Pikes Peak Region Trail Finder

BY BRIAN GOMEZ, THE GAZETTE

ASPEN – For Roz Groenewoud, the dream finally was realized. She had claimed a skiing halfpipe world title, and after two close calls, she now has a Winter X Games gold medal.

“The only thing better would have been if I got a hug from Sarah (Burke) at the bottom,” Groenewoud said Saturday on Buttermilk Mountain, her once-dry eyes filling with tears.

Groenewoud skied with passion, she skied with creativity, and most of all, she skied with a laser-sharp focus, determined to win for Burke, her Canadian teammate who died this month at 29 from a brain injury that she suffered in a training accident in Park City, Utah.

Competitors wore stickers on their helmets and ribbons on their sleeves bearing Burke’s name in a continued tribute to the four-time Winter X champion, whose influence helped catapult the sport into the Olympics, starting with the 2014 Sochi Games. Burke won last year at Winter X, and even though Groenewoud, 22, was riding momentum from her first world championship and had developed a left-side 720, she would have been the favorite.

“There was so much camaraderie between the girls” during the event, said Groenewoud, a three-time Winter X medalist with a victorious run – a 14-foot safety grab, a right-side 900, back-to-back 540s, the 720 and a switch right-side 540 – that produced the highest score in Winter X skiing superpipe history. “Really supportive,” she added. “Lots of hugs and cheering. … I think it was the most together the female ski industry has ever been.”

“Growing up, she was definitely an idol,” runner-up Maddie Bowman said. “And coming here … she made me feel so welcome.” Bronze medalist Brita Sigourney, the first female skier to throw a 1,080, called Burke a “leader to our sport, so she meant a lot to all of us, and we all looked up to her. She had the best attitude. It was just great to be around her.”

Instead of scaling down tricks or assuming a more conservative approach, the best way to honor Burke is “for us to all keep pushing each other and pushing ourselves, and try to be the best skiers we can be, and go bigger and do bigger tricks,” Groenewoud said. “All the girls showed that’s our plan. That’s what we’re going to do pushing forward.”

SKIER SURVIVES NASTY CRASH

Canadian Justin Dorey suffered only a dislocated left shoulder in a gruesome crash in the skiing superpipe finals, walking away after he wiped out as he attempted a switch double cork 1,080. The seven-time Winter X participant caught the lip of the 22-foot wall, then his head cracked off the deck, and his skis went flying as he tumbled into the pipe’s base.

“It’s a little spooky to see that before you get out there,” said Noah Bowman, the runner-up to David Wise. After Dorey spilled, Wise told himself, “Take a moment and refocus. It’s just another run. … Every run is one run of you and the halfpipe – that’s it.”

MEN’S SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE

1. Mark McMorris, Regina, Saskatchewan

2. Sage Kotsenburg, Park City, Utah

3. Peetu Piiroinen, Hyvinkaa, Finland

What to know: McMorris followed up Friday’s win in snowboard big air with a five-point victory, made possible by jumps that stood out and superior technicality on the rails

Quoting McMorris: “It’s such a good feeling to know you rode your best. And that’s all I come out to contests to do – to have fun and try to land a run that I plan in my head.”

MEN’S SNOWBOARDER X

1. Nate Holland, Sandpoint, Idaho

2. Nick Baumgartner, Iron River, Mich.

3. Jayson Hale, Sierraville, Calif.

What to know: Holland capitalized on a late crash involving Norwegian Stian Sivertzen and Pierre Vaultier of France to claim his ninth Winter X medal, including his sixth gold

Quoting Holland: “It always feels great to be on top. … It all came down to (Saturday) and I knew I had to ride my heart out to back my words up, and I was able to do that.”

WOMEN’S SNOWBOARDER X

1. Dominique Maltais, Petite-Riviere-Saint-François, Quebec

2. Alexandra Jekova, Sofia, Bulgaria

3. Maelle Ricker, Whistler, British Columbia

What to know: Maltais held the top qualifying spot, then was fastest in each elimination round and went wire to wire for her first Winter X medal, triumphing by two seconds

Quoting Maltais: “This year, I was really looking forward to winning this one. I’ve been racing really good on the World Cup circuit, and I was really positive I would win.”

MEN’S SKIING SUPERPIPE

1. David Wise, Reno, Nev.

2. Noah Bowman, Calgary, Alberta

3. Torin Yater-Wallace, Aspen

What to know: Wise combined amplitude and technical ability for his first Winter X gold, with a switch double 1,080, then back-to-back 900s and a double cork 1,260

Quoting Wise: “I just didn’t think about it as pressure. I just focused on the perfect halfpipe and perfect conditions. I wanted to show the world who I am and what I can do.”

SKIING BIG AIR

1. Bobby Brown, Breckenridge

2. Kai Mahler, Fischenthal, Switzerland

3. Jossi Wells, Wanaka, New Zealand

What to know: Brown got his fourth Winter X medal, including his third gold, with a two-point margin after a switch double misty 1,260 and a switch double cork 1,440

Quoting Brown: “Everyone is at such a high level now, no one person is that much above someone. … It’s about consistency. It’s about laying it down when it needs to be.”

MONO SKIER X QUALIFYING

1. Andrew Kurka, Palmer, Alaska

2. Gregory Peck, Wasilla, Alaska

3. Sam Ferguson, Aspen

What to know: Kurka won the qualifier for Sunday’s finals, to include eight skiers

Contact Brian Gomez: 719-636-0256 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Facebook: Brian Gomez. Twitter: @gazettehockey. Google+: Brian Gomez.