3 Californians in top 5 at halpipe competition

By Lindsey Sine, U.S. Snowboarding

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. – The hillside was illuminated and the music kept the crowd moving as Cheryl Maas and Zak Hale clinched the win by pumping out some stylish tricks during the Paul Mitchell Progression Session on the nighttime slopes Saturday.

The setup included an in-run to a wall feature, followed by either a gap jump, or a rail transition. The night started out in a jam session format, and after 50 minutes the field was whittled to five men and three women. Each then got three runs and were placed in order.

Maas, who hails from the Netherlands, threw a stylish flip off the wall, but the run that won her the event was a backside wallride to backside 3 over the railing.

As far as she was concerned, the night was a success that included a nice outcome in the form of Paul Mitchell hair care products as one of her prizes.

On the men’s side, Hale of Big Bear City, Calif., was clearly putting out progressive moves as he cleared the gap and styled down the rails.

“Front one sameway on the closeout rail, a couple tricks off the wall and I guess that’s what got me this check, so I’m pretty stoked,” Hale said.

The event marked the close of the Copper Mountain stop of the Visa U.S. Halfpipe Grand Prix. Relive all the fun Dec. 12 starting at 11am on NBC.

Official Results, Visa U.S. Halfpipe Grand Prix, Copper Mountain, Colo, Paul Mitchell Progression Session

Men

1. Zak Hale, Big Bear City, CA

2. Austen Sweetin, Seattle, WA

3. Forest Bailey, Lake Tahoe, CA

4. Yale Cousino, Sugarbush, VT

5. Tyler Flanagen, Mammoth, CA

Women

1. Cheryl Maas, Netherlands

2. Colleen Quigley, Waterville Valley, ME

3. Darrah Reid, Canada