Thursday, March 12, 2015

Snowboarding event

The 2015 US Open for Snowboarding was held at Vail this year.  As in February, being a spectator is free.  There much less formal structure to this event;  no stadium, no security for all spectators, and no presentation of flags for each country participating.  Spectators walked up the sleep slopes along a fence protecting the half-pipe.  I stood at a good vantage point to be able to see the half-pipe competition and the slope-style riders.

 The women were competing the day I went to see the event.  Participants are judged on style, technique, and the  "tricks"  performed.  Judges use the tall posts in the background to determine the height of each rider's acrobatic tricks.  "Getting good air"  is a goal.



This is slope style.  A rider achieves  "good air" coming up a steep slope and launches a trick at the top.








I wonder how many times he fell while learning this trick.


A rider with good form in the air.