Roope Tonteri Wins the TTR World Tour Burn River Jump
OutdoorHub 02.24.12
The winner of the TTR BURN RIVER JUMP 2012 is Roope Tonteri. In an exciting and thrilling super-final the 19 year old Finnish was vested with the prestigious title, US$ 15.000 and important 800 points for the TTR Overall World ranking. As BURN JIB MASTER 2012 the Canadian Mark McMorris earned US$ 3.000 for his Switch Hardway 270 on 270 out on the down-rail.
Thousands of spectators joined this unique event in the centre of the Italian winter sports resort Livigno. The Set-Up at the Mottolino Fun Mountain Area was in a perfect shape, right for creative snowboard action. 16 competitors from 8 countries, composed by riders out of the qualifications, wildcard holders and invited international top stars, illuminated the night with gunfire of tricks.
The judging was arranged in two parts: 50% for the action on the main kicker (measures: 20 m, 3,5 m, 60 m), and 50 % for the jump over the river “Spoel”, the most affected attraction for the public, and the jibbing playground in the finish area, giving the riders five possibilities to perform (Burn can, down-rail, double-tube, kinked rail or small box).
The best four riders passed into the super-finals, based on the k.o. system. Hot duels were offered to the crowd: Roope Tonteri against Mark McMorris and Staale Sandbech against Ulrik Badertscher. Four world- class freestylers, all four capable to win the contest. But this night Roope and Ulrik advanced to the final round matching for the victory. Roope Tonteri showed a huge Cab 1260 followed by a Backside 900 over the River “Spoel” finishing with a Boardslide 270 on. That was a hard act to follow for Ulrik Badertscher, who started with a Backside 1080, a double Backside Rodeo 900 and ended up his run with a cab 270 hardway. 91.33 to 90.33 points in favour of the Finnish was the message of the four judges.
Right after the decision smiling Roope Tonteri had this to say: “My heart is beating so fast. I am happy to be here. I feel really good at the River Jump. This morning I had a sauna and then I came to the contest. But I didn’t expect this victory. Ulrik’s run was so strong.” The podium was completed by the 2012 Double X-Games Winner Mark McMorris, who additionally to the third place in the big air competition won the BURN JIB MASTER part.
Pietro Colturi, the inventor of the event, is highly pleased with the BURN RIVER JUMP 2012 in Livigno as the riders, spectators and partners are. They are all calling for the 7th edition next year.
The 2011-2012 Tour finale is drawing nearer, Stale Sandbech is currently leading the TTR Overall Ranking. Jan Scherrer made his way into the top five today, improving from the 7th to 4th position. Mark McMorris dropped one spot, even though he made it to the final and came in third, he was not able to beat his own best Big Air results for the 2011-2012 season. Today’s results will count towards the Big Air rankings for the 2012-2013 season, with the Big Air Tour Champion Seppe Smits crowned at the last 6Star event of 2011-2012, the Billabong Air&Style in Innsbruck.
