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2010 BURTON OPEN

BURTON NEW ZEALAND OPEN KICKS OFF WITH SLOPESTYLE

WANAKA, New Zealand (12th August, 2010)
 
There was plenty of action on day one of competition at the Burton New Zealand Open with Slopestyle pre-qualifiers and qualifiers taking place under perfect blue skies at Cardrona Alpine Resort.
 
A field of 65 men and 18 women battled it out for just 16 and 5 spots, respectively, to join invited riders in the semi-finals, which will take place on Friday, August 13th. The custom built course was in pristine condition with the first feature offering a choice between a down-flat-down round bar or a round down bar, the second feature was a choice between an up box or a gap to flat box, followed by three jumps measuring in at 45-feet, 55-feet, and 75-feet, then finishing with a quarterpipe to goalpost / hip.
 
Leading in the men’s competition was Benjamin Farrow (USA) with a second run score of 89.67 points which he earned with a frontside blunt 270 out, tailslide 270 out, switch backside rodeo 540, frontside 720 double grab, backside 720 melon ending with a tail tap on the goal post feature. Jamie Nicholls (GBR) was only a fraction behind with 89.33 points, also on his second run, which started with halfcab-to-50/50, 180-to-switch 50/50 180 out, Cab 900, frontside 720 mute, and backside 1080 late cork. Rounding out the top three was Sam Hulbert (USA) with a score of 87.67 points. Others riding strong and advancing to semi-finals included Robbie Walker (AUS), Arthur Longo (USA), and Adrian Krainer (AUT). James Hamilton finished in 13th and was the only New Zealander to advance.
 
Women took to the course later in the afternoon with New Zealander Rebecca Torr coming out on top. Her score of 76.33 was earned with a run that consisted of a backside 50/50, 50/50 frontside 180 out, halfcab, backside 360 stalefish, straight air, and a handplant on the final feature. Second place went to Rana Okada (JPN) with 74.17 and Danielle Adams (USA) came in third with 73.67 points. The other two women to make the cut and advance to semi-finals were Megan Whiteside and Ty Walker (both USA) in 4th and 5th respectively.
 
In addition to the Slopestyle qualifier round, riders were able to practice in the 22-foot halfpipe in preparation for tomorrow’s halfpipe pre-qualifier and qualifier rounds. 
 
The Burton New Zealand Open marks the first stop on the prestigious Burton Global Open Series and is also a 5Star event on the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour. Full details and updates are available via www.opensnowboarding.com and semi-finals and finals of the event will be webcast live on www.go211.com.

TUNE IN AND WATCH THE BURTON OPEN LIVE!

TUNE IN:  Watch the Burton New Zealand Open on GO211.com August 13 – 14, 2010

WHAT: Live event webcasts on GO211.com will feature men's and women’s Slopestyle and Halfpipe semi-finals and finals taking place August 13–14 at Cardrona Alpine Resort, New Zealand. GO211.com will be providing live scoring, live standings, competition rankings and rider bios that allow the viewer to take a more interactive role.
 
WHO: Kazuhiro Kokubo (JPN), Louie Vito (USA), Chas Guldemond (USA), Jack Mitrani (USA), Charles Reid (CAN), Stef Zeestraten (NZL), Shelly Gotlieb (NZL), Kelly Clark (USA) and Jamie Anderson (USA) are just a few of the top riders planning to compete for a piece of the NZ$50,000 prize purse. 
 
WHEN: The entire event goes LIVE with webcasts on GO211.com during the following times: 
 
LIVE WEBCASTS: Australia Time Zone
Slopestyle Finals, Friday August 13 From 7:00 a.m.
Halfpipe Finals, Saturday August 14 From 7:00 a.m.
 
(NOTE: times subject to change based on weather or other unforeseeable incidents)
 
For more information on the New Zealand Open, visit www.opensnowboarding.com

2010 BURTON OPEN

The Burton NZ open kicks off this week at Cardrona and has a solid lineup of local and international riders including Mikkel Bang, Mark Sollors, Chas Guldemond, Louie Vito,Charles Reid and many more

260 athletes are currently converging upon the lakeside resort town of Wanaka, New Zealand, in preparation for what has become the southern hemisphere’s premier snowboarding event – the Burton NZ Open.

Now in it’s eighth year, the BNZO, which runs over 5 days and offers a NZ$50,000 prize purse, consists of both Slopestyle and Halfpipe. All comers can battle it through pre-qualifiers and qualifiers running Weds 11th and Thurs 12th August, for the few available spots to compete alongside the elite riders who are seeded directly to the semi-finals stage. The semi-finals and finals of Slopestyle run on Friday 13th and Halfpipe on Saturday 14th August. Official training for the event starts Tuesday 10th August.

The competition has attracted a multitude of top riders, with the confirmed rider’s list reading like a who’s who of the snowboarding world; Norwegians Tore Holvik, Stale Sandbech, Ulrick Badertscher, current TTR tour leader Gjermund Braaten, and recent US Open Slopestyle champion Mikkel Bang; Canadians Justin Lamoureux, Charles Reid, Mark Sollors and Mark McMorris; Americans Chas Guldemond, Sage Kotsenburg, Matts Kulisek, Jack Mitrani and Louie Vito; Japanese rippers Kazuhiro Kokubo, Ryo Aono, Daisuke Murakami and Kohei Kudo; Seppe Smits (BEL), Christian Haller (SUI), Marco Grilc (SLO), Roope Tonteri (FIN), and top New Zealand riders Stef Zeestraten and Jake Koia.

The women’s field is looking just as impressive with current TTR tour leader and previous World Champion Enni Rukajärvi from Finland, Norwegians Kjersti Buaas and Lin Haug, Swiss rider and recent US Open Slopestyle champion Sina Candrian, Rana Okada and Yuki Furihata of Japan, Americans Elizabeth Beerman, Spencer O’Brien and defending NZ Open Slopestyle champion Jamie Anderson, two-time Olympic medallist and defending NZ Open Halfpipe champ Kelly Clark (also USA), as well as New Zealand’s own powerhouse, Shelly Gotlieb.

“It’s great to see such a large field of riders, with so many strong contenders,” says NZ event manager Reuben Yoeman. “The high level of talent runs deep, which is sure to make an exciting event, for both the Slopestyle and the Halfpipe”.

As in past years, the Burton NZ Open will be webcast live on www.go211.com with live scoring, live chat, email the commentators, and real-time ranking among other features. In addition, the NZO will offer a live scoring service, accessible with any mobile phone or web browser. For iPhone users, a native iPhone app is available on the App Store free of charge.
 
The Burton NZ Open marks the first stop on the prestigious Burton Global Open Series and is also a 5Star event on the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour. Full details and updates are available via www.opensnowboarding.com