Sebastien Toutant won the men's snowboard slopestyle Finals on Sunday with his second-run-score of 94.50, increasing his lead on his victory lap. With the win, he also took home his first Dew Cup at the Toyota Championships at Snowbasin Resort in Utah.

Toutant held onto first place after his first-run-score of 90.25, and secured the win as the last rider to go. But he still put all he had into his second run, with a back 270 on first rail, 5050 gap frontside 3 out on the second, front blunt 270 out on the up box, into a front 10 double on the first jump and finishing wiht a back 10 double.

"It feels great," he said. "The first stop I got second place, the second stop I got second. To end up the season with a first place and winning the Cup, it’s a great feeling. Especially because I didn’t have a really good time riding this course because it was really hard and the weather was always pretty bad. But I’m just stoked I rode pretty good and I’m first. I couldn’t be more happy."

Dash Kemp also took over the second-place spot on his first run with a score of 83.50. His run went like this: Cab 270 on, to front board tail 270 out, into front 3 back 5 off the cannon, then cab 9 tail into back double 10 on the last two jumps.

He came back in his second run looking to increase his podium position, and he was riding solid until the last hit sent him straight to his face on the landing. His face quickly swelled up and he ended up with a concussion, but was ok to walk away. The upside was that his first-run score held on until the end, and he remembered absolutely nothing about the crash while heading to the podium to accept his award. This is his first season competing on the Dew Tour.

"I feel like I'm in the twilight zone right now," he said. "This is crazy. I’m so stoked."

Spencer Link earned his first Dew Tour podium with his third-place-score of 77.25.

"It feels awesome," Link said. "Dream come true."

"This morning I thought it was going to go bad," he continued. "Practice went horrible. But then I calmed down and I just rode how I could ride."

Link's higher scoring first run consisted of a backside nosepress on the up down, to front 360 over, to backside 180 out on cannon rail. On the jumps, he landed a Cab double 9 to a backside double 10.

With flat light conditions and a course consisting of three rail sections and two jumps, many of the heavy hitters had to deal with falls in thier runs.

Eric Willett was coming off a win at last month's Pantech Invitational, and he had a chance at winning the Cup. But his first run he crashed and in his second he had a bit of a hand drag after his backside 9 that left him in 7th place when the contest ended.

Other big contenders that finished off the podium were Sage Kotsenburg, who had a good first run but not up to his full potential, and his score suffered after a fall on his second left him in 6th place. Gjermund Braaten, who won the first stop of the Winter Dew Tour, also had slight deduction for a hand drag in his first run. He finished 5th.

Results
1. Sebastien Toutant, 94.50
2. Dash Kamp, 83.50
3. Spencer Link, 77.75
4. Jake Aaronson, 70.50
5. Gjermund Braaten, 69.75
6. Sage Kotsenburg, 61.25
7. Eric Willett, 58.75
8. Seth Hill, 53.00
9. Ian Thorley, 40.25
10. Justin Morgan, 37.25
11. Mark Hoyt, 25.00
12. Brandon Reis, 23.25

Sebastien Toutant



Dash Kamp



Spencer Link



Jake Aaronson



Gjermund Braaten



Sage Kotsenburg



Eric Willet



Seth Hill



Ian Thorley



Justin Morgan



Mark Hoyt

Brandon Reis

Spencer O'Brien came back from 5th place to take the win and her second career Dew Cup at the women's snowboard slope Finals at the Toyota Championships. She nailed her second run with a switch boardslide to 5050 on the up gap down box, to a frontside boardslide on the A-frame to switch on the cannon. For the jumps, she went switch backside 5 mute into a frontside 7 indy.

"It felt really good," O'Brien said of taking the win. "Kind of surreal. I wasn’t really thinking very much on that last run, so when I stomped that last trick I was so happy. It’s a lot of pressure when you don’t land your first run."

