Willett and Weatherby Take Slope Wins, Horgmo and Anderson Get Dew Cups

Norwegian slope master Torstein Horgmo won the last two stops of the Winter Dew Tour, and with his overall lead coming into the Toyota Championships he was nearly guaranteed a Dew Cup.

All he needed was fifth or better, but for a while it looked like he was going home empty-handed after the first round finished with him in 10th place after a sketched landing on a cab 10 double off the second jump.

Chas Guldemond was the guy to beat in Snowbasin after dishing out back-to-back 12s and just looking perfect with his riding. But Eric Willett paid no attention and came back with the highest scoring slope run in Winter Dew Tour history, and later said, “I realized I do good under pressure.”

Willett scored a 97.25 after a 5050 to backside lipslide on the first rail, to boardslide switch up frontside boardslide on the A-frame, then frontside boardslide 450 out on the cannon. He blasted both the jumps with a switch backside 12 double cork to frontside 10 double cork.

Eric Willett getting comfortable under pressure

“As soon as I came here and saw the course, that was the run I wanted to do from the beginning and I was so stoked,” Willett said.

That left only few riders to go, and Mark McMorris was the next to make a comeback from eighth to second after a 5050 transfer backside lipslide up top, to a frontside boardslide 450 on the battleship. He did a switch boardslide 270 out on the cannon and then hit up the jumps with a cab 12 double on the first and a backside 12 double on the second. He scored a 95.00.

Mark McMorris is only 17, but he throws down like a veteran

“I did not expect it,” McMorris said. “My first run went bad and I don’t know how that worked, but it worked,”

That left only Torstein to ride, and he threw down hard with perfect style on the rail and a cab double 10 to a switch backside 9 on the last two jumps. He got the job done and scored a 93.75 to land in third on the podium and take home the first Dew Cup of his career.

Torstein’s Dew Cup domination in action

“I just wanted to do good at the contest and the Dew Cup proves that I did good this season,” Horgmo said. “Getting to 100 percent injury free is my goal now.”

In the women’s field, Jamie Anderson collected her second consecutive Dew Cup but it was 34-year-old Janna Meyen-Weatherby that stole the show.

The veteran rider made it through prelims after slamming her knee on a rail, going down to athlete medical for stitches, and being cleared in time to compete for her second run and advance.

“Jacking my knee in the prelims kind of helped take off any pressure that there was because I felt like I was proud of myself for even being out here riding,” Meyen-Weatherby said. “So I just thought, I don’t have anything to lose, and it all worked out.”

What stitches? Janna Meyen-Weatherby going huge

She 5050’d the top rail, then did a 5050 to boardslide on the A-frame and finished up the top section with a boardslide. On the jumps she did a huge cab 5 mute to a backside 360 stalefish. Her score of 96.00 gave her the win.

Anderson, 20, won the last two stops of the Dew Tour and finished in second today after run that included a smooth boardslide to switch 5-0 and back-to-back 5s on the jumps.

Your back-to-back Dew Cup champ, Jamie Anderson

“The course took a little bit to get used to, but I’m so happy I got a run down,” Anderson said. “I hurt my ankle a little bit in practice and I’m just so happy I was able to ride and get second.”

But what really mattered was taking home the Cup.

“I’ve always liked the Dew Tour events and it was a goal of mine to do well and win the overall title so it definitely feels good to do it and get the Dew Cup,” Anderson said.

Spencer O’Brien finished on the women’s podium after earning third place with a 91.75 on her first run. She looked solid with a 5050 frontside boardslide up top and good style on the rails, and a switch backside 5 to backside 360 on the jumps.

Canada’s Spencer O’Brien coming back strong from an injury

“I’m always happy to be on the podium but I didn’t quite ride the way that I wanted to ride today,” O’Brien said. “I had a really, really rough practice but I’m just happy I laid down a run and was able to come out in third.”