Torah by Daniel Bloom

On 21 st of march the epic weather and an impeccable halfpipe greeted 15,000 fans and many of the world’s top snowboarders at the US Open Snowboarding Championships held at Stratton Mountain Resort. No strangers to the top spot on the US Open halfpipe podium, Danny Kass took home his record-setting fifth US Open halfpipe title and Torah Bright earned her third US Open halfpipe title. Bright earned a bonus $3,000 and the Amp Energy Best Trick award for her stylish switch backside 720 while Luke Mitrani claimed his second Amp Energy Best Trick award with a crowd-pleasing switch double back flip.

The women dropped in first, and Kelly Clark took the top spot early on in the competition with a frontside air, backside 540 mute grab, frontside 720 indy, Cab 720 ending with a frontside 540 earning an impressive 93 points. It wasn’t until the third and final runs that Kelly lost her hold on first place. Torah Bright’s final run stole the show when she dropped in switch, starting off with Cab 720 indy, followed by a crippler, backside 360 indy, switch backside 720 ending with a backside 540. Kelly had one more chance to top Torah’s amazing 96 points, but she fell on her last run.

Torah’s run earned her a coveted spot in the US Open history books, tying Kelly for the most US Open women’s halfpipe titles. “I feel great,” said Torah. “I didn’t realize that I tied with Kelly for the most wins. It feels really good, especially because the US Open is such a special event.”