Enni Rukajarvi, of Finland, was second with 86.50, riding without goggles to adjust to the flat light conditions. She threw down a noseslide, tailpress, 5050 stalefish, and back 5 into a Cab 5 on the two jumps. She also finished second at the last women's snowboard event in Breckenridge, Colo., the Nike Open, and this was her first time doing the entire Dew Tour.

"I’m so happy for getting second," Rukajarvi said. "I had big troubles in the practice landing my tricks so I’m just happy I landed my run."

South Lake Tahoe's Joanna Dzierzawski was third with 80.25 after putting together a switch boardslide to tailpress, 5050 to front board on the up down rail, up the cannon poke out, and a back 3 into front 3 off the toes on the jumps.

"Oh my gosh, I am so happy to have made it to Finals at the Dew Tour," Dzierzawski said. "It’s my first time making it to all the stops. It was just so awesome and the course was really fun. All the girls were so supportive as always, and I’m just so happy to be here."

Results
1. Spencer O'Brien, 94.50
2. Enni Rukajarvi, 86.50
3. Joanna Dzierzawski, 80.25
4. Julianne Brackett, 73.75
5. Nicki Slechta, 67.60
6. Sarka Pancochova, 36.25

Spencer O'Brien


Enni Rukajärvi


Joanna Dzierzawski


Julianne Brackett


Nicki Slechta


Sarka Pancochova

Only two points separated overall season leader Iouri Podladtchikov from defending Dew Cup champ Louie Vito heading into Saturday's Winter Dew Tour championships.

In the end, Vito won the men's snowboard Pipe Finals with his score of 98.00, increasing his lead with the highest score ever to take home the Dew Cup at the Toyota Championships, held Saturday at Utah's Snowbasin Resort. I-Pod finished second with 97.00.

"I-Pod’s riding so well, he’s so consistent and he definitely pushes me every time I snowboard," Vito said. "So it was nice to be one and two with him going into the final stop, because it made me make sure I was on my game and he definitely brought it for sure."

But Vito answered back in his winning run with a double crippler, double Michalchuk, front double 10, cab double 10, front 10 to end with a cab 7.

Up at the top of the pipe, as the last rider to go, I-Pod had one more shot at taking over the top spot.

"It was really interesting up there," I-Pod said. "I was like, 98, alright, what the hell am I going to do now."

 He responded with a Double McTwist, front double, Cab double, front 10 into a Cab 10. While perfectly executed, it wasn't enough to take the win.

"I’m really happy with my run," I-Pod said. "It’s kind of a long pipe and it’s really under vert, so I was trying to fix a new run together. And it really worked out for me. Louie taking it in the end, I’ll give it to him. But the battle is on."

Results after the first round saw Vito leading over I-Pod (94.75 to 93.00) with one run left for each. After an amazing first run, Trevor Jacob was sitting in third at the end first heat, while rocking a sweet Star Wars-esque full face helmet for extra confidence while boosting his massive airs.

Second round highlights included an amazing run from Spencer Shaw, which included his first ever frontside 14 halfway through, and let him take over the third place position from Jacob and finish on top of the podium.

"That was the first time I’ve ever done that run and a 14," Shaw said. "My heart was pounding so hard at the top of the pipe, and it all worked out, I’m so excited. I’ve never tried it before. Right before I dropped in, my coach was like, ‘Why don’t you try that?’ and I was like, ‘Ok,’ and I dropped in and it worked out well."

For Vito, it was back-to-back Dew Cups after he pulled it off again this season.

"I got two seconds and what do they say? I was the bridesmaid and never the bride, or something like that," Vito said. "I get tired of being second. I’m stoked to be consistent but I wanted to at least get on top of the podium this year. I did and what better place than where I’m living now in Utah, at the Toyota Championships, to walk away with the Dew Cup."

