Barrett Christy the women's winner being obscured by Chris McNeil of Snoboard Magazine. His shot is probably better.

The 15th Annual US Open saw a few surprises in the halfpipe this year as neither favored Nitro Euro rider, Nicola Thost, nor World Championship winner Anita Schwaller made the cut for the finals. An unexpected first place went to Gnu rider Barrett Christy, an American who is rarely seen in the halfpipe outside of Vail, her local mountain.

Christy, who is known more for her high flying acrobatics off of cliffs and in contests like the Baker Banked Slalom, took today's event with a combined total 51 points in her top two runs. A beautiful run that included a 540 and a clean, perfectly landed Mctwist probably helped the judges in determining the winner.

"I never to even make top eight. I was just excited to be in the finals and never expected to win this," said Barrett Christy after receiving her trophy.

Coming in at a close second was local Tricia Byrnes who also rode incredibly clean, but fell during one of her strongest runs on a 540. Third place went to veteran US Open competitor Michele Taggart, who in spite of a recently healed broken leg and a sprained ankle at the moment, rode powerfully all day.

The level of technical difficulty for women at this year's Open was noticeably higher than in past years. This was said to be attributed to the powerhouse of European women, like fourth place Stine Brun Kjeldaas, who are pushing good height out of the halfpipe and can link a solid run of tricks and landings.

Women's Halfpipe Final Results 3.22.97
Men's Halfpipe Final Results 3.22.97

Todd Richards and the Haak Duel It Out In the Pipe 3.22.97

Ian Price Repeats, Lisa Kosglow and Brigitte Koech Share Super G Wins 3.21.97

Chris Klug and Brigitte Koech Take First In the Duel Slalom 3.20.97

1997 U.S. Open Snowboard Championships Index