January 2008 Archives
The final event in skiing's biggest competition of the year went down yesterday under grey-bird skies. Despite Red Bull rider Simon Dumont, who was favored for a podium spot, pulling the plug due to an injured shouder, the field was stacked with tough competition. Emerging near the top, Red Bull skier Jon Olsson laid down two great runs to take the bronze medal, which would be his second this X Games after taking gold friday night in Big Air. 
Jon's run included a 270 on the box up top, 540 off the box hit, switch right cork 720, misty 9, switch misty 9, and he finished it off with the events only double flip: the kangaroo flip. Jon's performance put him on the podium with his friends and competitors Jossi Wells and Andreas Hatveit. Looking at the huge hits on the Slopestyle course, it's hard to imagine they were actually much too small for Jon's liking. Look out for Jon later this season at the North American Open and the Jon Olsson Super Session, where he will build the jumps bigger to accommodate the bag of double-flip tricks he's still holding in his pocket.
Click here for all the pics! Click in to expn.com for video of Jon's run.
In a Super Sunday Showdown between the best Skier X athletes in the world, Daron Rahlves displayed incredible competitiveness in taking the gold medal at Winter X Games 2008. 
In the first final elimination race, Daron spent most of the run battling in the fourth place position. In an incredible display of fury and determination, he tucked his head down and boosted big off the large jump just before the finish line. He overtook the third place spot and secured his place in the final run for the podium. In the last run, it was Daron all the way. In true champion fashion, he spent the entire race well ahead of the field and threw up a #1 gesture as he crossed the finish line in a blur. Daron has not been long away from the world cup circuit, but he's already cutting himself a spot among the elite in the sport of Skier X.
Check out all the pics here!
Click in to expn.com for more X coverage and check out the video of Daron Rahlves winning the gold!
It's apparent that Tanner Hall cannot lose. With a SuperPipe gold around his neck and two hours fresh off winning the King of Quarters comp, Tanner strolled into the historic Hotel Jerome on Main Street in Aspen to collect a POWDER Magazine Reader Poll award and three Video Awards, including the coveted "Movie of the Year". 
The night began with a 2nd place award in the Reader's Poll. Tanner fell just shy of friend and "Believe" co-star Seth Morrisson. Nominated in three categories--Best Performance by a Male, Best Line, and Best Movie--Tanner took every single one. He was up against stiff competition the likes of Mark Abma, Eric Hjorleifson, Pep Fujas, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Jamey Parks, Ingrid Backstrom, Teton Gravity Research, Matchstick Productions, Eric Iberg, and Level 1 Productions. Obviously, young Tanner has come into his own within the ski film industry. Saturday evening was rounded out with other Red Bull skier victories as well. Grete Eliassen was awarded 2nd in the Reader's Poll for best female skier, and Jon Olsson won the Best Manmade Air award for his performance in Matchstick Productions "Seven Sunny Days".
Check out all the photos from the night. For complete results click in to powderawards.com
Tanner Hall found himself on another podium last night in the King of Quarters event at Aspen Mountain. An alternative event to the X Games, the scene was a massive quarter pipe built near the bottom of the hill under the gondola. "This is the biggest quarter pipe I have ever seen, no joke," said X Games judge and Father of Newschool Mike Douglas. Indeed, the feature was huge and riders took advantage of the perfectly shaped quarter to bust huge into the Aspen night sky. The format featured 12 of the world's best park freeskiers, including Red Bull skiers Tanner Hall and Simon Dumont. A cash purse of $15,000 was doled out to the top three riders, who were picked by judges from an overall impression of five jumps.
Simon Dumont took advantage of the situation and boosted huge off the deck in true Dumont style. The world record quarter pipe hit is 32 feet out, Simon was falling only a couple feet shy, but still going at least 10 feet higher than the rest of the field. Launching large 540s out the quarter, Simon was definitely a contender for first place, but unfortunately came down on the coping hard on his third hit. He was down for a few minutes, but managed to walk away amidst a roar of crowd support. Holding his left shoulder, he left the venue with it in a sling. Always the showman, Simon was boosting large for his fans and everyone was very sorry to see him out, but glad he would be okay. With ninja like calm and precision, Tanner spent the evening launching lofty tailgrab 540s and 900s for his cheering fans. "My favorite was the floaty 540s. When you get that much air on a good hit, it's really fun to just be really smooth and slow with your tricks," he said afterwards. The crowd and judges pretty much knew Tanner had this one dialed, much like the X Games SuperPipe finals two nights before, and he walked off into the night with an easy $9k in his pocket. The biggest decision for them to make was giving out second place to Stefan Thomas and third place to Colby West.