Results
1. Louie Vito 98.00
2. Iouri Podladtchikov 97.00
3. Spencer Shaw 90.00
4. Trevor Jacob 88.00
5. Zachary Black 86.00
6. Ben Ferguson 83.50
7. Jack Mitrani 81.50
8. Mason Aguirre 80.00
9. Kyle Mack 73.75
10. Paul Brichta 70.00
11. Ben Watts 67.00
12. Scotty Pike 63.00

Louie Vito

Iouri Podladtchikov

Spencer Shaw

Trevor Jacob

Zach Black

Ben Ferguson

Jack Mitrani

Mason Aguirre

Kyle Mack

Paul Brichta

Ben Watts

Scotty Pike

Louie Vito and Jack Mitrani

Louie Vito and Iouri Podladtchikov

Louie Vito

Louie Vito

Kelly Clark came back and took down Gretchen Bleiler to bring home the Toyota Championships win and her third Dew Cup at the women's snowboard pipe Finals. Her score of 95.00 to Bleiler's 94.25 gave her the advantage during Saturday's event at Utah's Snowbasin Resort.

The lead changed hands between the two riders, with Bleiler in the lead going into second and final runs. Her first run started off with a massive crippler, backside 5, frontside 9, backside air, frontside 9, backside air, frontside 7 to end with a cab 7 and score 91.00. Clark responded with an inverted 7, and back-to-back 5s in her run, but it left her sitting in second with an 89.25.

China’s Xuetong Cai was another big contender with massive amplitude and 5s and 7s mixed into her run, and she finished in third with and 89.75.

But the battle of the Finals really became all about Bleiler and Clark, who were both guaranteed a Dew Cup with the win.

Bleiler dropped in for her second run before Clark, and started things off with a massive Crippler, 900 tail grab, backside air tail grab, and a frontside 7 mixed into her run. She managed to increase her lead with the 94.25, but with Clark still up top and waiting to drop, there was no guarantee that score would hold up, and such was the case.

“I really had to stay focused on what I came out to do today,” Clark said. “My strategy really gets tested when I’m put in that position where the scenarios change dropping into my final run. I have to stick to the plan regardless of what’s going on around me, and that’s what I was able to do and land it on my feet and come through with the win.”

For Bleiler, it was a bit of a repeat from the first event of the season where she also finished second to Clark.

“I’m bummed,” Bleiler said. “Again, Breck was super close. This was super close. It just keeps me motivated to keep working harder. Last Dew Tour in Breck, that already motivated me for this event and getting my tailgrabs around more on my front 9s. I didn’t do my back 9 today, so I still have more to give. And I know I can do front 10s since my front 9s are coming around so easy now. I’m not too worried, but I’m a little bummed that it was so close."

Click for full results.

Kelly Clark



Gretchen Bleiler



Xuetong Cai



Sophie Rodriguez



Sarah Conrad



Arielle Gold

Check out the best double cork variations that were thrown down during the Winter Dew Tour's Pantech Invitational in Killington, Vermont. Freeskiers had their share of doubles on slope, including Sammy Carlson, Chris Logan, Tom Wallisch, Henrik Harlaut. In freeski pipe, Justin Dorey, Tai Barrymore, David Wise, Torin Yater-Wallace and Kevin Rolland delivered. Snowboarders Justin Morgan, Sebastien Toutant, Charles Reid and Eric Willett hand out doubles on slope, and in pipe it's all about Luke MItrani, Louie Vito, Roger Kleivdal and Iouri Podladtchikov.

Pro snowboarder Trevor Jacob breaks down the meaning behind the tattoo across his back. It's his last name written across his upper back, and for him it symbolizes living in the moment. Find out why in this AlliSports Under the Gun and catch Trevor competing in halfpipe at the Winter Dew Tour in Breckenridge.

Snowboarder Chas Guldemond shares his plans for the season and his opinion on the direction the sport should be heading. Hear from Chas why he started the rider's union We Are Snowboarding in this AlliSports Catching Up. Watch him compete at the Winter Dew Tour in Breckenridge, seven years into his professional career and still going strong.

