Devin Logan joined the duo of T Wall & T Hall in the booth tonight for Women's Streetstyle at Dew Tour '24 at Copper Mountain. The field was super stacked with 12 riders dropping at the start, with the same format as the men's. The ladies went hard from the word go, let's get into it!
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Heat 1
Lisa Zimmerman kicked things off with the bike helmet and speed shades steeze, she opened her run with a left 2 followed by a right 2p2, loose but she pulled it around. Front swap, front swap to regs was a nice closer. 85.33. Drew Hooker dropped next, less technical than Lisa's run, highlights were the big switch lip and the back swap to switch on the final rail, 79.33. Alexa was the first to tackle the gap over the barrel feature, with super nice pop with a front 2sev out, she earned an 81.66 and preliminary second. Audrey dropped last, her top section was a little loose but she dropped a safety slide on the waterfall and greased the elbow with a front 2 out, only worth 75.33.
Through run 2, Lisa wouldn't improve on her first run. Drew's run had a few early offs but she upped the back swap to a backswap front 2 on the final feature, this would improve her score to 83.66. Alexa's run was fairly loose, although she looked to front swap over the barrel. Audrey cleaned things up a little, she maybe looked to be having the most fun of anyone at the event, she gained .33 points for her efforts.
Lisa would scratch her run, but sit comfortably in first, Drew put her run down perfectly in run 3, the early offs were gone and the final blind swap cont. 2 was perfect. Earned 84.00. Alexa wouldn't be able to improve her score her run is worthy of the top spots but she wouldn't land clean enough to advance. Audrey wouldn't advance due to the tough format, but her final run was a banger, one of the more creative lines, she'd score 76.66 and not advance.
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Heat 2
Marion Balsamo got unstuck on a switch lip continuing K-fed on the flat down in the top section, the back swap continuing 2 on the bottom rail showed she had a banger run in the making. Jennie-Lee Burmansson one of the steeziest rail skiers in the game put on a clinic. She missed a few elements of her run, but the frontside surface was styled out, she fell coming out of the last rail so wouldn't put up a competitive score. Finley Good, the 15-year-old competitor, put down a solid run, she went up onto the tall wallride feature, a first for the competition. It was the first run with no bobbles, 74.66 and preliminary first. Dasha Agafonova lived up to her reputation for creativity, she pulled the wildest swerving run through the course; hippy killers, butt slides and one foots, the judges didn't like it... 41.66.
Marion put down a good run, switch lip front swap to regs, and greased the waterfall, her back swap front 2 on the final rail was a bit suspect... the rest of the run meant it was enough for 80.00. Jenny-Lee would miss the safety on her safety slide - although she's reaching for it early a la Henrik / Noah. Also riding with poles... unlike most of the field. Do we start this debate again? Tanner says "poles look lit," so that's something. Anyway, she'd score 70 and sit on the outside looking in. Finley back 2'd out of the wallride rail, one of the best looking tricks of the day, 77.33 would increase her breathing room in 2nd. Dasha would continue to create and not score.
Marion, leader, put down a conservative run, although the back surface swap on the final rail was clean, she'd stick with her 80 and watch on to see if anyone would challenge her spot. Jennie Lee skied with less technicality but the most steeze, it wouldn't be enough to get into the head-to-heads. Finley cleaned her run up and skied with speed, 78.66 added a few points to her total. Dasha continued to be Dasha and wouldn't advance but brought a new style to Dew Tour.
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Heat 3
Eileen Gu opened up proceedings for the final heat, Eileen put down a comp skier's clinic through the course, left 2 onto the down rail, switch left tails 2 to regs (maybe looking for the p2) and a left 2 onto the final feature. The only rider we've seen put 3 way 2sevs into their run, 89.66. From Eileen to Taylor we go from one end of the spectrum to the other. Taylor has so much steeze through the rails, 270 to switch on the final down rail, looking for the p2 for sure. The way she skied the waterfall rail showed true mastery as well, she 84.00. Isabella Tvede-Jensen, of Bungee Breakers would score a 62.00. It would be hard to unseat Eileen and Taylor up top. Rylie Warnick, repping Vishnus would put down a creative run, but wouldn't score highly with the judges.
