The landings were hard at the Vans Triple Crown season opener at Breckenridge, Colorado, last weekend, but not hard enough for Whistler rider Etienne Gilbert.
The 24-year-old from St-Redempteur, Quebec, took the slopestyle competition with huge spins, good combinations, and clean landings.
To get the first win on the tour, Gilbert edged out fellow Canadian Josh Dirksen of Ottawa, who finished second. In third was George Oakley of the U.S.
Other Canadians in the running include Andrew Hardingham of Banff in 13 th , and Justin Lamoureux of Whistler in 15 th .
In the womens slopestyle, Jennifer Jones of England took the top spot followed by Jaime MacLeod of the U.S. and Anne Molin Kongsgaard of Norway.
The top Canadian was Vancouvers Natasza Zurek in eighth place.