Danny Davis fans out over all the pro snowboarders in his usual comedic ways in Episode 3 of the Frendly Times. Get your weekly Frend fix, where Jack Mitrani, Luke Mitrani, Kevin Pearce, Scotty Lago and the rest of the crew have fun with Mark McMorris and other pros they encounter along the way.

Snowboarder Scotty Lago takes you through all the steps for how to do a crippler in the halfpipe. In AlliSports Step By Step you can get some tips from the pros on how to do the basic tricks and some advanced ones too.

Travis Rice is a driving force behind progressing the sport of snowboarding. He seeks to redefine what is possible through his filming and his vision for the next generation of snowboard competitions. Learn what filming The Art of FLIGHT was like and hear his vision for the Red Bull Supernatural. The Alli Show documents the lives of the athlete's changing the face of action sports.

Watch Travis Rice's Red Bull Supernatural event March 31st on NBC from 1-3pm ET.

Luke Mitrani reveals his first job at his dad's diner, one thing he wants to do before he dies and more. Check out five snowboard tricks from Luke in this Allisports My Five, where we ask five fun questions to athletes and compile all the answers.

It clearly wasn’t an easy day to be a Dew Tour judge after the battle that went down between Louie Vito and Iouri “I-Pod” Podlatchikov in the snowboard pipe finals at the Pantech Invitational in Killington, Vermont.
 
Vito was holding on to the lead after his first run with a score of 94.75 that set the bar high. There were some falls from a lot of the heavy hitters, nearly guaranteeing Vito the win.

p>Check out I-Pod's winning run

But with I-Pod still in the mix, that quickly changed, and in the end, the win went to him for his score of 96.75 on his second run. The run started off with a Cab 7 crippler into back double 12 into front 10 to cab 10.

“I’m really happy I put down my back 12,” I-Pod said. “It’s always really special to pull out that trick because it’s real dangerous in these conditions. This is the iciest pipe I’ve ever ridden.”

Vito fought back as the last rider to go, and like a true competitor he nearly challenged I-Pod's lead with an impeccable second run that improved upon his results. Vito’s run started off with a double crippler, into backside 5, frontside double 10, cab double 10 to finish with a frontside 10 to score a 95.25, but it wasn’t enough to unseat I-Pod.

“I hate losing no matter what,” Vito said. “I-Pod put down a run and I can’t control what he does. I just try to go out and put down a run, but now I need to step it up and make sure there’s no question.”

Matt Ladley finished third after a solid showing. He’s coming off a wrist injury with recent surgery and 13 screws in place, but after his riding tonight it’s clear he’s back in top form.

Nearly all of the Frends crew made it to Finals, along with heavy hitters I-Pod and Vito. Another finalist worth noting was 14-year-old Kyle Mack, a former Gatorade Free Flow Tour winner that's making his way into the big leagues. He hails from Danny Davis' home mountain in Michigan.

Results:
1. Iouri Podladtchikov 96.75
2. Louie Vito 95.25
3. Matt Ladley 89.00
4. Luke Mitrani 87.50
5. Roger Kleivdal 83.25
6. Spencer Shaw 69.75
7. Mason Aguirre 65.25
8. Tore Holvik 65.00
9. Zachary Black 58.00
10. Jack Mitrani 47.00
11. Kyle Mack 20.75
12. Danny Davis 18.50

I-Pod



Louie Vito



Matt Ladley



Luke Mitrani



Roger Kleivdal



Spencer Shaw



Mason Aguirre



Tore Holvik



Zack Black



Jack Mitrani



Kyle Mack







Frends Crew



Louie and I-Pod



I-Pod Wins

Eric Willett came out swinging in his first run in Saturday’s men snowboard slopestyle Finals in Killington, Vermont. On a day where a recent snow was slowing down the course, many of the heavy hitters including Chas Guldemond and Mark McMorris were having trouble landing their runs. But not Willett, who came in with confidence and came through with his riding.

“You just got to be comfortable with your riding and know what you can do and just kind of go for it and send it,” Willett said.

