Words by Andrew J. Hogue / Photography by Aaron Blatt

Mother Nature can be a cold mistress. For those not riding today, it was a constant
struggle to stay warm. For those who were, it was all about staying safe amidst sub
zero temperatures and fifty mile per hour gusts. The semi-finals are now a wrap, but
the weather claimed its victims. Ipod, and Lago went down yesterday, and thankfully,
it won’t keep them from winter X next week. However, Brock Waring sustained a
concussion after bottoming out on the pipe today. In the end, Matt Ladley took first in
the pipe, while Erick Willet locked up the slope. What should have been a warm up for
winter X has turned into a beast of its own. In light of the east coast draught this winter,
we gotta give a shout out to Killington’s amazing crew for making this happen. Now, the
finals are here and with cash on the line: its time to drop the hammer. Let’s hope weather
permits.

In the pipe, Ladley qualified first. Close in pursuit was Luke Mitrani, Roger
Kleivdal, and Danny Davis, who placed in the top four respectively. With the dew cup
in hand, the only rider that didn’t have to bare the cold was Louie Vito and he was still
there to show his support. With Mason Aguirre and Jack Mitrani in the mix, the finals are
going to be a contest amongst Frends and close relatives. Due to the weather, the riders
kept it pretty low key during the semis. Yet, you can tell they are ready to rip and the
stage is set. Time to fly.

In other news, Eric Willet double cork 1080’ed his way into the top spot, while
Staale Sandbech and Aleksander Ostreng filled out the top three. After placing in the
top three at Breck, Gjermund Braaten, Sebastien Toutant, and Charles Reid hold golden
tickets, so they will be joining in the fun as well. In comparison to the pipe, no one
sustained serious or even mentionable injuries and lets hope it stays that way.