Sarah Burke Takes First in Superpipe Exhibition

By Liam Downey

Today’s Men’s Ski Pipe was a hard act to follow, but the women of freeskiing adeptly shouldered the burden in this afternoon’s pipe exhibition.

Despite a strong showing from the entire field, one woman was head, shoulders, and ten points above the rest. La mujer en question is Sarah Burke, whose airs on her first hit surpassed many of the men who had gone before her: a fact which announcer Jon Symms took no small pains to point out. It’s safe, too, to say that the pioneer of women’s freeskiing is still setting the bar after nearly ten years on the scene. “Sarah’s runs have it all: the amplitude, the style, and the tricks” said fellow competitor Angeli Vanlaanen, who was sidelined from the exhibition due to a recently broken collar bone.

Despite Sarah’s dominance, every girl in the contest demonstrated a propensity for lofty, consistent runs. Jess Cumming and Jen Hudak finished second and third respectively, rewarded for consistency and the 7s which closed out their runs. Also Dania Assaly nearly landed a 9, and Roz Groenewoud stomped one of her two 9 attempts. SICK!