STOP #2 - US OPEN MOUNTAINBOARD CHAMPIONSHIP



The 2008 US Open turned out to be another fantastic event. The weather was typical Rocky Mountain beautiful. With close to 100 riders from around the country the Village of Snowmass was brimming with riders and their entourage carrying boards of all sizes and colors. Tourists must have thought the circus was in town. A dirty circus.

Riders from California, Hawaii, Alaska, New Jersey, Vermont, Utah, Georgia, New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado and Canada all came together for a fun weekend and to challenge each other and themselves. Riders were divided into 7 divisions; Super Grom (6-8 yr), Grom (9-12 yr), Youth (13-17yr), Sport (18-34 yr), Masters (35 and up), Womens, Pro and Dirtsurfer. Every division was tough to win and equally exciting to watch.

The event started Friday morning with fast and furious Downhill event where riders charged down an un-groomed section of the resort and onto a service road. Riders were put into boardercross brackets based on their finish. Downhill riding through untouched resort grass is a bit sketchy as you never really know what you are riding over. The grass is about a foot deep and it takes some serious guts to charge that fast.

Friday afternoon was all boardercross racing.....fast and dusty. This year a new Division of riders was added especially for DirtSurfer boards. Most all these racers hailed from Canada and were as hard core as the rest of the riders up there. Riders raced all the way up through semi finals on Friday and took a well deserved break that evening plotting their strategy for the following morning.

Saturday started early and had DirtSurfer boards going head to head first thing. Once Dirtsurfers ran their final heats all mountainboarders took a few final practice runs and headed to the top of the course. Words can't explain how great the action was. If you could see the dust fly and hear the rumbling of the wheels you could grasp a bit of the competitive excitement. Every division was tough and there ere no sure-fire winners and several divisions could certainly be classified as upsets. Once the last Pro crossed the finish line in a storm of dust both riders a spectators headed down the mountain to the Freestyle area.

Freestyle isn't all about hucking yourself into the air. It's being balancing consistency with risk. Someone might throw a high technical trick but if they can't stick the landing it's all for not. The Freestyle competition was as competitive and the Boardercross racing. There were some potential favorites but no one knew who would come out on top. As the saying goes "That's why we play the game."

When it was all said and done this year's freestyle competition was as entertaining and competitive as any year. The riders loved it, the crowds loved it and the freestyle judges were hard pressed to decide a winner. But at the end when the results were tallied up it was apparent which riders really stayed true to the balance between consistency and risk.

Read on for images of this fantastic weekend and at the very bottom you will find out who came out on top. But in the end everyone who attended this event came out on top, had the time of their lives and contributed to the history of the sport.

Thanks everyone!

Below is a word from event producer Mitch Stegall whose wife was expecting a baby and could not be in attendance.

"Huge thanks go out to the U.S. Open staff for pulling it off once again this year in my absence! Dan Dworkin, Frank Leafe, Van DeWitt, PT, Paul Johns, Brack Lee, Jereme Leafe, Kody Stewart, AK, The Dirtstar crue, Jim Shipp, One Five Media and all of the volunteers and judges who helped out, you guys rock!
Thanks to all of the competitors who showed up and blowed it up! Thanks also to the Dirtsurfers for making a grand appearance and riding hard.
Of course a huge thanks to all of the sponsors for once again making it possible, MBS Mountainboards, Camp Aspen/Snowmass and the Dirt Dawgs, Town of Snowmass Village, The Snowmass Mountain Chalet, Paul Mitchell, Ground Industries, Dirtstar Mountainboarding, Hillbilly, Pro Tec, Optic Nerve, Lahina Plumbing, Altitude Sickness, Dohm Hats, and AkoniKama.com!
Thanks again for all of your support of the sport! See you next year!"
Peace,
Mitch

Stay tuned to mbs.com for more details and schedules for national TV coverage on Fusion, Altitude and Reel Thrills shows.





Super Grom Boardercross racers after the first gate of the event is dropped.





Dust really flies when the Pros hit the course.





This is Nick Hill straight from Pennsylvania taking the inside line on the first straightaway. This year there was a good sized roller on the inside line. Definately a nice twist.

