Big Names, Big Jumps and Big Progression at Dew Tour Killington

KILLINGTON, VT (Jan. 21) – At just 16 years old, Torin Yater-Wallace (Snowmass Village, CO) broke a record and became the youngest competitor to win a Dew Tour final with a score of 93.75. Torin dazzled the judges with an impressive final run that included a massive double cork 1260 mute grab and a double flare safety grab. The ladies stepped up their halfpipe final competition in memory of freeskiing trailblazer, the late Sarah Burke. Maddie Bowman (Lake Tahoe, CA) shook up the podium and came in first with U.S. Freeskiing’s Devin Logan (West Dover, VT) in second and Brita Sigourney (Carmel, CA) placing in third.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Dew Tour is a multi-sport three-stop tour with over $1.5 million up for grabs based on individual and year end standings.
• Tai Barrymore came in second with a big left, right 900 and an alley-loop double flat 900 Japan grab.
• Tucker Perkins came out swinging with huge first hits; a combination of a large left 1080 tail and a strong switch right 720. He ended his run with a double cork 1260.
• This is the first win for Tahoe local Maddie Bowman fresh off her Revolution Tour at Northstar win. Her progressive combination of left and right 540’s, left 900, and her ending trick, a solid 720 placed her at the top.
• Devin Logan’s left 540-tail grab into a flare is explanatory to her prowess in ladies halfpipe. Brita Sigourney had an aggressive run featuring a 900 and alley-loop 540.
• The Association of Freeskiing Professionals ranking list holds Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, CO) in first, but with tonight’s finish Tai Barrymore jumps into second place, and David Wise (Reno, NV) moves into third. Maddie Bowman is currently ranked first in the ladies halfpipe ranks.
• The Dew Tour's third and final stop takes place February 9 - 12, 2012 at Snowbasin, UT.

QUOTES

Torin Yater-Wallace, U.S. Snowboarding and Dew Tour halfpipe winner

My first run couldn’t have gone better, so I wasn’t nervous on my next run and just sent it. I went a little bigger, got bigger grabs and instead of a switch 7, I went switch 9.  I ended up stomping it and I’ve never done a switch 9, so luckily I landed it.  I’m so stoked.  I’ve never podiumed at a Dew Tour and I’ve never gotten first at a pro event, so it’s a good day for everything.

Mike Jankowski, U.S. Snowboarding & U.S. Freesking Head Coach

One thing that stands out for a guy like Torin, is really showing overall mastery of the pipe. Clearly, the best skier of the night in the way that he hit the amplitude and technicality of his tricks make him stand out. The way that he skis in between the walls really show his mastery and his ability to handle a tricky pipe, well he made it looks easy. Maddie Bowman earned her first podium and great cause for celebration that the U.S. Freeskiing community is truly happy for. It puts a smile on all our faces. Rounding out the podium with Devin and Brita is huge for U.S. Freeskiing and getting that success and momentum this early in the season we look to feed upon and push us into the X Games and through the rest of the season and Sochi in 2014.

Phillipe Larose, Head Judge

Obviously, Torin is a highlight; I think that the precision of his tricks is key in his winning run, the height he can carry and his ability to land effectively on a double is impressive. It brings the technicality of the trick and its difficulty to a much higher level. Although the snow was a tricky factor [for the ladies], it didn’t help them to get the speed that was required, but they still managed to get the speed they needed. They were able to pull together their runs and gave us a great show. I was impressed by the performance of the leaders- doing 900’s! I think the level of the girls has improved and that it’s really going somewhere.

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