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Sizing up the competition

Who’s who in this weekend’s Ripzone Snowboard Invitational Snowboarders of Whistler, prepare to be humbled.

Who’s who in this weekend’s Ripzone Snowboard Invitational

Snowboarders of Whistler, prepare to be humbled.

This year’s Ripzone Snowboard Invitational is shaping up to be a doozy, featuring some of the top riders in Canada and from around the world. At stake are bragging rights, international exposure, and more than $65,000 in cash and prizes in the Big Air, Superpipe, and Jibzone events.

There are still a few open spots in the Superpipe qualifier, but they’re going fast. Visit www.livelarge.ca to register.

The Ripzone Invitational kicks off today, April 11, with training in the Superpipe from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and big air training from 4 to 6 p.m.

The actions gets underway Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. with the Superpipe qualifier, which will run until 1:30 p.m.

The Big Air will take place at the base of Whistler from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., while different bands take to the main stage – A-Team; Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Tajai from Souls of Mischief, Killa Kela and Mat The Alien.

Who are the jumpers in this year’s big air?

Alex Auchu – Auchu rides for Rossignol, lives in Whistler, and goes huge, both regular and switch. He was JF Pelchat’s prodigy back in the day, and in Pelchat’s own words in Transworld Snowboarding, Auchu "is pure comedy. He lives in constant fear of getting beat up, has a crazy junk-food addiction, has more nicknames than anyone else I know, and needs an instruction manual to get through life’s simplest tasks."

David Carrier-Porcheron – DCP rides for Burton, Spy and Hurley, lives in Whistler, and is one of the most respected riders in the country at the age of 22. He also does it all – backcountry, park and pipe – at a very high level, and would compete more if he wasn’t so busy making movies and riding around the backcountry on his sled.

Dionne Delesalle – Delesalle hails from Vancouver, lives in Whistler, and rides for Rossignol. The 25-year-old was featured in four different snowboard movies this year, if that tells you anything, and is a Seymour Kid and member of the infamous Wildcat crew. He is as determined in life as he is on the mountain, successfully juggling university and snowboarding.

Guy Deschenes – Deschenes grew up in Quebec, moved to Whistler in 1996, and recently moved up to Pemberton. In his profile at Treetop Films, Deschenes makes it clear that the only reason you should snowboard is for fun. Oh, and don’t break your board on a handrail if you’re not sponsored.

Josh Feliciano – ‘Fletch’ rides for Sims, Oakley, Furnace and Osiris, and in 2002 won the Sims World Championships and Vans Triple Crown big air contests. He’s 18, hails from Tahoe City, Nevada, and has been hailed as the next snowboard superstar.

Jesse Fox – Fox, 23, rides for Rome Snowboards, Mission Six, Electric, Ambiguous, and Nixon. Originally from Ontario, Fox moved out to Whistler at the age of 18 after winning just about every contest he entered as junior. He goes huge, and is incredibly fluid and composed in the air.

Andrew Hardingham – Hardingham lives in Banff, and is sponsored by Drop, Oakley, Ride, 32, Etnies, Technine, Rude Boys and the Seymour Kids. He is also a fixture on the pro competition circuit, competing in halfpipe, slopestyle and big air events. Hardingham is an exceptionally smooth and talented rider, and one of the most colourful characters in the sport – read his bio at the Seymour Kids Web site, www.seymourkids.com if you have any doubts.

Roger Hjelmstadstuen – From Norway, Roger riders for Helly Hansen, Airwalk, Da Kine, Drago and Volcom. He is 24-years-old, and one of the top Big Air competitors in the world with a bag of tricks that includes frontside 900s and backside 1080s – he finished second to Kevin Jones in Whistler in 2001, and is easily among the favourites this year.

Jordan Mendenhall – Jordan is a Utah rider, and is sponsored by Option, NFA, Dragon, Vans, Subject and Milosport. He is an up and coming rider with an aggressive style and scary talent.

Daniel Migneault – Daniel Migneault is one of the top halfpipe competitors in Canada, qualifying for the 2002 Winter Olympics. He’s smooth, rides hard, and makes spins and inverted tricks look effortless. In last year’s Ripzone Big Air, Migneault finished second after he almost lost control landing a 900 in the final round. He currently rides for Oakley and Jeenyus.

Marc Frank Montoya – Montoya grew up on the wrong side of Denver, and made the transition from skateboarding to snowboarding in high school. He is confident, aggressive, and is in every contest he enters. Last season he won the Red Bull Huckfest at Snowbird against the top riders in the sport. He rides for Sims, Dub, Analog, Spy, Technine, Blindside and Drop.

