Teter takes second in U.S. Open halfpipe

By Lindsey Sine, U.S. Snowboarding

STRATTON MOUNTAIN, Vt. – Kelly Clark of Mt. Snow, Vt., remained unstoppable Saturday, leading a U.S. podium sweep to win her eighth halfpipe snowboarding competition in a row during the Burton U.S. Open in her home state of Vermont. Japan’s Kazuhiro Kokubo finished first for the men, and Louie Vito of Sandy, Utah, led for the U.S., finishing just off the podium in fourth.

The win marked Clark’s fifth U.S. Open halfpipe title. The two-time Olympic medalist was followed on the podium by U.S. riders Hannah Teter of South Lake Tahoe in second and Gretchen Bleiler of Aspen in third.

“It’s been an incredible season,” Clark said. “Not only am I happy with the level of my riding, I’ve also had more fun than ever, and my results speak for that.”

Clark threw her patented 10 to win the competition, and was the only woman to do so in the finals. She also took the Burton Global Series overall title, and is happy to have made her stamp on U.S. Open history.

Vito, who just took home the Grand Prix and Dew Tour titles, is looking ahead to European X Games after his fourth-place finish.

The European X Games are schedules for March 15-18 in Tignes, France.

Official results, Burton U.S. Open, Stratton Mountain, Vt., Halfpipe Snowboarding

Men

1. Kazuhiro Kokubo, Japan, 90.10

2. Iouri Podladtchikov, Switzerland, 88.60

3. Kohei Kudo, Japan, 87.90

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4. Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 84.45

Women

1. Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, VT, 94.95

2. Hannah Teter, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 88.10

3. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 86.30