When Tanner Hall won the gold medal in SuperPipe on Wednesday night, he wasn’t done throwing down. Last night Tanner and Red Bull threw the party to end all parties at the Regal Watering Hole in the heart of Aspen. Launching T. HALL MASSIVE, the party was, well, massive. Fitting for Tanner, the man may not stand tall off the floor, but he is truly larger than life. He owns the premier event in skiing, he’s got his name on a massive Red Bull can, and he’s traveling the world to collect footage for his next movie, MASSIVE. With a line around the block trying to get in to the VIP party, the Red Bull flowed like water into various libations. Cali P strolled in early in the night and hit the turntables and the mic. The dance was alive like a massive monster with two hundred arms flailing wildly to the reggae beats. Periodically, Tanner took a break from dancing with his crew and took the mic to rile up the already frantic crowd.
The who’s who of the ski industry were in attendance: Tanner’s parents, Tyson Hall, the ARMADA crew, Chris O’ Connell, TJ Schiller, Sarah Burke, Shaun White, Eric Iberg, CR Johnson, Kye Peterson, FREESKIER Magazine, and POWDER Magazine just to name a few. And of course, Tanner’s Red Bull teammates Sean Pettit, Grete Eliassen, Angeli VanLaanen, Daron Rahlves, and Chris Davenport. Cali P dropped beats long into the night exclaiming “We traveled 48 hours to get to Aspen for Tanner, but we came to party! We can sleep next week!”Check out all the photos here!
Winter X Games flipped on the floods friday night and Jon Olsson flipped on the flavor, coasting into a gold medal with his world famous style. The format was a head-to-head battle. The four skiers: Red Bull's Jon Olsson and Simon Dumont, and Charles Gagnier and Jacob Wester; were paired up for one-on-one eliminations. Votes were cast by the crowd and home viewers via text, and judge Mike Douglas at the bottom of the landing. The first round pitted Red Bull teammates, and good friends, Jon and Simon against each other. Simon dropped in and threw a massive misty 10, stomping way down the landing. Jon answered with a kangaroo flip, basically a double flat spin 5, and landed equally far down. Douglas picked Jon. The crowd chose Simon. Head judge and tiebreaker Josh Loubek put Jon into the finals.
Now up against Charles Gagnier and with two jumps to throw down, Jon locked in another perfect kangaroo flip. Charles' 1260 octo-grab just couldn't compete. Knowing he had it in the bag, Jon threw his last jump for the crowd: a super slow flat 5 double grab (nose/japan). He nearly drenched the screaming crowd with the crazy style he was oozing. The gold medal might as well have already been around his neck. Minutes later it was.
See the photos here!
Get all the SuperPipe photos here!
"Tanner's been eerily calm and relaxed today," said Tyson Hall, Tanner's brother, just minutes before the SuperPipe Finals at Winter X Games 12 commenced tonight. Perhaps Tanner is a phenom turned prophet and he knew all he had to do to win his 7th X Games gold medal was to stick one run like he'd been doing in practice. The finish area around the bottom of the SuperPipe was abuzz in the hours leading up to the big show, during practice. "Tanner's got this in the bag," was a phrase that go thrown around more than once along with, "He's scary smooth, like butter."
Tanner found a formidable opponent in Simon Dumont. The Dumont had a fire in his eyes and was going through practice runs at a feverish pace. During his first run, however, he fell and popped off a ski on his third hit: the 1260. Simon didn't quite have enough air to bring it around, surely due to the fact that it began to DUMP just as the finals began. Unfazed by a slowing pipe, Tanner nonchalantly shot into first place with a first run score of 90. Simon, and the rest of the field regrouped as the snow let up and the temps dropped a bit. Simon's second run was clean and big, but the effort only gave him an 87.66 score. Meanwhile, Tanner dropped in and went bigger than the first run. His winning run consisted of a front side nine, a 1260, an alley oop flat spin 540, 900, flat 360 to fakie, switch 720, and an alley oop 900 to round it out. He pulled further into the lead with a 92.33, a bar that would prove to be too much for Simon to overcome.
