Kelly Clark
The Burton Open halfpipe semis have happened and Ipod (Iouri Podladtchikov) came out on top with Kazuhiro Kokubo and Ryo Aono rounding out the top three for the mens. In the womens, Kelly Clark took the win with Hannah Teter, Soko Yamaoka, Rebecca Sinclair, Kjersti Buaas and Gretchen Bleiler all qualifying for the finals. Check the full release below.
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2011 Burton US Open Halfpipe Semi-Finals Results
Stratton Mountain, VT Men’s and women’s halfpipe semi-finals finished up today at the 29th annual Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships presented by MINI.
The women kicked things off under snowy skies, and 21 ladies competed for the six spots in the finals. The ladies pulled together solid runs led by Vermont locals Kelly Clark (USA) and Hannah Teter (USA), who easily qualified for finals in first and second place respectively.
In the men’s semi-finals, 39 men had two runs to secure one of the 10 spots in finals. Last year’s US Open champion Kazuhiro Kokubo (JPN) showed that he has what it takes to defend his title, scoring a 96.67. Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) topped Kazu’s score with a 98.00 and will also be a strong contender in Saturday’s halfpipe finals.
Tomorrow is another big day at the US Open, kicking off with men’s and women’s slopestyle finals during the day in the Sun Bowl base area. Top riders like Mark McMorris (CAN), Eric Willet (USA), Chas Guldemond (USA), Jamie Anderson (USA) and Enni Rukajärvi (FIN) will all compete for a coveted US Open slopestyle title. Then in the evening, the action moves over to the main base area of Stratton Mountain for ‘The Jam’ followed by a free Flosstradamus show.
If you can’t make it to Stratton, check out replays of the semi-finals and live webcasts of slopestyle and halfpipe finals at burton.com or metacafe.com. The US Open, presented by MINI, will also air on ESPN2 on March 13 at 4:30 p.m. EST.
2011 US Open Competition & Entertainment Schedule
Friday, March 11 – Slopestyle Finals; The Jam Finals & FREE ‘Flosstradamus’ show
Saturday, March 12 – Halfpipe Finals & FREE performance by ‘The Sounds’
Sunday, March 13 – Junior Jam
Men’s Halfpipe Semi-Finals Results
1. Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI)
2. Kazuhiro Kokubo (JPN)
3. Ryo Aono (JPN)
4. Kohei Kudo (JPN)
5. Eiju Hirano (JPN)
6. Markus Malin (FIN)
7. Zack Black (USA)
8. Jan Scherrer (SUI)
9. Louie Vito (USA)
10. Matt Ladley (USA)
Women’s Halfpipe Semi-Finals Results
1. Kelly Clark (USA)
2. Hannah Teter (USA)
3. Soko Yamaoka (JPN)
4. Rebecca Sinclair (NZL)
5. Kjersti Buaas (NOR)
6. Gretchen Bleiler (USA)
