Last Sunday was probably one of the best days ever for a Park Rider Sessions slopestyle event with no wind, lots of sunshine and landings that were hard but had a little bit of give to them.
It was also one of the biggest courses yet with massive rails and boxes and two jumps in the double black diamond park with four metre-plus tombstones over the tables. There were a few options with less hang time required, but only a few riders used them.
The biggest category was Snowboard Men 17 and Over. Vincent Genannt was the top rider with a 28.7 on his first run. Ryoki Ogawa, who won the opening rail jam event, placed second with a 27.2, followed by Naoki Utsumi with a 25.9.
Simon D'Artois won the Men Skiers 17 and Over category with a 35.5 out of a possible 40 points. Interestingly, he could have won the event with either his first or second run, which was a 34.8. Emil Westman was second with a 33.3, followed by Keita Hiroshima with a 27.7.
Brenden Kelly was first in Ski Male 14 to 16 with a 26.0, followed by Jake Rouches with a 23.2 and Dylan Rota with a 20.3.
Jack Iles won Ski Boys 13 and Under with a 24.4, beating his brother Finn Iles by just 0.3 points. Liam Measure was third with a 20.4.
In Snowboard Open 14 to 16 Luke Lattin was first with a 17.8, followed by Dakota Newman's 15.4 and Tomoji Yamakawa's 13.0.
Kai Ujejski placed first in Snowboard Boys 13 and Under with a 16.0, followed by Sam Walser with a 15.1.
Natsuki Sato was the only female rider in the field, competing in Snowboard Girls 14 to 16. Her best score in two runs was a 17.5.
The next Park Rider Session event, presented by Telus, is another slopestyle on Sunday, Jan. 17, this time taking place in the slightly less intimidating Habitat terrain park on Whistler.
Early registration is available for $26, or you can register until 9:45 a.m. on the day of the event at the Roundhouse Lodge for $30. Helmets are mandatory, and mouthguards and other protective gear are recommended. Minors require a waiver signed by a parent or guardian to take part.
The top athletes in each category win prizes and all participants are eligible to win draw prizes from event sponsors. The awards are at 4 p.m. at Eight Below.