The Dumont put forth a valiant effort in the end. He came into the pipe like his hair was on fire and boosted bigger off the first hit than anyone else tonight: easily getting 20 feet out. He stuck a clean run and had the crowd fully behind him, but in the end the score that came down from the booth was a 91.00, not enough to take the lead. Tanner dropped in for buttery victory lap, throwing down some big grabs to please the crowd. A very gracious Simon Dumont greeted Tanner with an embrace and the two shared some good words. Another chapter in the Tanner vs. Simon SuperPipe saga is in the books, and for now it looks like Tanner sits comfortably ahead of the pack in his reign over Winter X Games SuperPipe. It was a great night for team Red Bull, taking silver and gold in the premier event in professional freeskiing.
Pop over to Red Bull teammate Jon Olsson's Video Blog for video of the finals.
The Red Bull Skiing Team’s talent pool just got deeper with some much needed female representation. We’d like to welcome Grete Eliassen (photo above) and Angeli VanLaanen (photo below) to the Red Bull roster. “ We’re super stoked to have these ladies on board,” Jamie Simon, Red Bull Climate Sports Manager, said. “Grete has been around for a few years killing it and Angeli is about to break on the scene big time. The best part is both have a great attitude and are stoked to do some cool stuff with Red Bull.”
Grete Eliassen is a competition veteran with multiple podiums including 2 gold and 1 silver medal in Winter X Games SuperPipe. She films regularly every season and most recently appeared in Poorboys Productions latest movie, “Yeah Dude.” Right now she’s in Aspen focusing on a third gold medal in X Games SuperPipe. Angeli VanLaanen is a relative newcomer to the scene, although she holds some impressive finishes from last season, including 1st place in halfpipe and 2nd in slopestyle at the 2007 New Zealand Freeski Open and a bronze medal in SuperPipe at the US Open. Look for good things from her this season, she’s also in Aspen and ready to charge for the Podium in X Games SuperPipe tomorrow.
It's a beautiful morning in Aspen, Colorado. The air is crisp and cold, and just a couple miles outside of town at Buttermilk the Winter X Games SuperPipe is sitting dormant. In hours a thousand floodlights and millions of eyes will set it ablaze in the Colorado night. The forecast for the evening is calling for 25 degrees and snow showers. It will be interesting to see how the riders deal with a possibly slow pipe. Yesterday in SuperPipe qualifying, Tanner Hall lead the field with a staggering 95.33 final score. Simon Dumont came in second with a 89.33 final score. And indication of how Red Bull's own are dominating the SuperPipe event, don't let these scores lead you to any rash assumptions: anything can happen at X and anything can come out of the bag on finals night. 
Just days before Winter X, Tanner Hall is currently training pipe in Colorado. Some footage from his recent exploits at Retallack just recently emerged from deep within Canuckistan, however. Check out the video of Tanner, Sean Pettit, Callum Pettit, and Sammy Carlson getting massive in perfect snow on unreal terrain. Also, check in to Tanner's blog for words about his last days of skiing pow before he gets down to the business of going for another X Games superpipe gold. 
In one week, millions of eyes will be trained on the superpipe in Aspen, Colorado. Many of them specifically to see skiing’s most prolific personality, Tanner Hall. Literally growing up alongside skiing’s latest evolution, Tanner has been setting the bar for years. Last year it was charging at the superpipe and dropping in switch. He’s certainly not the first skier to do this, but he’s the first to be able to pull it off in a gold medal performance. For those eyes who happen upon ESPN Thursday night, they might just be lucky enough to catch the 24-year-old already legend, in his prime.
Tanner’s career is littered with nine X Games medals, six of those gold. He has not missed a podium in an X Games event since 2002 when he place 10th in halfpipe. He won the slopestyle event that year, however. An X Games competitor since 2000 at the ripe age of 16, it’s fair to call Tanner a veteran of this competition. Who knows what he has up his sleeve this year for the fans, but expect minds to be blown. It's a week out and Tanner has already been in Colorado for days, training pipe.
Check out Tanner’s gold medal run from WX11.
If you stand in Aspen, Colorado you can hear a humming the distance: the electricity of the perfect storm set to descend, just a few days off in the horizon. X Games 12 will hit hard and fast, and it will rage for days on end before disappearing like it never was. The premiere event in winter action sports, the X Games is the most prestigious stage in competitive freeskiing. Accordingly, it attracts the biggest names and deepest talent in the sport, and the Red Bull ski team is set to bring home some hardware.
Tanner Hall: With 9 X Games medals on his neck Tanner’s back must be sore, but that’s not keeping him from defending the gold medal he took home last year in superpipe. Tanner is the man to beat and all eyes will fall on him when he drops into the pipe, probably switch, to defend his championship reign.
