Travis Rice Rules Roost at Red Bull Supernatural

Blog Listng

February 05, 2012

+ Share

Travis Rice - photo jsullivan.

Gigi Ruf - photo jsullivan.

Nicolas Mueller - photo jsullivan.

Podium - Rice, Ruf, Mueller - photo jsullivan.

The Red Bull Supernatural went down on Saturday February 4th, 2012 under epic bluebird conditions at the "Scary Cherry" Bowl at Baldface Lodge near Neslon, British Columbia.

With over six months of physical preparation and more than two years since conception, the execution and completion of this star-studded snowboarding affair was as stylish and profound as a Jamie Lynn method.

The cast of characters represented the heaviest collection of snowboarding icons ever gathered in one spot - in such an intimate setting. Take a look at the start list and you'll agree. While X Games can claim more heads, the sheer magnitude of these snowboarding greats (including legends in attendance such as Tom Burt, Temple Cummins, Byran Iguchi, Andy Hetzel and Jamie Lynn) cannot be overstated.

The key takeaway from event day was the combination of perfect weather, perfectly untouched, deep snow, and an intense drama among the riders, none of whom had ever ridden the course.

While each were given a full day of course inspection [see video], the scale and variety of the features made any mental mastery impossible.

In addition - was the incredibly complex production on-scene from the Brainfarm crew. Curt Morgan and Chad Jackson - creators of Travis Rice's famed That's it That's All and Art of Flight, pulled all the stops in capturing the essence of the event - including two phantom cameras mounted on hovering helicopters.

"It was most amazing event I've ever experienced," said Morgan, It's incredible it came together they way it did. The riders were safe, we had 16 cameras working on the slope….I've never put so much work into one thing and had it go so perfectly."

While the snow was perfect, the course offered a seriously challenging proposition and not event Travis Rice, the eventual winner, made it through unfettered, falling twice on his last run. Yet Rice's aura lived up to expectations on his first run showing dominant form, fearlessness and flare than earned him a high score of 91.

The others that defined the podium were Gigi Ruf and Nicolas Mueller who each showcased trademark style with butters, methods, stylish nose bonks and half cabs over huge features and tricky mushrooms.

"Today with the conditions it was lined up like stars do. It was picture perfect," said Ruf. "Standing up on a podium is something unusual. I usually have the stigma of begin dead last. It's the first thing I've won in snowboarding; I'm pretty happy about that. I feel like I accomplished something, I believe."

For top finisher Rice the results of the event meant more than podiums.

“We’re walking away with a different state of mind. This was an experiment and it’s the beginning of a new, possible future for snowboarding,” says Rice. “These guys ride like this all the time. It’s just a really tough thing to capture, even in a video part. No breaks, riding first tracks and on all-natural terrain. Here we are able to showcase the talent in snowboarding today."

Red Bull Supernatural will air on NBC on March 31st from 1-3pm EST. For more visit http://www.redbullsignatureseries.com

A few other bullets of note:

- Terje Haakonsen's style, grace and methods were a thing of beauty. He's still the king.
- Young guns Mark McMorris and Sage Kostenburg were fun to watch. They took tumbles but stepped up in a big way to show they've got all the ingredients to make backcountry riders.
- Lucas Debari sent it like whoah off the heli pad.
- Scotty Lago stepped up like a boss to drop first among the 18 riders, blasting what was perhaps the largest method of the event off the first hit.
- John Jackson's double cork 1080 in the final run was certifiably badass.
- The run was 2,200 vertical feet with more than 80 man-made features

RESULTS:
1.      Travis Rice                            91.00
2.      Gigi Rüf                                84.00
3.      Nicolas Müller                     82.60
4.      John Jackson                        80.60
5.      Lucas Debari                        77.00
6.      Kazuhiro Kokubo               75.50
7.      Jake Blauvelt                        73.10
8.      David Carrier-Porcheron   69.20
9.      Eero Niemela                       68.90
10.    Devun Walsh                        68.80
11.    Mark Sollors                         68.30
12.    Terje Haakonsen                  68.20
13.    Eric Jackson                          65.80
14.    Mark Carter                          64.70
15.    Mark McMorris                    63.00
16.    Sage Kotsenburg                   62.00
17.    Scotty Lago                            59.40
18.    Mark Landvik                        55.50