Christian Haller and Kelly Clark win O’Neill Evolution 2011 Halfpipe finals
January 7
Christian Haller. Photo: Frode
Christian Haller tops an all-Swiss podium at the O’Neill Evolution 2011 Halfpipe finals and Kelly Clark takes victory in the women’s final.
WHERE: Davos, Switzerland
WHEN: January 2 – 8, 2011
WHAT: MEN – Halfpipe 6Star, Slopestyle 6Star
WOMEN – Halfpipe 6Star, Slopestyle 6Star
Davos, Switzerland. 7 January 2011 – Local Davos hero Christian Haller and American halfpipe star Kelly Clark took top honours at the O’Neill Evolution Halfpipe finals in a spectacular day of snowboarding action.
It was a close fought final in the 6Star TTR Men’s competition with the top three on the podium – an all Swiss affair of Christian Haller, Iouri Podladtchikov and Jan Scherrer – exchanging the lead after each heat.
It was Christian however who took the final victory and the $15,000 prize money after his third heat run with a score of 87.45 for a run of a Backside 540 Melon, Frontside 1080 Tail, Cab 1080 Nose and Frontside 900 Mute.
“I’m feeling great. I wouldn’t have expected it – honestly!” he said. “I grew up in Davos and I grew up riding this pipe so it makes it even more speical than a normal win,” said Christian. “It’s also a really good feeling to be on top with two of my best buddies.”
Last year’s winner Iouri Podladtchikov had been leading after his second run of a Cab 720, Frontside Crippler, Backside Double McTwist 1260 and a Frontside 1080 Tail.
“I was thinking that I could have made it two wins in two years after landing my trick. But it feels great to have Christian in front of me. Of course it hurts a bit. But it’s Christian. If it was someone else I would probably be more pissed right now.”
The surprise of the day came from the 16 year old Swiss rider Jan Scherrer who finished third after leading at the end of the first heat. “I was so surprised,” said Jan who goes to school here in Davos. “It’s such a huge result for me!”
The Women’s event saw a different show with Kelly Clark dominating throughout – and the crowd gathered at the bottom of the Jakobshorn loving every move.
“I’ve never been here before,” said Kelly. “But it’s great. Having another first place let alone at a 6star is just great!”
The 27 year old American continues to push women’s riding, her second run consisting of a Frontside 900, Backside 540 Mute, Frontside 720, Indy and Cab 720 Mute.
“The sport is progressing and I just feel honoured to be part of that and part of shaping that,” said Kelly. “I love competing. I thrive in this environment. It causes me to rise to the occasion and have great riding come out. I don’t see myself slowing down any time soon,” she said.
Behind her was the 19 year old Slovenian rider Cilka Sadar in second and the Norwegian rider Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas in third.
“It’s great to finish in the top three of this 6Star TTR event,” said Kjersti. “I found it hard today because of the flat light. I didn’t get to do the tricks I had wanted to, but it’s still a good birthday present for two days ago!”
MEN AND WOMEN’S SLOPESTYLE FINALS
TOMORROW JAN 7th
10:30 12:00 SS Training
12:15 13:30 SS Women Semi Final
14:00 15:00 SS Women Final
15:00 15:15 SS Women Prizegiving
16:00 17:15 SS Men Training
17:30 18:45 SS Men Semi Final 1
19:00 20:15 SS Men Semi Final 2
20:35 21:45 SS Men Final – 10 Riders x 3 runs
21:45 22:00 SS Prizegiving
WATCH THE O’NEILL EVOLUTION FINALS LIVE at www.oneill.com/live
Follow the blogs of O’Neill team riders Fredrik Evensen and Nadja Purtschert during the O’Neill Evolution at www.oneill.com/evolution
SCHEDULE
Sun 02 Jan: Training
Mon 03 Jan: Training. HP Qualification women
Tues 04 Jan: Training. SS Qualification women
Wed 05 Jan: HP Qualification men. HP SEMI FINALS women
Thurs 06 Jan: SS Qualification men
Fri 07 Jan: Halfpipe FINALS.
