March 19th, 1999- Big Air Finals
The huge gamble that organizers took by holding the first ever night event in US Open history paid off in a big way Friday night, when a crowd estimated at over 4,000 bore witness to show like no other. After a one year hiatus, the US Open Big Air was back with a vengance, signaling a turning point for the longest running snowboard contest in the world.
The open qualifying format allowed for a few green apples to slip through the cracks and make it into the main event. Add in the fact that the event was judged by halfpipe judges (bad) and you had a recipe for mayhem that fueled the Finals fire.
After the national anthem (sung by Mt. Snow’s Chris Bluto) the night finals got underway. It was ladies first with Barret Christy’s mute 270 being followed up by Jamie Macleod’s Stomped cork three. Then the ante was upped considerably when Leslie Olsen went for the rodeo. East Coast darling, Lauren "Nugget" Naudascher was in there with the duct tape method, then chose to wisely sit down, for the rest of the season.
The men’s division was supposed to be for 10 men but about 15 ended up running, thanks to some creative poaching in honor of one of the greatest un-invited big air guests of all time, Nick Francke, who was recuperating from surgery, unable to take advantage of his wild card spot into the event. Half of New Hampshire was on the deck cheering on their favorite sons and daughters while the other half was there in the finish area, ready to assist when riders completed their runs. Jump highlights included, well, there weren’t many riding highlights, and most in the know were heard to admit that they had definitely seen riders, including winner Myles Hallen, land much harder tricks that they did that evening. Zach Diamond didn’t half-step though, and after over-rotating a 900 (under-rotating a 1080?) and knocking the wind out of himself Zach got right back on the horse, which had no problem leaving him with a bloody nose after his next jump.
You will probably read many mainstream accounts of the events surrounding the big air in the weeks and months to come. Without going into too much detail, here’s WHY some of the things happened on that special Friday evening. First of all, it was an East Coast snowboarding event, attended almost exclusively by an East Coast crowd that takes great pride in calling the Open its own. Much like the Indy 500, Open-goers return to Stratton year to year, prepared for anything. The night time Big Air contest was a first for the Open yet the seasoned crowd needed no primer, knew exactly what to bring and how to behave. By the time the finals came around, the excitement leveled had reach a fevered pitch, rivaling that of World Cup soccer match final, a Formula One race in Italy, or even a bull fight in Spain. It didn’t matter that the so-called big names of the big air gamed no-showed; those that had made the finals gave the crowd enough of what they wanted, and in return, showed their gratitude as only an Open crowd can. Friday night set the tone for the most memorable Open in a LONG time, more than making up for last year’s event. What happened Friday night needed to happen for so many reasons (That damn Westbeach Classic, for one, was getting a little too rad for its own good). Let the mainsteam pubs and websites bore you with poor reports and incorrect details; those that were there know what went down, and those that weren’t heard it firsthand from their friends. It’s great to have Dave Olcott, Stimilon, and the Big Air back.
Goldenbear