…the (almost) full story … photo: A.R.C.
The Nike 6.0 Snowboard and Ski Rail Jam went down on the Saturday night of the Wendy’s Invitational in Portland and the riding was top level, with Tom Wallisch winning the ski division. Riders began their runs from the top of a 30-foot high snow-covered platform, dropping in to hit handrails with ledges on either side. Each rider had an intro solo run, after which all riders threw down in a 30-minute jam session.
Three judges ranked the competitors based on overall impression of: variety, difficulty, technical ability and the use of course obstacles. At stake was a prize purse of nearly $14,000. The Winter Dew Tour will feature Slopestyle and Superpipe competition for both skiers and snowboarders, with events at Breckenridge Ski Resort in Breckenridge, CO (December 18-21, 2008), Mount Snow Resort in West Dover, VT (January 8-11, 2009), and Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in Lake Tahoe, CA (February 19-22, 2009).
“I think people are really stoked to see the Dew Tour come to skiing after the rep it’s built with skateboarding, BMX, and FMX,” said Wallisch. He beat out Ian Cosco, Joe Schuster, Matt Walker, Nick Martini, Peter Olenick, Francois Raymond, and John Spriggs to claim a big chunk of the $14,000 prize purse, and says he’s got his eye on the first Winter Dew Cup championship. “I think everyone’s pretty excited to have a new series that will bring something different to the competition scene this winter.”
Tom was plenty busy last season, representing AMPLID filming all over the world for parts in three different upcoming videos. Look for him in Turbo from Level 1 Productions, the Field Productions film Get Lucky, and Slammin’ from 4×9 Media, but says he hopes to compete at every stop on the Winter Dew Tour this season.
“This year I’m looking forward to skiing as much as possible, getting even more involved with AMPLID’s RnD processes, and trying to do as many competitions as I can,” says Wallisch. “I’m going to be filming and riding as much as possible, and just skiing with my friends every chance I get.”
“You see how much progression is on the scene here on the Dew Tour and it’s just insane,” says Wallisch. “I’m stoked that the Winter Dew Tour will bring our sport to the public in a bigger way and help push the progression in skiing and snowboarding the same way it’s done for these other sports. That’s what makes it fun for me, to be always learning something new, that constant thinking and constant movement towards what has never been done before, and from what I’ve seen that’s what the Dew Tour is all about.”