Sat 08 Jan: Slopestyle FINALS
FACTS & FIGURES
Dates: 02 – 08 January 2010
Location: Bolgen, Jakobshorn, Davos, Switzerland
Rating: 6Star Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour
Prizemoney: US$ 125.000
Formats: Men 6Star Halfpipe & 6Star Slopestyle
Women 6Star Halfpipe & 6Star Slopestyle
Riders: Open qualifications with 120 spots max per contest
Eco Partners: Protect Our Winters, Summit Foundation
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Visit www.oneill.com/evolution for the daily highlight shows and news.
Event videos are available for editorial usage. Embed codes will be distributed in separate mails and as soon as they are available.
All information about Davos and the area can be found on www.davosklosters.ch.
PRESS CONTACTS
O’Neill Europe PR Switzerland: FAF AG
Lara Ellsworth-Jones Maurus Strobel
e: press@oneill.com e: media@fafag.ch
p: +31 71 56 00 800 p: +41 (0)43 444 7 448
O’Neill Switzerland International TV Distribution
Claudio Curiger Quattro Media
e: claudio.curiger@sportbrands.ch e: media@4msports.com
p: +41 55 418 40 56 p: +49 8093 572 20
ABOUT O’NEILL
O’Neill, the original California surf, snow and lifestyle brand, was founded in 1952 when a young man named Jack O’Neill took his unstoppable passion for surfing and used it to beat Mother Nature at her own game. Pioneering the world’s first neoprene surf wetsuit, Jack had successfully found a way to extend his surf sessions in the bone-chilling breaks of Northern California. He opened up the garage doors to his first surf shop soon after.
While many things have changed since those humble beginnings, Jack’s initial vision of producing functional and innovative board riding products continues to lie at the core of everything the company does. O’Neill’s set of core values – innovation in style and technology – has seen the brand devote itself wholeheartedly to the evolution of action sports. From the first neoprene surf wetsuit and board leash, to the world’s first stitchless board shorts and range of groundbreaking wearable electronics, O’Neill’s spirit of innovation will always drive the company forwards.
Today, O’Neill can be found the world over. In touch with its rich heritage and the universal appeal of board riding culture, O’Neill will always be committed to growing its reputation as one of the world’s leading youth lifestyle brands based on a unique half-century of history as the First Name in the Water.
ABOUT SWATCH
Swatch, founded in 1983 by Nicolas G. Hayek and under the presidency today of Arlette-Elsa Emch, is a leading Swiss watch and jewelry maker and one of the world’s most fashionable brands. Swatch is a member of the international Swatch Group of Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. The brand has been closely associated for many years with trendy lifestyle and popular sports, through its role as Official Timekeeper at competitive events, the introduction and development of Swatch Pro Teams, and through innovative products like the Swatch Snowpass System, a built-in access technology allowing Swatch watches to serve as ski passes at over 600 winter sports destinations around the world.
ABOUT TTR PRO SNOWBOARDING
Founded by Terje Haakonsen and industry innovators in 2002, TTR (Ticket To Ride) PRO SNOWBOARDING, is a non-profit, rider-driven organization. The TTR owns and operates the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour and the Swatch TTR World Ranking List and it strives to create the highest quality competitive snowboard environment in the world using authenticity, accessibility and innovation as guiding principles. TTR has developed the Swatch TTR World Tour into the most exposed snowboard tour worldwide featuring a 10-month season filled with hundreds of grass roots and major independent freestyle snowboarding events. Events are rated on a 1-through-6Star system, where all competing athletes earn TTR world ranking points based on the star level of each event; a 6Star event holds the highest allocation of ranking points. The top male and female riders are crowned TTR World Snowboard Tour Champion at the last 6Star event of the season – the Burton US Open. For more information, visit www.ttrworldtour.com
