Breckenridge – The Winter Olympics are two months away, but competition is heating up in the Breckenridge Super Pipe. The first round of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team hits the halfpipe today, and it promises to be a good one.
“I’d say this is probably the highest level of competition among any field we’ve seen at the U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix,” said Jeremy Forster, snowboarding director for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. “It’s one of the strongest fields in any event since the Salt Lake Olympics.”
A total of 117 riders representing countries around the globe showed up for preliminary rounds used to determine the top 24 men competing in today’s U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix finals. Thirty-seven women are registered to compete in the women’s division beginning at 9:30 this morning.
With two of the five halfpipe contests used to select freestyle riders on the U.S. Olympic team scheduled to take place in Breckenridge this week, local riders Chad Otterstrom and Steve Fisher are among the favorites.
Otterstrom, who qualified fifth overall, and the remainder of the field will have their work cut out for them in their efforts to top the field that includes top qualifier Shaun White of Carlsbad, Calif., as well as 2002 Olympic medalists Ross Powers of Vermont, Danny Kass of Mammoth, Calif., and JJ Thomas of Golden. Favorites in the women’s field include X Games champ- ion Gretchen Bleiler of Snowmass.
Staff writer Scott Willoughbycan be reached at 303-820-1993 or swilloughby@denverpost.com.
Grand Prix schedule
Today: Women’s halfpipe qualifiers (9:30 a.m.), men’s halfpipe finals (noon)
Friday: Men’s halfpipe qualifiers (8:30 a.m.)
Saturday: Women’s halfpipe qualifiers (9:30 a.m.), men’s and women’s halfpipe finals (noon), quarterpipe exhibition (7 p.m.)
