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Brown takes second Boarderstyle win

Welgan, meanwhile, tops women's event
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Boarding well Alexa Welgan (second from left) captured the Monster Energy Boarderstyle on April 15. Photo by Cameron Kelsey

When the Monster Energy Boarderstyle comes to Whistler Blackcomb, Scot Brown is the boarder to beat.

Brown's April 15 win was his second in three years at the event, but earning the crown the second time was no less sweet.

"It was fun to win it a few years ago and it was awesome to win it again," he said.

The Godzilla-sized $5,000 cheque that came with it was certainly a big incentive, as was knocking off Phil Pedneault, defending champion Felix Dallaire and Jesse Millen in the final.

Brown felt his 2015 victory was a little more neck-and-neck, though this race, on a similar course, was tight in and of itself. Riders needed to excel at navigating trees and barrels, as well as their big air skills, in addition to beating the other racers in their heat across the finish line.

"The first time, I went off the jump at the exact same time as the other guy, and this time we were one after the other at the end. It was actually quite similar to the first year that I won," he said. "(The course) was the same length, the puddle jump was quite hard to gap."

The biggest alteration from Brown's first win to his second was that the Boarderstyle has expanded into a two-day event, adding more weather variables, more runs and more endurance that athletes must account for to come out on top.

"There were quite a few more races and more people this time," he said.

Brown said the conditions did end up becoming a factor, as Mother Nature cooperated for some runs and less so for others.

"The weather wasn't that nice for the first time-trial runs, but for the second one, it cleared up and I thought I was a bit quicker," he said. "The race day was nice in the morning and then it did get cloudy here and there and snowed."

Asked if he had changed his riding much in the years spanning his two wins, Brown said his goals have remained fairly consistent.

"I'm just trying to go as fast as I can and have fun," he said.

In addition to racing events on the West Coast, Brown also spent three weeks in China shredding at Lake Songhua Resort, FuLong Fun Park, White Mountain Resort and Changbaishan National Park.

On the women's side, Alexa Welgan posted the victory to earn the $800 prize. Kierstan Higginson placed second, Gillian Andrewshenko was third and Frederique Joncas ended up in fourth place.