Copper Mountain welcomed the halfpipe World Cup this past Sunday with a lot of fresh snow, but that didn’t slow down Queralt Castellet (ESP) and Scotty James (AUS), who went all-in and claimed the respective women’s and men’s wins at the seaons-opening Land Rover US Grand Prix halfpipe World Cup. Riding strong and fast, Castellet seperated herself […]" />
Copper Mountain welcomed the halfpipe World Cup this past Sunday with a lot of fresh snow, but that didn’t slow down Queralt Castellet (ESP) and Scotty James (AUS), who went all-in and claimed the respective women’s and men’s wins at the seaons-opening Land Rover US Grand Prix halfpipe World Cup.
Riding strong and fast, Castellet seperated herself from the pack early in the day with a first-run score of 87.75 that would not be caught as weather conditions worsened through the afternoon.
“Today was hard, so I believe my experience paid off well,”Castellet said from the finish area, “We knew the weather was coming in and there was already a bit of of snow in the halfpipe when we started, so I decided to go with a strong run from the beginning instead of just doing a safe run to start out, and that paid off well. The weather really came in hard after that and my run held up, so I’m stoked.”
Maddie Mastro landed her third-consecutive podium appearance at Copper Mountain, Colorado. She persevered through difficult weather conditions, which hindered speed in the beautifully built 22-foot superpipe.
“It’s always nice being back here it Copper,” said Maddie. “The pipe is always dialed. Today the weather was challenging, but somehow when I compete at Copper, I find a way to put everything together. I’m stoked to be on the podium.”
Unfortunately, the fresh snow in the pipe accumulated to the point where speed was difficult to find, so Maddie’s run and the remaining men’s runs were conservative.
Jiayu Liu of China finished in second place on the day, taking advantage of decent weather to put down a solid run one that earned her a score of 80.00 and her career’s 19th podium.
Coming off a perfect six-for-six season in 2018/19, Scotty James picked up right where he left off last season by taking the first win of 2019/20 with a standout performance on Saturday. It was James’ third straight win in Copper Mountain, and the 25-year-old was duly pleased with his performance at the venue where he’s had so much success.
“It feels absolutely amazing,” said James before the awards ceremony, “I had big expectations after last season, so coming in here today I had to iron those emotions out and come out with a clear head, and approach it as a new season. So I did that and came out here today knowing what I had to do to be on top. Obviously the elements today weren’t in our favour, but everyone rode really well like I knew they were going to. I knew I had to bring it today.”
For the men, Toby Miller was the top finisher for the U.S. Snowboard Team, locking down fourth place. Toby put down a technical first run with great amplitude. Although Toby was third after run one, he would be bumped off the podium and unable to climb his way back with deteriorating weather conditions.
“Today was a great,”Toby said, remaining positive despite a difficult day of competition. “The weather was definitely a big challenge in today’s final. Everyone out there rode like true champions and proved how good of snowboarders they truly are. I am very proud to have landed my first run and end up in fourth place. I’m looking forward to the rest of the up and coming season. Congratulations to Scotty, Yuto, and Ruka.”
Australian Scotty James continued his streak of perfection after winning every competition he entered last season. Japanese riders Yuto Totsuka and Ruka Hirano finished second and third respectively.