Guillaume Morisset — Morisset moves back and forth between Quebec and Whistler, and has won some pretty serious events in his career, like the U.S. Open halfpipe back in 2000. He’s 23-years-old, and gets better every year he’s out there. Morisset is currently sponsored by Salomon Snowboards.

Henki Oedegaard – Henki is a big name in Norway who is just starting to make inroads around the world and in North America. He is sponsored by Ripzone, Airwalk, Version and Rome.

Mike Page – Page, 27, was last year’s Ripzone champion, and a crowd favourite after making a comeback from a potentially career-ending injury to both of his legs. Page lives in Whistler and rides for Foursquare, Forum and Drop.

Kevin Sansalone – Also known as the Italian Stallion, Sansalone has victories in a lot of the marquis big air events. He won the 1998 and 2000 Westbeach Classic, the 1999 X-Games, and was second in the 2000 Gravity Games. He missed last year’s event with an injury, but was breaking out switch rodeo 720s the year before that obviously impressed the crowd more than the judges. Sansalone, 26, is a Seymour Kid, a member of the Wildcats, and is sponsored by Option, NFA, Dragon, 32, Etnies, RDS and the Seymour Kids.

Eero Niemela – At 18, this Finish superstar has a number of strong finishes under his belt in some of the top competitions in Europe, and has been known to stomp switch 1080s and get inverted off the big jumps. He rides for Rossignol Snowboards.

Marc-Andre Tartre – If the crowd was judging the World Ski and Snowboard Festival big air, Tartre would probably have a title to his credit by now. As it is, the Whistler rider is consistently in the top 10 among athletes, and last year finished sixth behind Andrew Hardingham. Riding for Westbeach, Volkl, SP, Adidas Eye and Drop, you can count on Tartre to go huge on Saturday afternoon.

Paavo Tikkanen – Tikkanen, 23, is from Finland, and rides for Endeavour, Volcom, Drop, Iris, and Active Ride Shop. He has a reputation as a bit of a hellraiser, is a member of the infamous Wildcats team, and has been featured in a number of videos. Like a lot of other European riders, he learned to do his tricks – and he knows a lot of them – on icy slopes. As a result, he goes big and lands smoothly.

Travis Williams – Williams is a Whistler local who rides for Option, NFA, Northwave, Drake, Von Zipper and Ogio. He’s young (22-years-old), aggressive, and does everything big – check out the sandwich he’s eating on the Option Snowboards Web site (www.optionsnowboards.com). He’s been in a few movies, and is starting to attract a lot of attention after finishing sixth in the 2002 Winter X-Games Big Air.

The stand-by list for the Ripzone Snowboard Invitational includes Preston Strout (Airwalk, Anon, K2, Grenade, Air Blaster), Jon Cartwright (Westbeach, hammer, Smith Dakine, 32, SP Bindings, Whistler-Blackcomb), JF Fortin (Atomic Arnette, Ogio, Vans), Kraig Kinsman (Base Energy Drink), Mikey Rencz (Burton, Electric, Home Co., 2MC, Circle), Jon Roth (Volcom, Supernatural, Osiris, Electric, Technine, Active), Mikee HK (Capita, Dragon, 32, Etnies, Dub, Hustler, Crapneto, Subject Backpacks), and Ryan Lougee (Burton, Analog, AG, Anon, Nixon, Gravis).

Ripzone Superpipe

The Ripzone Invitational Superpipe Finals take place from 10:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 13. The SuperHit contest, which is an athlete-judged event, takes place from 12:45 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Both events are jams, which means that the number of runs that competitors can make will only be limited by the clock. The result is a more open competition where competitors are more inclined to try difficult tricks and outdo one another in terms of size and difficulty.

The Superpipe invite list includes David Carrier-Porcheron, Guy Deschenes, Andrew Hardinham, Justin Lamoureux, Daniel Migneault, and Guillaume Morisset for the Big Air contest, plus the following riders:

David Aubry – David, or Nalu, lives in Whistler and is sponsored by Ride Snowboards and Oakley. He’s 25-years-old, and excels in any kind of terrain. Most recently he was featured in ClockWork by The Gathering.

Dylan Butt – Dylan hails from New Zealand, and is one of the most successful snowboarders ever to come out of the southern hemisphere. He has won the Kiwi halfpipe nationals four times in a row, and recently finished third in the quarter pipe at the U.S. Open.

