huge jumps, so every girl can show what they got which is great.

All photos © Andy Juegelt 2007