Anderson dominates women’s slopestyle in New Zealand
By Charlotte Trundle, ESPN Action Sports
Riders from all corners of the globe battled it out this weekend at The Billabong Slopestyle 4-star TTR World Snowboard Tour event at Snow Park New Zealand, with Roope Tonteri of Finland winning the men’s finals and Jamie Anderson dominating the women’s field.
With the highest ever TTR rating and $30,000 in prize money, more than 90 competitors representing 16 countries took to the course, which had a final feature dubbed the Monster Volcano, a channel-gap jump with a giant inflatable Monster can to air over.
This slopestyle contest is the second stop on the 2011-12 TTR World Tour and it’s also the first of its kind on the global calendar since the International Olympic Committee confirmed the discipline for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Tonteri earned the top spot and a $5,000 check with a score of 89.40. His run included a front board on the round bar, a nose bonk 360 on the pole jam, and two massive 900s to a huge front 7. “I am so happy. It has been so nice to ride with friends at Snow Park,” Tonteri said.
Second place went to American Sam Hulbert, with a score of 84.60, and third place to Finland’s Antti Autti, who scored 84.20. Kiwi Milu Multhaup-Appleton, a first-time entrant into a TTR event, was the sole local New Zealander to compete in an open final, placing seventh overall.
In the women’s field, event favorite American Jamie Anderson did the expected — completely nailing two huge runs to earn the top score in her division. Anderson’s winning run included a tailslide on the down box, a back 180 mute grab, a switch back 5, a backside 360 over the 65-footer, and a tweaked stale grab over the Monster Volcano. Anderson took home a check for $2,500.