Ron Chiodi – Chiodi hails from Stratton, Vermont, and competed in the 1998 Olympics. One of his signature tricks is a McTwist 900, and he is a very clean and aggressive rider.

Keir Dillon – If you watched Dillon in the last two Superpipe contests, you’d know that this 25-year-old Vancouver transplant from East Stroudsberg, Pennsylvania is one of the most exciting, dynamic riders in the world. He has launched McTwists almost 15 feet out of the pipe in past competitions, getting the crowd’s attention early, and puts together incredible runs. He was second last year in the Superpipe contest, and narrowly missed his second Superhit title. He is sponsored by Burton.

Justin Lamoureux – Now living in Whistler, Lamoureux has been a fixture on the pro circuit for years. In 2000, he was second in the Sims World Championships, and whether he is competing in a World Cup or a pro contest, he is usually not far out of the lead. His spins and grabs are some of the nicest you’re going to see. He rides for Head Snowboards, Hurley, Oakley, Reef and Rude Boys.

Crispin Lipscomb – Lipscomb was the top Canadian on the World Cup circuit this year, finishing fifth in the halfpipe rankings, and earning his first medal. From Whistler, Lipscomb only recently made the switch from coaching to competing, and was one of the great surprises in last year’s Ripzone competition. Lipscomb rides for Elan, Spy, Vans, Homenkol Wax, and Team Canada.

David Melancon – Another Whistler rider, Melancon was fifth in the 2001 Superpipe, and represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics. He’s 25, he gets a lot of air, and clears a lot of pipe with every jump. He is currently sponsored by Jeenyus.

Dan Raymond – Raymond lives in Whistler, coaches the national freestyle teams, and cleans up at almost every local and provincial event he enters. He is sponsored by K2, Dakine, Sombrio and Oakley.

Kelly Schovanek – Schovanek lives in Canmore and rides for K2, Dakine, Sombrio and Oakley. He was a fixture on the Molson Snowjam tour last year, winning the quarter pipe event in Calgary with a 12-foot McTwist. He was also eighth in the 2001 Big Air in Whistler.

Scott Shaw – Shaw is from Calgary, and shows up in all kinds of pro and amateur contests. In 2001, he won the Canadian Masters Pipe after landing three inverted tricks in a row – a McTwist followed by a pair of inverted 720s.

Abe Teter – Teter hails from Vermont, and is one of the top halfpipe pros in the world, and according to Transworld Snowboarding, is the fifth most often mentioned rider in that publication. He is sponsored by Palmer Snowboards, Ford and Right Guard, and is usually in the top-five of any competition he enters.

Etienne Tremblay – Tremblay hails from Jonquiere, Quebec, and is widely regarded as one of the top halfpipe riders in Canada. He is currently sponsored by Drop, Oakley, Special Blend and DLX. In a Transworld interview, Emanuel Krebs says "Watching Etienne ride the halfpipe is one of those experiences that makes you re-evaluate the standards by which you look at snowboarding. He controls his board so smoothly and carries speed as if the throttle was wide open…"

Ben Wainwright – Wainwright is a long-time Whistler local and a veteran of the circuit at 30 years of age. He has been competing for a decade, and coaches snowboard camps during the summer months. He competes in both snowboardcross and halfpipe events, and is never very far from the podium. His sponsors include Forum, Oakley, Pacific Boarder, and Glacier Snowboard Camp.

Luke Wynen – Riding for Unity Snowboards, Wynen has recent wins in the Mountain Dew Pro Nationals, the AST Sugar Bowl. He lives in Killington, Vermont, is 26 years old, and was close to representing Team USA at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The standy-by list for the superpipe includes Gabe Authier (Nidecker, Westbeach, Northwave, Drake, Empire and Dakine), Jonas Guinn (Lib Tech, Frozen Ocean, Arnette, Osiris, Grenade, Billabong, Technine), Josh Duncan (Endeavour, the Source, Grubwear Clothing, Oakley), Jesse Kumlea (Ride Snowboards, Planet Earth Clothing, UVEX) and Dave Short (Von Zipper, DC Centre Distribution, Drop, Technine).

The list of female competitors includes:

Gretchen Bleiler – Bleiler is an Aspen local, and is just coming off a win at the U.S. Snowboard Finals – her eighth superpipe win in a row. Like a lot of the top American girls, she’s young, just 22-years-old, and is credited with pushing the sport to the next level. She is sponsored by Oakley, Aspen Ski Co., Red Bull, Giro, Dakine, and the Polar Revolution Snowboard Shop.

