By USSA

MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN – American snowboarders were dominant at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe event on Sunday, sweeping the men’s podium and taking two of the top three spots for the women.

Shaun White (Carlsbad) won for the men, while Kelly Clark (West Dover, Vt.) took the win for the women. Ryan Wachendorfer (Edwards, Colo.) was second and Louie Vito (Bellefontaine, Ohio) was third for the men, while Hannah Teter (Meyers) rounded out the women’s podium in third.

Teter in her first run scored 36.25 with a backside air, frontside 540, backside 540, frontside 720, Cab 360, frontside air, backside 900 crash. She fell hard on the backside 900, not taking a second pass.

Weather made an impact on the 2017 event, with snow throughout the week and high winds canceling the men’s halfpipe qualifiers on Saturday. The full field of 29 men took two runs in the final on Sunday. The women were able to get their qualifiers off on Wednesday, but three of the six women were unable to stay for the final, including Americans Chloe Kim (Torrance) and Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), which was rescheduled from Saturday to Sunday. Another Sierra storm descended upon the riders as they competed in the final on Sunday, with conditions deteriorating throughout the comp.

It was a big win for both Clark and White, who are the two most dominant halfpipe riders in snowboarding history, but had not seen the podium yet this season.

“I didn’t have the nicest contest at X (Games),” White said after his first run scored a 94.7, “so I was excited to come here and be the normal me—put some runs down.”  

It was also a huge result for Wachendorfer, who scored his first major podium after finding success on the Toyota U.S. Revolution Tour. He’s also the reigning USASA national halfpipe champion. “I’m actually staying for Rev Tour,” he said when asked where he was headed next, “so I’ll be here for another week.”