Simon Dumont: The Dumont is a force to be reckoned with always. He’s got two X Games superpipe gold medals to his name and last season he dominated competitive freeskiing events with more podium finishes than anyone else. He’s frank about his commitment to competition, and his desire to dominate in front of the crowd. Nobody gets further out of the pipe than Simon and he’s got the technical skills and consistency to bring Tanner down. Simon’s bag of tricks also makes him a favorite in slopestyle.
Jon Olsson: Nobody puts more time in on the summer jumps and water ramps than Jon in the off-season. With the Icer Air gold under his belt already this season, and a slew of double-flipping innovations ready to unleash, Jon is a favorite for winning the big air portion of X. He is also set to drop into the slopestyle course where his consistency and amplitude are sure to impress. Are you ready for Blue Steel?
Daron Rahlves: Daron owns 28 world cup podiums (12 gold) in skiing speed events. Last season marked his first appearance at X Games, and in 2008 you can expect him to wreak havoc on the field. Daron’s storied career includes a win at Kitzbühel, Austria, the steepest most dangerous event in skiing, so the Skier X course in Aspen should be a walk in the park.
Men’s Ski Superpipe: January 24, 9-11 p.m., ESPN. (Tanner Hall, Simon Dumont)
Men’s Ski Big Air: January 25, 9:30-11:30 p.m., ESPN (Jon Olsson)
Men’s Skier X: January 27, 2-6 p.m., ESPN (Daron Rahlves)
Men’s Ski Slopestyle: January 27, 2-6 p.m., ESPN (Simon Dumont, Jon Olsson)
*All times Eastern Time Zone.
Red Bull Cold Rush returns to Red Mountain Resort on
February 8-9, as 21 of the world’s best freeskiers compete for the title of
most versatile and best all-around skier, as judged first by the athletes
themselves and then by fans everywhere via a People’s Choice Award on
www.rip.tv. In addition to pride, also stoking the action will be a single, winner-take-all
purse of $5,000 with the chance to take home an extra $1,000 for the People’s
Choice. New for 2008, the highest scores through each discipline are worth $500.
Day One of competition will kick off with a slopestyle session in an open pit mine that will be captured in film and photo to support the judging process. The open pit mine is a unique venue as it is shaped by wind and snow making the features 100% natural. The opportunity for athletes to get creative is limitless. Day Two brings the summit approach on Mt. Roberts, where following the ascent skiers will hit their favourite line and further feed content for the judging session.
Featuring the top emerging and established talents in
skiing, the athlete roster for Red Bull Cold Rush will include Whistler
wunderkinds Sean Pettit and Kye Petersen, icons of the sport like JP Auclair
and Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, and a collection of other talents like Eric Hjorleifson,
Chris Rubens, and Andy Mahre—just to name a few. Hosting the action will be one
of the world’s foremost big mountain playgrounds, Red Mountain Resort. Located
in Rossland, BC, Red offers a labyrinth of underground abandoned mining tunnels
for the history buff, and 3,000 vertical feet of mountain surface detailed by
chutes, glades and big lines—a perfect environment for mining the skills of
today’s most progressive skiers.
Check back in here and www.redbull.ca/coldrush for continuing coverage.
Building a reputation over the past three winters for putting together the most anticipated event of the competition season, the Jon Olsson Invitational, Jon Olsson is not content to just sit back and coast into 2008 with the same old event. We wouldn’t expect anything less from Jon.
Whereas the previous Jon Olsson Invitationals usually featured a couple sessions on one massive jump, Jon is cranking up the format to involve multiple jumps, in multiple locations around Åre, Sweden, over the period of a week in late March. As always, the comp is for riders by riders. An amateur portion with celebrity judges will also be new to the comp. Appropriately, the event will now be called the Jon Olsson Super Session.
Check in here throughout the season as detail emerge and for coverage when it goes off.
So, check out what Red Bull has for you. All the photos, videos, blogs, Features and News about the best skiers in the world. Comment, tell us what you love and what you love to hate. This is where you can meet the riders, track the conditions and watch as Red Bull’s ski team lights up the scene.
On the Road Update:
Tanner Hall: Tanner has been slashing his way through Canada. Word on the street is that he has been bringing the snorkel for those extra deep days. But you always have to respect the mountains, just the other day a slide kicked off in bounds at a resort close to where Tanner and his crew are shredding (read about Big White slide). Give the mountain her respect and she will give you the best days of your life!
