The Billabong Pipeline Masters is considered one of the most prestigious surfing contests in the world.
That made yesterday’s HIC Pipeline Pro Trials a pretty big deal, too.
The HIC Pipeline Pro Trials was run in treacherous 8- to 12-foot waves at the Banzai Pipeline yesterday.
There was no prize money at stake. But there were eight invitations to the Billabong Pipeline Masters on the line, so surfers were willing to risk their lives for it yesterday.
“It was so worth it,” Sunset Beach’s Flynn Novak said while holding an ice pack on his head. “My goal was to get into the Pipe Masters and I achieved it. Who knows what can happen now?”…Â More info
Going from zero to 60 mph in one second will make people stop and stare, but Rod Saboury need not drive his 2,400-horsepower, twin-turbo-charged Corvette that fast to grab attention.
Sometimes, the Millers resident and National Hot Rod Association driver cruises along Carroll County’s streets or pulls up into a McDonald’s drive-through, and then heads turn – fixated on the Corvette’s dragster-engine sound, fire-red exterior and hot-rod designs…Â More info
Last night in New York City, 16 illustrious snowboarders from around the globe converged at the East River Park to fight for their share of the $100,000 Red Bull Snowscrapers prize purse. The riders dropped in from a towering nine-story structure that mirrored the dramatic New York skyline. In front of 20,000 fans, athletes such as Olympic gold medalist Shaun White and X Games Champion Travis Rice soared above the cityscape off a specially constructed ramp towards an immense 80-foot long landing area.
NEW JERSEY LOCAL TAKES FIRST AND $50K
New Jersey’s own Shayne Pospisil, who started the contest as an alternate after another competitor was unable to compete due to injury, ended up grabbing first place and $50,000 by landing a backside 900 with a clean grab. “It all came together tonight. I landed all my runs,” said Pospisil after being carried away on the shoulders of the crowd. “Having all of my friends and family here is amazing. It’s a dream come true.” Finland’s Torstein Horgmo stuck a frontside …Â More info
Right, I think. I don’t have to land this jump perfectly. I just have to turn it around, in order to honour its name, the backside 180.
“You have to plan for progression, not for results,†Lesley McKenna, ace British snowboarder, tells me, standing patiently at my side. It is the end of a long afternoon’s training, and the alpenglow lights up her face, reflecting the fire in her eyes.
I set up for what is possibly the smallest kicker on the mountain. Laax, Switzerland, is known for consistently creating the best terrain parks for snowboarders and freestyle skiers in Europe… More info