Tricia Byrnes – Byrnes was a member of the 2002 U.S. Olympic Team, has 19 World Cup wins, and has two medals in World Ski and Snowboard Festival competitions. At 28, the Stratton, Vermont local is a veteran competitor, and is as solid as they come. She is sponsored by Lamar and Cold As Ice.

Kelly Clark – At 19, Clark is the reigning Olympic Champion, and has a lot of gold medals and big cheques to her credit. She is a 2002 Grand Prix champion, a Vans Triple Crown champion, and a threat in every contest she enters. She lives in Mammoth Lakes, California, and is sponsored by Burton.

Lori Glazier – A Whistler rider, Glazier represented Canada at the 1998 Olympics and is always tough to beat at home. At the World Cup in Whistler in December she took the silver medal with an almost perfect run. She is strong, solid and confident in the halfpipe, and currently rides for Adidas and the Canadian National Team.

Sarah Kopinya – Sarah is 17-years-old, a Whistler high school student, and one of Canada’s top prospects in the halfpipe. She came up through the ranks, representing the Whistler Valley Snowboard Club, has two top-10 World Cup finishes this season, and won the national junior title by more than four points. She rides for Richmond Subaru and Burton.

Maelle Ricker – Although a string of knee injuries has held her back the last three years, Ricker is still one of the top snowboarders in the world. She divides her time between Vancouver and Whistler, and at 24 is our current national champion. She only made a handful of World Cup appearances this year, but finished seventh in the World Snowboard Championships. She is sponsored by Head, Oakley, and Whistler-Blackcomb.

Kim Stacey – Stacey is from Stratton Vermont, and is 22-years-old. She was the FIS world champion in 1999, the ISF champion in 2000, and won the Sims World Championships in Whistler in 2000. Most recently she finished second in the U.S. Freeskiing Open – on skis. She is not sponsored right now, but that shouldn’t last too long.

Hannah Teter – Hannah is 16 years old and wins or places in most of the events she enters. This year she was first in the Grand Prix at Breckenridge, first in the Yahoo! Big Air and Style. Last year she was the junior world champion. Teter goes a little bigger than other girls, and broke out the first 900 ever landed in a competition by a female.

Dominique Vallee – Vallée lives in Whistler, and was fourth in the world snowboarding championships this year. She was a top draw on the Molson SnowJam tour, edging out Olympic champion Kelly Clark in one contest. She broke her collarbone last fall, which kept her out of a few contests, but her smooth, acrobatic style could easily win her the day. She is sponsored by Oakley, Prior Snowboards, and Glacier Snowboard Camp.

Doriane Vidal – Doriane won last year’s Ripzone competition with solid 540 and 720 spins, and air time that rivalled most of the men. She hails from France, and was a fixture on World Cup podiums until she took a step back this year to focus on the pro circuit. A Rossignol team rider, she is 26-years-old, and ranks among the top three women in the world.

Natasza Zurek – Zurek was the lone Canadian woman at the 2002 Winter Olympics, and has several titles to her credit, including a U.S. Open. She took some time off competing on the World Cup this year, but came back with a vengeance to win back-to-back silver medals in Japan. She finished second to Ricker in the nationals this year, and, like Ricker, divides her time between Vancouver and Whistler. Her sponsors include Burton and Nikita.

The stand-by list includes Mercedes Nicoll (UN, Dragon, Clive, Etnies, and Drake), Megan Pischke (North Face, Allian, Hurley), Caroline Ehrenstrasser (Rip Curl, Deeluxe, Demon, edenink, Angelstar) and Amy Johnson (Airwalk, Palmer, Smith, Dakine).

The other event on the Ripzone calendar is a Jibzone contest on Sunday afternoon at the base of Whistler, from 4 to 5 p.m. The list of competitors includes Simon Chamberlain, Nic Cheveldave, Josh Feliciano, Jesse Fox, Max Henault, Jeff Keetley, Ryan Lougee, Jordan Mendenhall, Daniel Migneault, Marc Frank Montoya, Eero Niemela, Mike Page, TJ Schneider, Matter Vyner and Travis Willliams.

The stand-bys are Gerard Sangston, Graydon Kavanagh, Alex Auchu, Jeff Keenan, Scott Shaw, Aaron Shapiro, Mikee HK, Dennis Bannock and JF Fortin.

The women’s list includes Hanna Beaman, Annie Boulanger, Susi Davis, Ming Kao, Leanne Pelosi, and Roberta Rodger.

The stand-bys are Marni Yamada, Megan Pischke and Caroline Ehrenstrasser.