words and photos by John Vandervalk

Another bluebird day at Big Bear, with temps already above freezing by the time the lifts were running. The snow started off fast, but soon turned slushy with the sun beating down on it. The halfpipe had to be salted and scraped a few times, sunscreen applied even more times.

The jam session went till lunch time with Joss Christensen and Marshall Lacroix throwing huge cork 9's and alley oop 5's.

The girls lead things off with Dania Assaly coming in first with back to back 5's and finishing it off with a 7 on her final hit.

"I really enjoyed the sunny weather today and stayed positive. The pipe was a bit slushy and took some getting used to, but I'm pleased with my finish."

Marshall Lacroix took first place with good amplitude and a smooth run throwing back to back cork 9's followed by 2 huge truck 5's, then finishing it with a crowd pleasing 7.

"It's been a great day, the pipe is solid. I can't get the smile off my face right now! Coming all the way from Maine definitely makes this win feel better. Now I'm getting ready for the slopestyle tomorrow."

Tyler Homen came in second with a huge 12 on his first hit followed by a flat spin 5 to 3 to switch 7. Sean Hartel took third with a couple of 9's and a back flip to get the crowd to their feet.

As the girls proudly hoisted their hardware, so concludes another great day to ski in Southern California.

"I had a bit of a cold today, but was just gonna battle through it and hope for a good finish" said Jill Sweeney. "You couldn't ask for better weather."

Although the pipe was a little slushier then some skiers would have liked, they all came out with their best stuff and made the most of it.

"I was getting a bit of salt in my mouth on some of my spins" said Joss Christensen with a bit of a chuckle. "At least it wasn't cold and snowy today."

Men's Top 10
1) Marshall Lacroix
2) Tyler Homen
3) Sean Hartel
4) Ben Moxham
5) Christian Allen
6) Joss Christensen
7) Evan Schwartz
8) Patrick Baskins
9) John Duhamel
10) Gus Kenworthy

Women's Top 5
1) Dania Assaly
2) Jill Sweeney
3) Senia Palmacci
4) Kim Smith
5) Claudia Bouvier