MAMMOTH LAKES, CA (May 9) – Fifteen of the best riders in the world, including TTR halfpipe World Champion Kelly Clark (West Dover, VT), TTR slopestyle World Champion Chas Guldemond (Reno, NV) and top slopestyle rider Eric Willett (Breckenridge, CO), are utilizing the groundbreaking airbag technology at Mammoth Mountain during a weeklong U.S. Snowboarding spring camp. The airbag allows for athletes to attempt new and difficult tricks without the consequence of landing on hard snow, but on a soft cushioned landing in the form of an inflated airbag. In addition to the airbag, U.S. Snowboarding has the run of the award winning Unbound terrain park each morning before the mountain opens to the public. 

HIGHLIGHTS

MAMMOTH LAKES, CA (May 9) – Fifteen of the best riders in the world, including TTR halfpipe World Champion Kelly Clark (West Dover, VT), TTR slopestyle World Champion Chas Guldemond (Reno, NV) and top slopestyle rider Eric Willett (Breckenridge, CO), are utilizing the groundbreaking airbag technology at Mammoth Mountain during a weeklong U.S. Snowboarding spring camp. The airbag allows for athletes to attempt new and difficult tricks without the consequence of landing on hard snow, but on a soft cushioned landing in the form of an inflated airbag. In addition to the airbag, U.S. Snowboarding essentially has the run of the award winning Unbound terrain park each morning before the mountain opens to the public. 

HIGHLIGHTS

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (April 6) – Two U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association coaches are among finalists for the U.S. Olympic Committee’s 2011 Coaches of the Year. U.S. Snowboarding halfpipe coach Rick Bower is one of three finalists for National Coach of the Year.  Chris “Hatch” Haslock, founder of AXIS Freeride in Park City, UT, is among three nominees for Developmental Coach Year for his contributions to developing junior freeskiing athletes. Both Bower and Haslock were recognized in 2011 by the USSA as International and Development Coaches of the Year. Winners will be announced June 19 as part of the 2012 National Coaching Conference at the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis.

HIGHLIGHTS

SIERRA NEVADA, Spain (March 31) – Californians Indigo Monk (Manhattan Beach, CA) and Brandon Davis (Mammoth Lakes, CA) took silver and bronze in slopestyle at the FIS Snowboarding Junior World Championships in Sierra Nevada. Monk and Davis’s spots helped to award the U.S. in the second overall Junior World Championship standing. The medals brought the U.S. total to a U.S. record 12 across all sports this season.

HIGHLIGHTS

SIERRA NEVADA, Spain (March 27) – Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club star Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, CO) won her namesake with halfpipe victory Tuesday at the FIS Snowboarding Junior World Championships. It was the first win of the season for Gold, who took halfpipe silver at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics in January.

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VALMALENCO, Italy (March 16) – Young gun Jacqueline Hernandez (Londonderry, VT) took the women’s snowboardcross win today for the first World Cup podium of her career – after only six career starts. U.S. Snowboarding’s Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI) was seventh, Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) placed ninth which locks him into third for the overall World Cup standings after the season finale

HIGHLIGHTS

TIGNES, FRA (Mar. 16) – Olympian and double threat Shaun White (Carlsbad, CA) took double gold at European X Games today in the slopestyle competition. He executed yet another almost perfect score with a 97.00 on his second run with three doubles. Jamie Anderson (South Lake Tahoe, CA) also mimicked the nearly perfect run of White to take the top spot fot the women. Eric Willett (Breckenridge, CO) nailed his third run and a huge front double 1080 to put him in third position.

HIGHLIGHTS

TIGNES, France (Mar. 15) – With a first run score of 98.00, Shaun White (Carlsbad, CA) took European X Games halfpipe gold Wednesday night in Tignes. His nearly perfect score and huge run included a massive cab double cork 1080 that landed White with his fourth win of the season. Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix champion Louie Vito (Sandy, UT) was second showing off his smooth style and big amplitude that put him on his fifth podium of the season.

HIGHLIGHTS

TIGNES, FRA (Mar. 14) – Under a starry French sky, team USA swept the snowboard halfpipe podium at European X Games. Olympian Kelly Clark (West Dover, VT) soared to yet another victory with an enormous cab 1200. Olympian, Elena HIght (S. Lake Tahoe, CA) stepped up her run with big amplitude in the shape of a huge backside air while Kaitlyn Farrington (Bellevue, ID) rounded out the podium with a progressive run of three 900’s.

HIGHLIGHTS

VALMALENCO, ITA. (Mar. 14) – Alex Tuttle (Sugarloaf, ME) took his first World Cup podium at the FIS Snowboard World Cup in Valmalenco, Italy. Stian Sivertzen won the event and Hagen Kearney (Telluride, CO) was fifth. The team looks to its final World Cup race on this Friday, March 16 in Valmalenco, Italy.

HIGHLIGHTS