Snowboarders battled for first place in the Snow League at Buttermilk Mountain over the weekend, where Japanese snowboarders took the top spots.
Sara Shimizu secured first place in the women’s finals on Saturday.
The 16-year-old overtook Maddie Mastro — who was the lone American in Saturday’s competitions — and fellow Japanese rider Sena Tomita.
This was Shimizu’s first-ever Snow League competition.
“She realizes she used a lot of strength — a lot of physical stamina to withstand the number of runs that are involved in this competition,” an interpreter for Shimizu said. “But she’s so happy that she was able to come away with victory today.”
Iconic retired snowboarder Shaun White, who has won three Olympic gold medals, started the Snow League last year. It includes four competitions throughout the winter season across the U.S., Europe and Asia.
Athletes drop into eight head-to-head runs over the course of the weekend — what athletes say is more than any other snowboard competition out there.
Japan’s Ryusei Yamada was on the top podium for the men’s runs, followed by fellow Japanese rider Yuto Totsuka, despite both athletes falling during their final halfpipe runs.
“He saw Yuto fall,” an interpreter for Yamada said. “But he said, ‘Listen, I’m gonna go with my run no matter what.'"
Colorado’s Jake Pates took third in the men’s competition. An Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club alumnus, Pates just returned from the Olympics in Milan Cortina.
“I’ve certainly been taking inspiration from that night,” he said. “So, I'm just trying to keep that energy. Now at Snow League, I’m just gonna keep pushing myself.”
Totsuka won gold in men’s halfpipe snowboarding at the Games, and Tomita won gold in women’s halfpipe snowboarding.
Wins in the Snow League contribute to a season-long points system, and competitors earn money.
Athletes will head to the fourth and final competition of the Snow League’s first season later this month in Laax, Switzerland, where the overall Snow League women’s and men’s champions will be crowned.