His first run scored a 91.00 and went like this: front 270 on down rail in the first section to gap front lip 270 out on the gap down in the second. On the third section he went for a front board switchout on the cannon. Next up were the three jumps, and he did a switch back 10 double into a cab 9 double to finish with a front 10 double.

He’s now in third overall in the race for the Dew Cup heading into the last event in Snowbasin.

Sebastien Toutant finshed second with 85.50, and between that and his second-place at the first event in Breckenridge, he’s in the overall lead for the season. His run went like this: bs 180 cab 180 out, gap front lip 270 out, front board to fakie, cab 9 double cork on first jump, front 10 double on second and back 10 double to finish.

“I’m stoked,” Toutant said. “It was tough conditions today since it was snowing and the speed was really bad. The first run I put down wasn’t a perfect run, but at least I got an 85.50 to help me hold onto second place. I missed my second rail on the second run, but it’s all good because with two second places I’m first on the overall Dew Tour.”
 
Twenty-two year old Justin Morgan was third with 80.25, after making a big impression in one of his first professional podiums.

“I worked really hard to get here and it really means the world to me," Morgan said. "One step at a time and build up, and hopefully I’ll get a few more.”

Results:
1 Eric Willett 91.00
2 Sebastien Toutant 85.50
3 Justin Morgan 80.25
4 Aleksander Østreng 72.25
5 Jake Aaronson 69.00
6 Antoine Truchon 66.50
7 Gjermund Braaten 60.75
8 Ulrik Badertscher 55.50
9 Charles Reid 53.00
10 Chas Guldemond 53.00
11 Mark Mcmorris 44.25
12 Staale Sandbech 41.50

Eric Willett


Sebastien Toutant


Justin Morgan


Aleksander Østreng


Jake Aaronson


Antoine Truchon


Gjermund Braaten


Ulrik Badertscher


Charles Reid


Chas Guldemond


Mark McMorris


Staale Sandbech

Check out AWSM on Alli, hosted by legendary snowboarder Todd Richards, giving you his fun and humorous take on the industry. Nothing’s more entertaining than the Frends crew of snowboarders, that’s the focus of our behind-the-curtain series which gives you inside access into their lives and constant antics.


Check out Allisports new action sports channel every day of the week for something new. Monday’s you can expect a Best of Alli highlight video covering everything from Best of Dew Tour to Biggest Airs. Tuesday’s are an action sport toss up day, while Wednesday’s deliver BMX Content and the bimonthly Alli Show. On Thursday’s you can find freeski content and the Inside Allisports show, while Friday’s are another toss up day along with a Step By Step Trick tip video. Weekends offer skate content and AWSM on Alli ever Saturday and Snow Content and the Behind-the-Curtain Series.

Be sure to subscribe to the AlliSports channel to stay in the loop with the athletes and the industry.

Portrait with a family member

Picture of your house

Contents of your backpack

A room in your house

Picture of your pet

Meal that you ate that day

Your collection

Your favorite electronic

Contents of your fridge

With four doubles in a few of the runs during the men’s snowboard slope finals, the field of 12 guys had to put down flawless runs in order to make it onto the podium at the Nike Open in Breckenridge.

After posting a 97.75 on his first run, Norwegian rider Gjermund Braaten set the bar extremely high in the men’s snowboard slope finals.

“It was unbelievable,” Braaten said. “I’d been doing that run a lot in practice so I was feeling good when I came into the contest. Just being able to put down a run that I was satisfied with was more than I could ask for.”

His run went like this: switch back tail 270, cab boardslide front board to fakie, switch back double cork 10, cab double cork 9, front 180 switch wallride, switch backside 180 off, back double cork 10, front double cork 10.

The next guy to score in the 90s was Canada’s Sebastian Toutant, who has some troubles last season hanging on to his rhythm in the finals, but today in Breckenridge that was not a problem.

