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U.S. Olympic snowboarder Kelly Clark soared to a first-place finish in the women's Grand Prix of Snowboarding in the halfpipe Saturday at Copper Mountain. Mark Fox, Summit Daily News

By Geoff Mintz, The Summit Daily News

Halfpipe snowboarding is clearly an ever-evolving and progressing sport, but when the riders are one-upping each other throughout the course of a single day, you know it was a fun contest.

Luke Mitrani and Kelly Clark rode away with wins at the U.S. Grand Prix of Snowboarding at Copper Mountain on Saturday. It was the first professional event of the North American season.

Toward the end of the guys' first run, Greg Bretz set the tone with a big, clean routine that consisted of a cab 10, a massive frontside 9 into a backside 9 and a front double cork. Mitrani began his run with a double Michalchuk into a front 9.

Kelly Clark separated herself by way of amplitude, hangtime and drift over the rest of the field.

“I was so impressed with the level of riding from the ladies," Clark said. "I thought it was one of the most progressive qualifiers and finals that I have seen, and I'm really excited for the rest of the season,” she said.

Read more about Saturday's competition and what the pros had to say.

The men's and women's halfpipe snowboard season continues this week in Breckenridge with the Dew Tour.  Check back at OutThereColorado.com on Thursday afternoon for photos!