The "Snowmass Sun's" pre-event story on the origin of mountainboarding and how Snowmass becamse invloved.

Click HERE for the whole story.

Super Groms (ages 8 and under) charging the first section of the boardercross course.






Van DeWitt challenging Benton Jackson for the inside line.

Stowe Brooksbank from Utah had the form to take 1st Place in the Grom division.

Tyler Mork going airborne to lead Brad Beren and Casey Thomas into the big double.

A view of Boardercross racing from someone new to mountainboaording.


Admittedly, I'm brand new to this sport but it seems the learning curve is not too steep, and the skills I developed from years of surfing, skiing, skating and snowboarding are translating over to my mountainboard pretty well. Needless to say, I'm having a blast on dirt and pavement alike, and I'm already starting to get a taste of the rushes from the sport. It was really exhilarating to do my first powerslide in the dirt, and a rush to experience a good, carving turn through a slalom course.

So stoked on the sport (and given that I live in Colorado), last weekend I decided to check out the boardercross event at the 2008 US Open in  Snowmass. In boardercross, 4 racers compete head-to-head for the fastest time down the course. It was really exciting to stand right on the edge of the course and see the racers fly down the mountain. I watched all the divisions of racers, from the juniors to the women to the masters to the pros, and that in itself was rewarding. I appreciated seeing racers at various stages of mastery, but felt particularly inspired by the female racers (of course!).

Boardercross is exciting to watch because it is such a challenging event. In fact, since there are so many "unknowns", boardercross is arguably the most challenging of all the mountainboarding events..........................

For the whole story click HERE





Tight heat in the Youth Division

Melissa Becker in the lead of Women's Boardercross race.

July 31, 2008 - "The 2008 U.S. Open Mountainboarding Championships were held in Snowmass Village, CO July 25-26th. The event consisted of a Mass Start Downhill race, Dirt Boardercross, and Slopestyle. We had 95 competitors this year and the fans were great as always!

The action started on Friday morning with the Mass Start Downhill. A Mass Start downhill race is just as it sounds. We all got on the ski lift at Snowmass Village and rode it to the top followed by our boards. We lined up in our categories and mad dashed down the ski run as fast as we could. When it was time for the girls to line up and rage down the mountain we were all ready and excited as can be....................................Click HERE for the whole story on Melissa Becker

Halston Rhodes from Utah barely leading Tyler Mork and Cole Shipp in the Pro Division.

Ben Minton from Oregon only a few months on a board...looking like he's been riding mountainboards for years.

Leon Robbins from Washington getting the grab while mainting the lead into the big double.





Leon going super fast heading into the "toilet bowl" section of the course.





Derek Howe looking determined on his way to first place in Youth Boardercross





Tyler Mork trying to ollie the big roller in turn one while Akoni Kama hangs on the outside waiting for a mistake.





Leon Robbins leading Kody Stewart over the big double.






Jason Lee (in blue) reaching for his board while fellow riders Akoni Kama, Dave Sansone and Halston Rhodes all struggle to see through the dust and regain the lead.



Jason Cicourel's (Hawaii) quest for a Masters Division Championship detailed in a pre-event Aspen Times article.

SNOWMASS — A nearly six-hour flight from Maui to the mainland. Nine hours holed up in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Two subsequent flights before touching down in Aspen.

The lengths Jasen Cicourel will go for a repeat.

“I lose [$4,000] to $5,000 willingly for this each year — no one wants to sponsor someone who lives on a bump in the middle of the ocean,” the 39-year-old mountainboarder joked Thursday. “I wouldn’t miss this.”

The wait is over for Cicourel, known in mountainboarding circles as “The Plunger” (he’s a plumber by trade). The 2008 U.S. Open Mountainboarding Championships return to the slopes of Snowmass this weekend. The Open, the nation’s largest competition of its kind that will feature both pro and amateur dirt riders, is being held here for the sixth consecutive year................

Click HERE for the rest of Jason Cicourel's quest for the Masters Title.