His run was off the charts, with a back 180 in, cab 3 out on the first down rail, cab 2 lip to fakie on the second down rail,  cab 9 double cork on the first jump, front 10 double cork on the second, boardslide 270 out on the up rail, back 10 double on the third jump, and a double back rodeo on last hit. He earned a 96.00.

“I was definitely nervous this morning when I woke up, just thinking about competing,” Toutant said. “But after the practice this morning I was more calmed down and ready to go.”

Everyone seemed to have bangers in their runs, so much that if you didn’t score in the 90s, you couldn’t crack the top three. The last guy to make it onto the podium was Canadian rider Charles Reid.

“I landed the best run I’ve ever done so it’s just amazing,” Reid said.

He started things off with a front 270 on the down flat down, to 50-50 gap back 180, switch back 12 double rodeo 9, half cab back 180 out, cab 9 double, front 10.

“The course was amazing,” Reid said. “Seriously today was the best I ever had. I rode through all of qualifier and today was the best.”

Defending Dew Cup champ Torstein Horgmo usually dominates this event, but he sketched a bit on his runs and wasn’t able to finish higher than eighth.

“I was afraid of Torstein because he had a mean run,” Braaten said. “And I’m sure if he landed that, I would have been sitting in second. But I don’t know, maybe it was my turn to have some luck today.”

In the women’s field, Nike rider Spencer O’Brien proved her injuries are behind her after posting the highest score of 90.75 to take the snowboard slopestyle win in Breckenridge.

She stepped it up with a winning run that went like this: front board on the down rail, front lip on the next rail, back 5 melon, switch back 540 mute, 50-50 bs 180, switch bs 180 mute, fs 7 indy.

“I battled back from a separated shoulder so I actually missed this event last year,” O’Brien said. “It feels so good to come back here and win because this was my first professional win, so it’s kind of like home a little bit.”

Canadian rider O’Brien won the first ever Winter Dew Tour held in Breckenridge in ‘08/’09, and she went on to earn the Dew Cup that season.

“I’ve been focusing a lot on strengthening and conditioning the last couple years so I think that’s really starting to pay off,” O’Brien said. “I’m just trying to ride without hesitation, and ride harder and push myself. All the girls are riding so good so I know I need to step my game up and keep progressing.”

Second place went to Finnish rider Enni Rukajarvi, who did a boardslide 270 out, tail press, back 5, cab 5, 50-50, front 7, back 3 to score 79.50.

““The course was really good and I really liked the jumps and everything,” Rukajarvi said. “I’m so stoked that I landed my run because I had two new tricks, the boardslide 270 out and frontside 7.”

It was an international field in the women’s final, with Czech rider Sarka Pancochova taking the third podium spot. She did a front 3 stalefish, back 7, switch back 180 and frontside rodeo 5 to finish with a score of 72.00.

“I was really happy just to do my run because I got a little bit hurt in practice,” Pancochova said. “I fell on my shoulder that I had surgery on, and it’s not feeling really great right now. I was like, ‘Should I do it or should I not,’ and I decided to do it. I’m really stoked I did it.”

Two-time defending Dew Cup champ Jamie Anderson was noticeably absent from the podium after struggling to land both of her runs, and she finished fifth.

Gjermund Braaten

Spencer O'Brien

Sebastien Toutant

Enni Rukajarvi

Charles Reid

Sarka Pancochova

Chas Guldemond

Rebecca Torr

Mikkel Bang

Jamie Anderson

Sage Kotsenburg

Charlotte Van Gils

Mark McMorris

Eric Willett

Sam Hulbert

Sondre Tiller

Seppe Smits

The Nike Chosen event lit up the night sky of Breckenridge, Colorado and brought together the best amateur snowboarders for an anything goes rail session. There were crazy tricks and carnage all night long on the custom designed course while the dj pumped out tunes and fog and strobe lights set the mood.

Canadian rider Anto Chamberland, 23, hails from Montreal. He came to Breckenridge for the first time to warm up pre-season, and entered the Nike Chosen event.

