Dumont Melts Pipe Prelims

By Mike Rogge

Greetings from the second stop of the Winter Dew Tour here at Mount Snow. The East Coast has been fighting Mother Nature since Christmas with an abundance of rain and warm weather. Many expected today’s prelims to go off with the Weather Channel’s prediction of the ever-popular, “wintery mix.” However, today’s Men’s Superpipe Preliminaries had competitors battling the trademark East Coast flat light and an unexpected amount of heavy snow.

Practice began at 11a.m. with Winter Dew Tour volunteers and Mount Snow staff were slipping the powder-filled pipe between every couple runs, and competitors were having fun making pow-turns in the bottom. Highlights of the early practice session were pre-qualified pipe specialist Justin Dorey dialing down his double, Breck-stop winner Tanner Hall cruising the pipe, and the ladies practicing for their Saturday Exhibition showdown.

As prelims got underway, 27 skiers battled for 9 spots in the finals. To no one’s surprise, Simon Dumont qualified first with an impressive run featuring left and right 9s and one of the only 1260s thrown in the Prelims today. Dumont clearly wants to reclaim the top spot in the pipe world, boosting higher than most other competitors.

The always smooth Mike Riddle blasted huge first-hit 5s to earn his second-place finish. The East Coast’s own Tucker Perkins, who threw down natural 9s, came in third.

Executing two of the most impressive runs of the day were Colby West (nice Flat 5) in fifth, and Peter Olenick, who, boosting high, finished in sixth. The two will be joining A.J. Kemppaninen, Taylor Seaton, and the kiwi Bryron Wells along with the other top-placers under the lights Saturday night during the Finals, where competitors will be throwing down regardless of the Vermont weather.

These hessians join Breckenridge 1-2-3s Tanner Hall, Justin Dorey, and Duncan Adams at Saturday’s Pipe Final.

Stay tuned to Allisports.com for up-to-the minute results of the second stop of the Winter Dew Tour.
Freeski Superpipe Men’s Prelim Results
1st – Simon Dumont – 89.75
2nd – Mike Riddle – 85.75
3rd – Tucker Perkins – 84.75
4th – Matthew Philippi – 79.75
5th – Colby West – 73.00
6th – Peter Olenick – 72.75
7th – Antti-Jussi Kemppainen – 71.25
8th – Taylor Seaton – 70.75
9th – Byron Wells – 66.25
10th – Matt Margetts – 62.25
11th – Marshall LaCroix – 60.00
12th – David Wise – 59.75
13th – Lyndon Sheehan – 57.50
14th – Kentaro Tsuda – 55.75
15th – Jack Sullan – 51.25
16th – Tyler Peterson – 44.00
17th – Dan Marion – 43.25
18th – Kyle Smaine – 43.25
19th – Evan Schwartz – 40.75
20th – Matt Duhamel – 40.50
21st – John Strenio – 40.50
22nd – Tom Wallisch – 37.00
23rd – Colby Albino – 36.50
24th – Walter Wood – 21.75
25th – Andre Simonpietri – 18.25
26th – Sammy Carlson – 15.25
27th – Jossi Wells – 1.00