This was a common scene in this section of the track. Van DeWitt trying to get back on his board as Akoni Kama goes flying off his.






Nick Hill leading justin Dersham and Tyler Mork.






Dan Dworkin laying out the rules for a group of riders getting ready to compete in the Freestyle competition.






Nick Hill flying through the tress trying to stick his backflip.





Kody Stewart going for a 360 One Footer






Halson Rhodes going for a Cross Rocket during warm ups.





1st place Pro Big Air winner Dave Stiefvater.





Kelby Clark all the way from Georgia taking first place.





Dave Stiefvater going head first into the landing. He actually was coming around from a backflip.





Devin Garland coming around on a 540 attempt.





Derek Howe





Devin Garland onhis backflip attempt.





Josh Cole flipping his way into first place Sport Big Air.





Dirt Dawg Patrick Reynolds.





Cole Shipp looking hugely impropved from last year. Cole looks like one to watch in the Pro class.





Nick Hill taking "old glory" out for a ride hitting the super hip.



2006 US Open Results


SUPER GROM (6 - 8 y.o.)
1st Place Super Grom BX Damian Hertenstein
2nd Place Super Grom BX Keaton Young
3rd Place Super Grom BX Murray Leibovitz



SUPER GROM (6 - 8 y.o.)
1st Place Super Grom BA Keaton Young
2nd Place Super Grom BA Reese Cohan
3rd Place Super Grom BA Damien Hertenstein



GROM (9-12 y.o.)
1st Place Grom BX Stowe Brooksbank
2nd Place Grom BX Kelby Clark
3rd Place Grom BX Logan Field



GROM (9-12 y.o.)
1st Place Grom BA Kelby Clark
2nd Place Grom BA Logan Forbes
3rd Place Grom BA Stow Brooksbank



YOUTH (13 - 17 y.o.)
1st Place Youth BX Derrick Howe
2nd Place Youth BX Jeff Wooley
3rd Place Youth BX Chris O'Brien



YOUTH (13 - 17 y.o.)
1st Place Youth BA Chris O'Brien
2nd Place Youth BA Patrick Reynolds (tie)
3rd Place Youth BA Chris Jones (tie)



SPORT (18 - 34 y.o.)
1st Place Sport BX Mason Moore
2nd Place Sport BX Joseph McGrew
3rd Place Sport BX Paul Johns



SPORT (18 - 34 y.o.)
1st Place Sport BA Josh Cole
2nd Place Sport BA Mason Moore
3rd Place Sport BA Aaron Riggs



MASTERS (35 years and older)
1st Place Masters BX Patrick Thomas (Not Pictured)
2nd Place Masters BX Jasen Cicourel
3rd Place Masters BX Phil Sheader



MASTERS (35 years and older)
1st Place Masters BA Joseph Ponce de Leon
2nd Place Masters BA Gene Lott
3rd Place Masters BA Jasen Cicourel


WOMEN
1st Place Womens BX Melissa Becker
2nd Place Womens BX Erin Beckham
3rd Place Womens BX Katy DeLong



WOMEN
1st Place Womens BA Melissa Becker
2nd Place Womens BA Erin Beckham
3rd Place Womens BA Emily Smith-Zurawski



PRO
1st Place Pro BX Kody Stewart
2nd Place Pro BX Jereme Leafe
3rd Place Pro BX Leon Robbins



PRO
1st Place Pro BA Dave Steifvater
2nd Place Pro BA Kody Stewart
3rd Place Pro BA Jereme Leafe

PRO
1st Place Pro Downhill Kody Stewart


OVERALL PRO CHAMPION & RECIPIENT OF ERIK SMITH CUP: Kody Stewart



OVERALL MASTERS CHAMPION Joseph Ponce de Leon (Colorado)
OVERALL WOMENS CHAMPION Melissa Becker (Colorado)
OVERALL SPORT CHAMPION Mason Moore (Utah)
OVERALL YOUTH CHAMPION Chris O'Brien (Colorado)
OVERALL GROM CHAMPION Kelby Clark (Georgia)
OVERALL SUPER GROM CHAMPION: Keaton Young (Colorado)