Spencer O’Brien Back on Top After Snowbasin
By: Nick Lipton – It took back to back to back 540s, but Spencer O’Brien is back on top after a big Wendy’s Invitational win in Slopestyle. Spencer caught a break today by landing both of her runs in a Final plagued with falls.
After a slow start in Breckenridge, Spencer, the defending Slopestyle Champ and co-female athlete of the year, wouldn’t let her belt go without a fight. Her punches began with a smooth 5-0, and a knock out line through the jumps that got the crowd roaring. She started with an off the toe front 540, a signature of Spencer’s, followed by a switch back 5 to back 5. With a 91.00 in the books the pressure was off Spencer and onto the other girls, but the Champ wouldn’t be matched.
Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals Results
1. Spencer O’Brien
2. Jenny Jones
3. Megan Ginter
Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals at Snowbasin from AlliSports on Vimeo.
With a high mark posted the Final became banger city as the ladies attempted to match Spencer. Jenny Jones got the closest with a 2nd place finish and behind her it was wild-card Megan Ginter spinning her way to 3rd. Jenny “The Brit’” Jones stomped her run, but a cab 5 and 720 couldn’t mess with Spencer’s 540s. Dew Tour made a good call giving Megan Ginter the wild-card. Meg not only got her run, but it landed her on the Dew Tour podium as well.
Spencer, Jenny and Megan caught a break today after falls forced Jamie Anderson to settle with 4th place. Jamie’s got the skills to podium at any event, but today Jamie just couldn’t stick her 720, “I had them in practice. Landed a bunch of them actually. But, you know, you get in there and it doesn’t always work out.” Jamie, like Spencer, rides rails like the boys, and her 720, well it’s better than most boys. Expect Jamie to ride like a monster when Dew Tour invades Vermont next month.
Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas and Kimmy Fasani took 5th and 6th to bring the Final to a close. Do or die Kjersti slipped to 5th after her go big or go home attitude ended in two blown runs. Kjersti’s approach doesn’t always mesh with contest life, but true talent and unreal style make her a regular finalist. Kimmy Fasani couldn’t clear the park either. After a long night at the DC Mountain Lab BBQ Kimmy left Snowbasin disappointed after falling in both runs. Kimmy isn’t stoked on 6th, but with Mt. Snow around the corner, a winter full of filming, and powder waiting for her back home she should certainly recover.
The Wendy’s Invitational rocked the Female Slopestyle Dew Cup chase. With one stop remaining Jamie and Spencer will hit Vermont as co-point leaders. Jamie is going to be there, Spencer too, “I will be there. I would love to win it again.” Those two have plenty to worry about though as Jenny and Kjersti are threats as well. Jenny currently sits five points below the current leaders, and couldn’t be happier about Vermont, “I definitely want to go to the third stop. I hear the weather is a bit more British there.” Happy riders tend to do better, and feeling at home could help this British shredder become a Dew Tour queen as well. Kjersti also holds enough points to take the Cup, and she’s more than capable of stealing the show. The third and final Dew Tour stop kicks off in early February at Mt. Snow, Vermont. Join us as we watch Spencer, Jamie, Jenny or Kjersti ride into the record books.
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