Eileen would bump herself up to a 93.00 with a cleaner run. Taylor threw a whole new run, switch lip on the down rail, a super clean back 2 but she came off a little early on a front swap, she bumped her score to 87.66. Isabella would go down early on her second run. Riley wouldn't clean things up either.
Eileen went switch on to the wallride, a first for the day, she looked for a 2 to switch but didn't lace it cleanly. Run 2 would stand, as would Taylor's 2nd. Riley and Isabella wouldn't challenge the podium and Eileen and Taylor would advance. Creds to Riley for the lip on blind 2 that was perfectly steezed out.
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Head-To-Head
Lisa Zimmerman Vs Finley Good
Lisa's run had both-way 270s but one was off a little early, same with the front swap front 2, a technical run nonetheless. Finley's response featured the huge back 2 off the wallride, it was a little loose with a very heavy head on the landing. She looked for a blind 2 out of the last rail but only came to switch. Lisa laced up the left 270 to regs, followed by a right 2p2 which was perfect. She came off a little early on the front swap front 2 but the technicality of the top section would be hard to beat. Finley took a new line for the night, she hit the big transfer - shotgun to down tube. Lisa Zimmerman took the dub by 10 points, but seeing the legend that is Lisa Zimmerman battle a 15-year-old skier from Vail shows what these events do for the culture.
Marion Balsamo Vs Taylor Lundquist
Marion put down some super clean tricks in her run, lip back 2 and FS front 2 showed the technicality in her trick bag. This felt like it would be a close one. Taylor's 2-to-switch was characteristically perfect, she got snow snaked in the landing which is a huge bummer. Marion took a new line in the top section, a switch on front swap to forward on the flat-down was super impressive, she was undone by an attempted back swap cont. 2 but this would put the pressure on Taylor for the final run. taylor almost got through without issue but the front swap on the final down rail was the only imperfection (okay, maybe a slight shuffle on the 2 to switch). Marion took the W in this heat.
Eileen Gu Vs Drew Hooker
Eileen put her original run from the heats down, 3 270s, and greased them all to the end. We're quickly running out of superlatives for Eileen at this point. Drew put down a heater but really had her work cut out. She put down a good run but some early offs would need to be cleaned up. Eileens second run had the switch lip onto the wallride top feature, the jump onto the shipping container with a right 270 onto the down rail, waterfall greased to left 2 continuing 270... outrageous. Eileen, predictably, won this round.
Finals
Finals kicked off under the lights and Marion brought out some fresh heat for the finals! Her switch on front swap to regs on the top flat-down was money, she disastered the shotgun to down with a back 2 out. her closing trick was meant to be a back swap back 2 but she split the rail and it looked like it hurt... Lisa came off early on her first 2 on and couldn't bring the 2 pretz 2 around, Lisa then looked to put as many FS on the last flat-down rail. Eileen dropped last having the highest score from teh head-to-heads. Eileen ran back her first run from the head-to-heads, she lost a shoe on the last feature which would skim some points off the top. Lisa sat in first, with Eileen second and Marion third after one.
Marion would take it pretty easy on run 2, maybe a little sore from splitting a rail, we've all been there... this was such a shame because if she'd laced the Ray Charles in the first run it could have scared first, her second was still enough to score 73.33 worth preliminary first. Lisa laced her run, left 2 to regs, right 2 pretz 2, backslide and front up front up to regs (shiftied to show the control). Her best run of the night worth a 90.00, Eileen would have to be perfect to take home the W, but nobody would ever count her out... She ran back the same run, she came off the switch 2 a little early but laced the left 2 continuing 2 was perfect, the judges would have to think. Lisa's was cleanest but Eileen's was the most tech. It was enough for a 91.66 and gold.
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Results
GOLD: Eileen
Silver: Lisa
Bronze: Marion
Replay
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