Under Armour Slopestyle Video Open

Interview by Mike Rogge

Hey Scott, how's it going?

I'm good. I got my visa, just got into the states on Wednesday and have been spending the last few days getting settled in Breckenridge.

How's your winter been?

This winter is kind of a write off, since the biggest trick I have done is a switch 180 on a 15 foot jump. I have skied a total of 6 hours this season. I went skiing with Dave Crichton and Corey Grinnell at a small hill 15 minutes from Ottawa called Camp Fortune. We took three runs through the "expert park" before we got kicked out by patrol for ducking a rope. There idea of an expert park is three jumps varying from 15 feet to 30 feet long. Crichton still has all the skills as before. I'm planning on competing at the US Open and WSI and we will see what other fun things I can do before the winter ends. Maybe I should shoot a short segment.

Hibbert screamin semen'ing it up at Momentum last summer. photo: Jeff Schmuck

Tell me about the new contest you're launching today with Newschoolers.com?

The new contest is called the Under Armour Slopestyle Video Open. I came up with it as I was driving over to my friends house for a poker game. I had been reading the Newschoolers forum earlier that week and noticed that people were complaining about not having enough open slopestyle comps this year. Knowing that there was not enough time to organize a traditional competition the Under Armour Slopestyle Video Open was born.

What does the Internet course look like?

There is no set course. The idea is you can go to whatever mountain you want to shoot your slopestyle run. To make things a little more consistent and easier to judge, you will need to hit your best 6 features in your park with a minimum or 2 jumps and 2 rails, the other 2 features are your choice.

Obviously some folks are more fortunate to ski mountains with epic parks. What about the kid in Rochester or the midwest skiing 900 feet of vertical?

Yeah, obviously it won't be perfect, but with free registration and cash prizes I think it is still worth it for them. The judges (which include myself, the original Dave Crichton, Tanner Rainville, Justin Dorey and Michael Clarke) will be looking for overall impression, GRABS, and smooth stylie tricks. I think this will help the east coast kids have close, to even playing field.

...and just in case you didn't know, J-Bone rules. photo: John Vandervalk

When does the contest officially begin, end, and who can enter?

You can start shooting your slopestyle run today. We will have the contest page ready for video submissions on Monday, Feb 16th and you will have until Sunday, March 8th to submit it. The contest will be closed for judging for a week and then the top 20 guys and top 10 girls will be announced on Sunday March 15th at 10pm EST and advance to the finals, where they will be required to submit a new video for their final run. The final submissions must be in by 11:59pm EST Wednesday April 1st. And just to clarify, the finals run can be filmed at any point throughout the whole contest. It does not need to be filmed after the finalists have been announced.
 
Let's say I produce two banger slopestyle runs and I win (this will not happen). What do I win?

(laughs) Rogge you never know, you have a month to practice and film it. I have not figured on the exact prize beakdowns, but there is a $5000 purse that will be split between guys and girls top 3 spots. First place for the guys will probably be something around $1500. Girls first place will probably be around $1000. We will also have product prizes for best single jump trick and best single rail trick that will be voted on by the Newschoolers community.

Whoa. That's a lot of loot! What are the rules of the contest?

-Use the best 6 features in your park- minimum of 2 jumps and 2 rails, the other 2 features are your choice.
-The video of your run must be a follow cam.
No editing allowed
-No stopping in the middle of a run.
-If you want to add music to it that is ok
-You must submit your video through NS and this contest page.
-You can only submit 1 video of your run. 

To check out all the rules, regulations and specifics, click here.

What do you hope to do with this contest?

With the lack of open events this year, I hope people take it as seriously as they would if it was a competition they had to travel to. This gives kids from anywhere a chance to get their name out there, and assuming this year is successful, I hope to make this an annual competition.
 
Why do this contest with NS?

I went with Newschoolers.com because it’s the biggest community of freeskiers that are constantly talking about freeskiing. It just seems like a good place to hold a competition and get the most competitors.

And lastly, are you still the Prime Minister of Canada?

(laughs) No, last time I checked Stephen Harper is...since I will be in the States for the next couple of years.

For more details, rules, regulations and to enter this kick ass contest, head on over to our contest section. Big ups to Under Armour and Scott Hibbert for hooking up this unique and amazing opportunity.