News

Burton European Open Raring to Go

The MMXII space shuttle is preparing for lift-off as the world's top snowboarders get ready for orbit at the 13th annual Burton European Open from February 25th - March 3rd at LAAX/Switzerland.

Some of the sport's biggest names like Mark McMorris, Kazuhiro Kokubo, Iouri Podladtchikov, Jamie Anderson, Kelly Clark and Hannah Teter are confirmed to compete at this year's Burton European Open.

Riders to watch include Finland's Roope Tonteri, who is defending his 2011 BEO slopestyle, Belgium's wonder kid Seppe Smits, who kicked off his season with a win at the Pleasure Jam and local Swiss hero Christian Haller, who is currently sitting in the #1 spot of the Overall TTR Ranking.

Canadian Mark McMorris will travel all the way back to Switzerland, which seems to treat him well as hejust won in Davos. 2011 US Open Halfpipe Champion Kazuhiro Kokubo (JPN) will be in attendance and showcase his smooth style in the Halfpipe event.

On the women's side, Olympic Gold Medalist Kelly Clark will defend her 2011 BEO halfpipe title. She won every Burton Global Open Series (BGOS) halfpipe contest last winter and kicked the current season off with a win at the New Zealand Open last summer.

Fellow US rider and Olympic Gold Medalist Hannah Teter, Cilka Sadar (SLO), the current leader of the TTR Overall Ranking, and two-time TTR Champion Jamie Anderson will all ride in LAAX.

Also in attendance will be 2011 US Open slopestyle winner Enni Rukajärvi (FIN) and Canadian slopestyle rider Spencer O'Brien, who just came in first at the Davos event in early January.

The 13th Burton European Open, a 6Star TTR event, offers lots of prestigious titles, cash and championship points for participating riders, who will compete for top honours in Women's, Men's and Junior's slopestyle and halfpipe competitions.

A total prize money purse of US$125 000 is up for grabs as well as additional cash for the second generation of the Creative Use of Space (CUOS) Award, presented by MINI.

The male and female rider with the most creative and progressive tricks in the halfpipe and slopestyle will each win US$ 5.000. Additionally, US$ 5.000 will be awarded at the end of the season to the resort shape crew that built the most creative CUOS slopestyle featuresduring the 2011/12 Burton Global Open Series.

Besides next level snowboarding action, the BEO will feature a great selection of evening events, including top music acts. Friday, March 2nd, the "Space" theme-party will rock the Riders Palace Club with the Turntablerocker DJ set. On Saturday, March 3rd, Trouble Andrew and Reptile Youth will perform live for an unbelievable finale.