COMING UP!
Winter X Games is right around the corner! Tanner Hall, Jon Olsson and Simon Dumont will be representing in search of the GOLD! Check out the Photos of Tanner and Jon Olsson at WINTER X
Every year Oakley spends the first part of January at
their favorite cat skiing operation in BC. Retallack Resort, just up the road
from New Denver and a little over an hour from Nelson, has the steeps, cliffs,
trees and high alpine bowls to capture the attention of athletes every year,
including Tanner Hall and Seth Morrison who are part owners in the operation.
This year Sammy Carlson, Sean and Callum Pettit joined Tanner to kick off the
new year in the Selkirk Mountains. The entourage included acclaimed
photographers and Tanner’s film crew.
Everyone gets to know each other quickly at Retallack lodge, the eco-friendly home base for the operation. Group happy hour, family-style meals (we ate salmon, Sammy ate Cheerios and toast), movie and hot tub sessions and quality hang out time are all in order at this picturesque abode tucked in the trees.
We started out the day with a 45-minute cat ride to the tree line, where the guys scoped a slope for a booter. The jump was built, four camera angles were established and the guys started making laps. The kicker had a little more kick then expected and the landing zone kept creeping downhill. By noon the gang had slashed it and after burritos it was time to head to Outland and find the second zone.
The men behind the lenses finally got to make some fresh turns on the way down to the cliff band. Sean, Callum, Tanner and Sammy each chose a line and threw down their own unique style. Callum was unofficially high-score, with a sick line that got everyone stoked.
Too bad the light was too low to bring the camera gear on our last run of the day. Unfortunately we had to take a free run. It did not suck.
Hopefully the snow pack will stabilize in the next couple days and the boys can open up some promising new terrain…
Words by Tess Weaver/Oakley
Breathing new life into the “open” contest format, Simon Dumont and Jon Olsson recently announced the inaugural North American Open to be held at Breckenridge Feb. 22-24. The rider designed contest will allow anyone to enter and interact with big name pros, and perhaps school them in either superpipe or slopestyle.
In charge of the slopestyle course, Jon has intentions to build a set of unique features to standards that riders don’t always have the chance to session on. He wants a stress-free environment where amateurs can feel comfortable and perform to their highest levels. Simon is in charge of dialing in the superpipe so skiers can optimize amplitude in a safe way. He hopes everyone will leave the contest with a positive experience, no matter where they place in the field.
Similar events will be held in March in Big Bear, California and Mount Snow, Vermont. Check out www.opensfreeski.com for more information or to register.
Coming off a successful North American debut and European
Tour for his latest ski film, “Believe”, Tanner Hall’s freight-trainesqe
momentum barreled into the 2008 Powder Video Awards resulting in multiple
nominations.
Charging full-throttle in the backcountry and taking no
prisoners in his various segments in “Believe”, Tanner landed the most
prestigious award nomination for an individual: “Best Performance by a Male.”
Tanner is joined in the category by the heavy-hitting likes of Mark Abma, Eric
Hjorleifson, Sage Catabriga-Alosa, and Pep Fujas.
One segment in Tanner’s movie people can’t stop talking
about is the jaw-dropping pillow lines he cleans in Mica Creek, BC. It’s no
surprise then to see Tanner in the field of nominess for “Best Line.” Similarly
impressive is the chest-deep snow Tanner and good friends C.R. Johnson and Ian
Provo find themselves in the Mt. Baker segment in “Believe.” Accordingly, the
three are jointly nominated for “Best Powder.”
In 2007, Tanner Hall nabbed gold medals in superpipe at the illustrious Winter X Games and the US Freeskiing Open, and finished a respectable second place at the World Superpipe Championships. Following his competition domination, Tanner spent the rest of season shredding powder lines and Alaskan decents for his latest film, “Believe.”
With such a successful season under his belt, what is Tanner Hall up to before most skiers are even thinking of getting back on the snow? Pipe training of course. The superpipe is a rare creature to find stirring in the first breaths of winter, but Copper Mountain in Colorado worked round the clock to get their’s up by late November.
Spending a good three weeks in the airspace above the Copper superpipe, Tanner worked on getting his pipe legs back and refining the arsenal of tricks he’ll need to defend his titles at the X Games and US Freeskiing Open in January. Tanner’s pipe skiing may look downright effortless, but natural talent will only take you so far and Tanner pays his dues accordingly to sit atop podiums. We’ll see in January if his training pays off.
