Gatorade Free Flow Tour Finals

Words & photos by Alli Sports

With massive crowds cheering them on, the contestants at the Gatorade Free Flow Tour Finals took to the professional Winter Dew Tour courses this past weekend at Snowbasin Resort in Ogden, Utah for their chance at being crowned the 2012 Champions. Topping a competitive field of the nation’s best freeski amateurs, the slopestyle finals saw Andy Partridge picking up the win along with a pre-qualified spot at the first stop of the 2012-13 Winter Dew Tour. Sunday saw down to the wire superpipe contests as the snow began to fall on Utah, where Broby Leeds earned the victory.

 
On Friday afternoon, the contestants cleared the professionals from the slopestyle course at Snowbasin and went head-to-head for first place. Earning the win with an impressive run was Park City, Utah local Andy Partridge. The youngest skier of the day was spot on with his 270 on the down rail, front side switch-up to backside 270 off on the up-down rail, and 270 off the cannon rail, followed by a clean right 900 and big switch 1080.

 
“The course was really good,” said Partridge, only 15 years old. “I’m stoked it was on the Dew Tour course. It was a lot of fun. Competing on the Dew Tour is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, and I’m really stoked that I get to do it now.”
 
As the snow finally started to fall on the slopes of Snowbasin on Sunday, the freeskiers took to the 614-foot long pipe last, proving to the supportive crowd that the show was not over. Broby Leeds, a three-time finalist who scored himself a spot this year via the Gatorade Free Flow Tour Virtual Stop Video Contest on Newschoolers, earned the victory with a run that consisted of a first hit 9, to alley-oop 9, 7 tail, switch alley-oop 7, left 5, right 5, and finished things off with a boosty 1080.


Competing in the largest pipe in the world was no problem for the 18-year-old. “I added a couple hits, didn’t have to add in anything new but worked on performing them better,” said Leeds. With a pre-qualified spot in next season’s Winter Dew Tour, Leeds said after his five plus point win over second place, “I’m very excited! I have a lot to learn I think, but it should be lots of fun.”

 
With their wins at the Gatorade Free Flow Tour Finals, Partridge and Leeds will now make their professional contest debut at the 2012-13 Winter Dew Tour, where they will compete against the biggest names in the sport.