Dew Tour 3 Slopestyle Finals

Words & photos by Rom Marcucci

Well, if you read the subtitle I’ve already spoiled it for you, so I might as well cut to the chase. Wallisch won again today. You people do read, don’t you? OK, who am I kidding, all you really want are my photos, and even those anger you because they force you to scroll down the bottom before posting 'first.' The ideal article wouldn’t be an article at all, rather a series of afterbangs set to an obscure Little Wayne mix tape, right?

The course from above ready to go

Fun fact: This guy started Newschoolers. He also called me out on Freeskier’s homepage yesterday, so now I get to call him out. If you see him, ask what he did for the very first time during the Dew Tour at Northstar.

Regardless of this tangent, let’s get back to business, which is what today was all about. I’d actually call it more business casual, if your office made you go to work on Saturdays in baggy ski pants and tall tees. Whereas yesterday’s vibe was all about the fun, today was somewhat about the fun. There was a certain nervousness in the start tent as the competitors watched each other drop. Perhaps it was the live network coverage, or that the money was really, really on the line. Everyone was glued to the moniter as each skier dropped. If tricks were stomped, cheers and claps erupted. If someone fell, the group groaned with him. When scores were announced, opinions resonated loudly.

For some reason, it felt like these guys were judging me while I took their photo: Raps, Belan, Laroche, unknown judger, Spence, Otte

Regardless of how the scoring went, with the level so high and so close, the judges worked their magic. Those guys are the best in the business. Less than three points separated the top five, and most runs were highly technical, highly stomped, or both.

How do you know when the level of competition is high? When Russ Henshaw’s double cork 12 landed him in dead last.

Nick Martini looks way smaller than his seven foot stature from this angle. Imagine how large this jump would look if Dorian still competed.

Gagnier from a weird angle

Highlights included Dumont’s K-Fed and corked high mutes...

These shots of Dumont are especially beautiful to me because they didn’t cost me my head

PK threw forward and switch double cork 1260's that landed him high enough to win the Dew Cup. Jossi’s switch right 1080 to switch double cork 1080 was a thing of beauty. Alexis’ rails were so tech. Yet they were all bested.

Wallisch spins around and around looking for his trophy

For the second day in a row, this time on national TV, Tom Wallisch was the victor. Those watching his runs in that start tent seemed genuinely enthused Tom’s day had come. The man who wasn’t allowed into previous stops and the X Games routed the competition. Other’s runs were arguably more difficult. Other’s grabs were cleaner. But not a soul on that course lands with the precision, power, and flair of Wallisch.

This shot looks just like the one I ran yesterday but better. Wait, so does Tom’s victory.

After the mens’s slopestyle, five women put on an exhibition. For some reason, only five were invited, and even though it was judged and prize money was given out, it wasn’t a competition. Is anyone else confused here? Maybe I’m way off base, but I think they deserve a little more credit than this. The camera crews, crowds, and sun ran packing after the men’s trophies were awarded, leaving a select few in for a great show.

Gillian Mciver brought the inverts, landing a rodeo. Claudia Bouvier stomped her rails and a 7. Meg Olenick scored third, with buttery smooth spins all day (day being the half hour the women were allotted for two runs)...

Meg Olenick grabs mutes

Michelle Parker proved she is back in a big way, scoring second in her second contest in quite a long time. Her rails were on point, and her spins had big, long grabs throughout them...

For a girl who only skis big mountains and powder, Michelle’s rails are on point

Slopestyle phenom Kaya Turski brought home the gold (gold being the bear like sculpture that was awarded). Kaya was skiing sans poles because she has a broken wing. While most competitors would simply drop out with a serious injury, Kaya dominated...

Kaya attempts to relocate her bad shoulder

Big spins, 270's on and off, and a huge switch 7 off the money booter landed her the well-deserved victory.

Don’t let looks be deceiving, The girls didn’t even get a podium, those are just Olenick genes.

Women's Results

1) Kaya Turski - 93.50
2) Michelle Parker - 88.67
3) Meg Olenick - 83.67
4) Claudia Bouvier - 81.83
5) Gillian Mciver - 75.00

Top to bottom: Wallisch, Godbout, and Wells

Men's Results

1) Tom Wallisch - 92.83
2) Alexis Godbout - 91.83
3) Jossi Wells - 90.50
4) Sammy Carlson - 89.83
5) Charles Gagnier - 89.17
6) PK Hunder - 89.00
7) Simon Dumont, - 85.67
8) Nick Martini - 85.50
9) Mike Riddle - 83.00.
10) Bobby Brown - 82.83

Per-Kristian gets a talking to about his Dew Cup victory: The American won the battle, but the Viking won the war.

Dew Cup Results

1) PK Hunder - 230
2) Alexis Godbout - 220
3) Bobby Brown - 205
4) Jossi Wells - 205
5) Sammy Carlson - 185
6) Henrik Harlaut - 170
7) JF Houle - 165
8) Simon Dumont - 146
9) Charles Gagnier - 137
10) Nick Martini - 136

And on the pipe side of things, as you may have already seen or heard, Tanner Hall edged out Simon Dumont tonight, taking home first along with the Dew Cup. We'll have a full report on his victory tomorrow along with everything else that went down in the stunt ditch, so stay tuned...