“It’s really street style so it’s pretty awesome,” Chamberland said. “That’s what I like a lot. That’s what’s the best. It’s urban. It’s cool.”

The setup had two rails and a hubba that finished into an ice wall ride. Chamberland stuck to the middle rail and his tech tricks were what named him the Chosen winner and he was awarded $3,500. He threw down with a backside 270 on one run, a cab 270 lipslide and cab 270 and frontside 270.

“Breckenridge is awesome,” Chamberland said. “This is my first time here and the vibe is crazy. People are loving snowboarding. And there are good riders. It was crazy tonight. Super good finals. I was not sure I was going to win, there were so many good riders here. Thanks to Nike for putting this good event on.”

Other awards were the Best Wallride which went to Hans Mindnich for his one footed backside 360, that he called "fancy footwork." He got a check for $500. Best style when to Madison Blackley and Best Trick went to Scotty Vine for his frontside 3.

It’s was a heated men’s snowboard pipe finals at the Nike Open, with I-Pod putting the heat on Shaun White, and Louie Vito fighting for the win himself.

Iouri Podlachikov came out charging in his first run with what could have easily been the contest winner.

His run went like this: backside air, crippler, backside double cork 12, front double 10, cab double 10 and backside rodeo. It was the best run of the night until he sketched the landing of his last trick and ended up slamming on his face and coming up bloodied.

“It’s just mental,” I-Pod said. “I hope I didn’t break my nose, it’s really swollen up right now. And I broke my goggles so I rode without the goggles in my second run.”

White answered back with a massive backside air into a 900, backside 540, frontside 540 stalefish, a huge double McTwist 1260 and ended with an alley oop backside rodeo. His run scored a 95.00 and set the bar high, and was easily the biggest backside air a superpipe contest has ever seen. After that run, it was clear that White dominates pipe in a way that no other rider can compete with.

"I’m so happy to put that run down and make it count,” White said. “I did the double McTwist 1260 which is such a pain. That trick, sometimes it’s your best friend and other times it’s not."

I-Pod answered back with the same run on his second lap and finished it clean to score a 90.00, but it wasn’t as strong as the first. After the slam he took, it was still amazing he was able to make a comeback.

“I was just all in,” I-Pod said. “I had nothing to lose. My face was hurting. My nose, I can slowly feel it again. That first run was like the best run of my life.”

Louie Vito was the last to go with the only chance of unseating White. He came out strong with a double crippler, Michalchuk, front double 10, cab double 10, front 12 and finished with a back 5. He scored a 92.75 to finish second and I-Pod was third.

"I’m really excited to put the runs down and to win," White said. "Start the season off right."

In the women’s field, Gretchen Bleiler came out strong in her first run with a crippler, back 900, front cork 7, cab 7, straight air, back 5 to score a 90.25. She took over the lead and held onto it throughout most of the 6-woman final.

Kelly Clark fell on her first run and wasn’t able to answer back to Bleiler, but she made up for it in her second.

After putting down a front inverted 7, cab 7, front 5, back 5, front 9, and back air, Clark scored a 91.25 and took over the lead for the win. China’s Xuetong Cai finished third with a 85.00 after huge amplitude and solid tricks from qualifiers straight through finals.

It was a tough break for Bleiler, who finished in second behind Clark.

“We were only one point away so that’s a really close one, so I’m bummed because of that,” Bleiler said. “But I’m psyched because it’s a beautiful day and the pipe was so amazing today. That will just fuel the fire to make sure we’re not so close next time.”

Clark is the defending Dew Cup champ, and this win puts her in the overall lead starting out the season. She was focused to come back in her second and final run.

“It’s not ideal to fall first run,” Clark said. “You really just have to stay focused on the task at hand. You have to think about exactly what you’re going to do and stay focused on that, because if you start thinking about all the external things you can’t control, you’re not going to perform.”

