Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Due mostly in part to this being the first ever Winter Dew Tour, expectations are running high and the anxiety of it has triumphed in the air around Breckenridge. All eyes were turned towards the first ever Women’s Snowboarding Slopestyle Final today, as the ladies stepped up to the daunting task of competing in the first Final competition of the big weekend. In the end, Spencer O’Brien, Jenny Jones, and Bev Vuilleumier stood atop the podium.

Jamie Anderson, a rider highly favored coming into the finals, put down a solid first run with a score of 67.83 despite the gusts of wind and intermittently cloudy skies. “The course is sweet! There are big jumps but they are built well. The weather is a bit of a problem but what can you do?” Due to some bobbles on her second run, Anderson’s first run score held higher and slid her into a respectable fourth place.

Jenny Jones, the only goofy-footer in the Women’s Slopestyle Final heat, also threw down a better first run, with an intensive spin combo on the triple set of jumps with a Frontside 360 Indy Poke to a Backside 360 ending with a 540. Her first run score of 77.33 held her solidly in 2nd place.

Highlighting the second run was Bev Vuilleumier out of Tahoe, CA who pulled out an impressive trick out of her bag- a frontside 720 on the third and final jump- and stomped it with the biggest smile of the day from all the girls. “I was so stoked when I landed that seven,” Bev said. “I just love this course.” Bev’s enthusiasm and skillful riding earned her the third spot on the podium.

Spencer O’Brien, the last rider of the day to drop into the massive Slopestyle course, was sitting in the middle of the pack and wasn’t considered a serious contender. But think again. With her final run ahead of her she was greeted with a series of powerful gusts of wind. Calmly, Spencer waited out the gusts of wind at the top of the course, causing an awkward silence from the announcers as she sat defiantly waiting for Mother Nature to open the perfect window for her last run. The crowd also waited patiently for Spencer to drop, and when she did, they were not disappointed.

Dropping in switch to the first jump, Spencer laced together a Switch Backside 180 to a Backside 360 to a Backside 540 thru the triple set, and finished off her winning run with a 50/50 over the up-flat rail. Her score of 85.00 gave her a huge lead and won her first place at the first ever Winter Dew Tour in Breckenridge.

“It’s my first-ever professional win,” Spencer beamed moments after the announcement of her victory. “Combined with the fact that this is the first ever Winter Dew Tour- It’s just amazing,” she said. Spencer leaves Breckenridge at the top of the Women’s Slopestyle standings, and is one step closer to winning the Winter Dew Cup for Slopestyle.

Tune in tonight on USA at 1 am EST for Slopestyle highlights, and watch the Ski Slopestyle competition live on NBC at 1:30 pm EST.