Arielle Gold, Hailey Langland shine in women’s snowboard semifinals at Dew Tour

The 2015 edition of Dew Tour Breckenridge got underway on Wednesday with prelimary rounds of competition in women’s snowboard superpipe and slopestyle. Check below for the results, and be sure to visit DewTour.com later in the day for photos from the competitions.

Click here for more photos from the women’s snowboard semifinals.

 

WOMEN’S SNOWBOARD SUPERPIPE

The women’s snowboard superpipe semifinal started off with 15 riders, and after the end of two runs, that number was whittled down to five. The next six riders (ranked 6-11) had a shot at redemption in the form of a one-run last chance qualifier, which would put one more rider into the field for the final.

Arielle Gold’s top run included a crippler and a Michalchuk. (Photo: George Crosland)

Arielle Gold brought the heat in the semifinal, linking a method and a crippler up top with her biggest trick of all – a Michalchuk – and then landing back-to-back 720s on her second run to take over the top qualifying spot, securing herself in the final without having to go through the LCQ. The event wasn’t as stress-free for perennial podium placer Kelly Clark though. Clark found herself in sixth place heading into her second and final run, just barely on the wrong side of the cut line. She put down a solid second run though, and despite a slight bobble on her crippler, it was enough for her to overtake another former Olympic gold medalist, Hannah Teter, for fifth place and a guaranteed spot in the final along with Gold, Xuetong Cai, Chloe Kim and impressive 15-year-old Maddie Mastro.

The Michalchuk is a brand new trick for Gold: She learned it while training at Mt. Hood over the summer for three weeks, but had yet to unveil it in a competition until today. The progressive trick gave her an edge over the rest of the field today and will cement her standing as a legitimate contender to win Saturday’s final. As for the rest of her competitors, might this be something that the other girls start adding to their arsenal? “I wouldn’t blame them if they did,” Gold said. “It’s a fun trick!”

Semifinal Results
1. Arielle Gold, 93.40
2. Xuetong Cai, 89.60
3. Chloe Kim, 87.00
4. Maddie Mastro, 84.20
5. Kelly Clark, 81.40
**Top 5 advance to the final

6. Hannah Teter, 79.80
7. Zhifeng Sun, 67.40
8. Mirabelle Thovex, 65.20
9. Liu Jiayu, 59.00
10. Sophie Rodriguez, 56.00
11. Hikaru Oe, 55.00
**6-11 advance to the LCQ

12. Clemence Grimal, 51.00
13. Verena Rohrer, 26.00
14. Summer Fenton, 19.80
15. Elena Hight, DNS

Liu Jiayu earned herself a spot in the superpipe final through the LCQ. (Photo: George Crosland)

The last chance qualifier provides the riders with one final chance to make an impression on the judges, and China’s Liu Jiayu took advantage of that opportunity, earning a 76.20 on her run. Teter was the last of the six riders to take her run in the LCQ, and although she put down a clean run of her own, she once again found herself just outside the cutoff, scoring a 71.80 and finishing second behind Jiayu.

LCQ Results
1. Liu Jiayu, 76.20
2. Hannah Teter, 71.80
3. Mirabelle Thovex, 40.60
4. Zhifeng Sun, 32.00
5. Hikaru Oe, 31.00
6. Sophie Rodriguez
**Top 1 advances to the final

Be sure to tune in to DewTour.com this Saturday, December 12 at 12:00 p.m. ET for live streaming coverage of the superpipe final. You can also catch the men’s superpipe semifinal tomorrow (Thursday, December 10th) at 2:00 p.m. ET on DewTour.com.

Advancing to Final
1. Arielle Gold
2. Xuetong Cai
3. Chloe Kim
4. Maddie Mastro
5. Kelly Clark
6. Liu Jiayu

 

WOMEN’S SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE

The format for the women’s slopestyle semifinal was the same as for superpipe: top 5 advance to the final, 6-11 move to the last chance qualifier. From there, only the top rider in the LCQ would earn the last spot in Friday’s final.

15-year-old Hailey Langland burst onto the scene by qualifying first in the semifinal. (Photo: George Crosland)

This contest was a showcase of both veterans and new blood of the sport. Early on, it looked like Spencer O’Brien’s first run score might go uncontested after she landed a cab 540, backside 720, switch backside 180 and frontside 720 on the jumps. Enter 15-year-old Hailey Langland, a Dew Tour rookie from San Clemente, California. Langland came out looking to make a statement on her second run: backside lipslide, 50-50 gap 50-50 to 180 off, switch backside 180, frontside 360, 50-50 up to frontside lipslide down, backside 180, cab 720. A smooth run throughout, it earned her a 93.60, putting her in the top spot and locking her into a spot in the final alongside O’Brien, Anna Gasser, Cheryl Maas and Katie Ormerod.

Semifinal Results
1. Hailey Langland, 93.60
2. Spencer O’Brien, 91.80
3. Anna Gasser, 86.80
4. Cheryl Maas, 80.80
5. Katie Ormerod, 68.40
**Top 5 advance to the final

6. Elena Koenz, 63.60
7. Sina Candrian, 61.20
8. Klaudia Medlova, 53.40
9. Aimee Fuller, 43.20
10. Enni Rukajarvi, 42.20
11. Karly Shorr, 26.80
**6-11 advance to the LCQ

12. Sarka Pancochova, 25.80
13. Miyabi Onitsuka, 20.40
14. Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas, 19.00
15. Jess Rich, 15.80
16. Silje Norendal, DNS

Spencer O’Brien will be in search of her fifth career Dew Tour win in Friday’s final. (Photo: George Crosland)

In the six-rider, one-run LCQ, it was Slovakia’s Klaudia Medlova topping the field to earn the last spot in Friday’s final.

LCQ Results
1. Klaudia Medlova, 54.60
2. Karly Shorr, 41.60
3. Aimee Fuller, 38.40
4. Enni Rukajarvi, 19.80
5. Sina Candrian, 19.80
6. Elena Koenz, 19.40
**Top 1 advances to the final

The women’s slopestyle final will be streaming live on DewTour.com Friday, December 11 at 11:30 a.m. ET, with the men’s slopestyle semifinal to follow at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Advancing to Final
1. Hailey Langland
2. Spencer O’Brien
3. Anna Gasser
4. Cheryl Maas
5. Katie Ormerod
6. Klaudia Medlova