Another highlight of the Nike Open was Kevin Pearce's return to snowboarding. While not able to compete, he got back on the board in Breckenridge for the first time since his traumatic brain injury while training for the Olympics. He was there from start to finish of the pipe finals, cheering on his fellow riders and doing a live interview for the NBC broadcast.

Shaun White



Kelly Clark



Louie Vito



Gretchen Bleiler



Iouri Podlachikov



Xeutong Cai



Christian Haller



Maddy Schaffrick



Kohei Kudo



Kaitlyn Farrington



Matt Ladley



Queralt Castellet



Steve Fisher



Keito Kumazaki



Kazuhiro Kokubo



Scotty Lago



Luke Mitrani



Danny Davis

Danny Pearce and Kevin Pearce



Louie Vito



Danny Davis and Scotty Lago



Shaun White



IPod's Bloody Face



Shaun White and Kevin Pearce

Self portrait with a friend: Me and Jamie Anderson and rest of One Life crew at Mt. Hood for spring session snowboarding and rafting day.

Your favorite electronic gadget: This is one thing I can’t leave my house without.

Picture of your house: My zone. I took this photo the day I moved in.

Picture of your pet: My kitty. Her name is Yoyo. She is a little tiger.

Contents of your backpack: All I need is my bag, water bottle, scraper, toe warmers, extra beanie and GoPro.

Your backyard: My garden. The best BBQs in summer.

Any random photo: Dirt biking in SoCal with with my besties.

The Contents of your refrigerator: Fridge never gets full when you travel all over the world all the time.

Picture of your car: This is my Kia. Only picture of my car I have.

A meal that you ate that day: Home made pizza. That’s what I’m talking about!

On a bluebird day and without a care in the world, Kevin Pearce strapped into his board and got on the chairlift. Something he’s been dreaming about doing for two years since being sidelined from a severe traumatic brain injury while training for the Olympics. His best Frends and the slew of supporters he picked up along the way came out in full force to ride by his side and share those first turns back with him at Breckenridge. We rode with Kevin too, and continue to be inspired by his progress. Check out his thoughts below.

How did your first day back on the board feel?
It felt good yesterday to get to sticker my board up. Then this morning to tie my boots up and just to walk out of the house with a snowboard in my hand was just crazy. Then to see how beautiful it was and to walk up here and see all the people, so much stuff came together. My friends were here, the weather was perfect, all the fans were here to support me.

Jack Mitrani giving Kevin props for being back 

What was it like taking those first turns?
I’ve been thinking about it for a while, just wondering what it would be like for me after two years not being on a snowboard. I wondered how much my body would forget and how hard it was going to be. But I jumped on and it was just right there. It felt like I didn’t lose anything. And it was just so cool to be able to get back on the board and be so natural on it.

Kevin with pros Danny Kass, Hannah Teter and Linn Haug

Is it hard to believe this day is finally here?
Every day since I thought I was going to get to snowboard again, I’ve been thinking about it. I’ve been dreaming about it a lot too, and I wake up from dreams and I’m just like, “Holy cow.”

Getting some turns in

What did you think about the turnout of everyone here to ride with you?
I was walking up here and I was wondering and asking my mom, “Do you think anybody’s going to be up there to ride with me?” And then we walk up and there’s all these press people and all these fans up here. And sure enough everyone was there, and they’ve been there these last two years. It’s just cool to see that they’re still there and still helping me out. They still got my back. It’s really good to have that feeling after going through something this traumatic and just to know that people really appreciate all the work I’ve put in.

Kevin and his mom

Check back to allisports.com later tonight for more from Kevin in our Alli Video from the day. Kevin is in Breckenridge to support the Dew Tour’s Nike Open which takes place from Dec 15-18. Be sure to tune in to the NBC broadcast of the Dew Tour on Saturday, Dec. 17 for a live interview and feature on Kevin.

Victory!

Click the links to see videos from Kevin's progress when we checked in with him one year ago for Part 1 and Part 2 of his Recovery.