{"id":2455143,"date":"2020-02-27T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/scotty-james-tops-halfpipe-semis-at-open\/"},"modified":"2020-02-27T22:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-28T05:00:00","slug":"aussie-scotty-james-tops-halfpipe-semifinals-at-burton-us-open-in-vail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/aussie-scotty-james-tops-halfpipe-semifinals-at-burton-us-open-in-vail\/","title":{"rendered":"Aussie Scotty James tops halfpipe semifinals at Burton US Open in Vail"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8452380952381\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-321729-807\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com | Rakai Tait gets inverted off the tombstone feature during the men's halfpipe semifinals at the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships Thursday in Vail. Tait is a 2017 graduate of Vail Mountain School who now lives in New Zealand.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Rakai Tait gets inverted off the tombstone feature during the men&#8217;s halfpipe semifinals at the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships Thursday in Vail. Tait is a 2017 graduate of Vail Mountain School who now lives in New Zealand.<\/strong><br \/>Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Rakai Tait gets inverted off the tombstone feature during the men's halfpipe semifinals at the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships Thursday in Vail. Tait is a 2017 graduate of Vail Mountain School who now lives in New Zealand.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Barry Eckhaus | Special to the Daily | Jake Pates, of Eagle qualified for Saturday's Burton US Open halfpipe finals in fourth position on Thursday. Pates, 21, said he enjoyed the modified halfpipe format, which included both a 22-foot halfpipe and a 13-foot halfpipe.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13\">\n<p><strong>Jake Pates, of Eagle qualified for Saturday&#8217;s Burton US Open halfpipe finals in fourth position on Thursday. Pates, 21, said he enjoyed the modified halfpipe format, which included both a 22-foot halfpipe and a 13-foot halfpipe.<\/strong><br \/>Barry Eckhaus | Special to the Daily<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Jake Pates, of Eagle qualified for Saturday's Burton US Open halfpipe finals in fourth position on Thursday. Pates, 21, said he enjoyed the modified halfpipe format, which included both a 22-foot halfpipe and a 13-foot halfpipe.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-2-1024x720.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com | Maddie Mastro performs a grab after tapping the tombstone feature on the modified halfpipe for the Burton US Open Thursday in Vail. Mastro qualified in second position.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Maddie Mastro performs a grab after tapping the tombstone feature on the modified halfpipe for the Burton US Open Thursday in Vail. Mastro qualified in second position.<\/strong><br \/>Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-2-1024x720.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Maddie Mastro performs a grab after tapping the tombstone feature on the modified halfpipe for the Burton US Open Thursday in Vail. Mastro qualified in second position.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-3-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com | Ruki Tomita, of Japan, competes in the halfpipe semifinals at the Burton US Open Thursday in Vail. Tomita qualified for Saturday's finals in first position.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Ruki Tomita, of Japan, competes in the halfpipe semifinals at the Burton US Open Thursday in Vail. Tomita qualified for Saturday&#8217;s finals in first position.<\/strong><br \/>Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-3-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ruki Tomita, of Japan, competes in the halfpipe semifinals at the Burton US Open Thursday in Vail. Tomita qualified for Saturday's finals in first position.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-4-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com | Zoe Kalapos of Avon performs a grab in the modified superpipe at the Burton US Open snowboarding championships Thursday in Vail. Kalapos was edged out of the finals.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Zoe Kalapos of Avon performs a grab in the modified superpipe at the Burton US Open snowboarding championships Thursday in Vail. Kalapos was edged out of the finals.<\/strong><br \/>Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/MensHalfpipeSemis-VDN-022820-2-4-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Zoe Kalapos of Avon performs a grab in the modified superpipe at the Burton US Open snowboarding championships Thursday in Vail. Kalapos was edged out of the finals.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/scotty-james-tops-halfpipe-semis-at-open\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/scotty-james-tops-halfpipe-semis-at-open\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">VAIL \u2014 Twenty-nine of the world\u2019s best halfpipe riders competed Thursday in the Burton US Open halfpipe semifinals, with several Eagle County locals and athletes with local ties competing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Jake Pates, of Eagle, qualified in fourth position. He said Burton\u2019s version of the halfpipe competition this year, where a 13-foot mini-pipe precedes a shortened version of a normal competition venue, made the event more exciting. Pates has competed in the Burton US Open every year since 2013.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI think mod pipe is the new direction,\u201d he said of the \u201cmodified halfpipe\u201d concept.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Rakai Tait, a 2017 Vail Mountain School graduate, impressed crowds with his stylish interpretation of the course, leading the field for much of the first run. Tait, who is also a skateboarder, said he approached the first part of the course as if it was a skate park.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt took me a couple days to figure it out,\u201d he said. \u201cAs you\u2019re riding it, ideas start popping into your head.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">After high school, Tait moved from Eagle County to New Zealand, where he is a member of the national snowboarding team. He said he has enjoyed traveling back to Eagle County for events like the Grand Prix at Copper Mountain and the Burton US Open.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Earlier this season, Tait notched his best performance ever at the World Cup in Mammoth Mountain, where he finished seventh. That was the first time he had ever made finals at a big event. He said he wasn\u2019t expecting to make the finals among the deep field of riders at the Burton US Open, and the fact that he has a guaranteed top 10 finish at the event already makes it among the best competitions of his life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI was just stoked that I landed, and then when the score popped up, I was like \u2018Oh my God, that\u2019s crazy,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Tait said figuring out the course is as much fun as competing in it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe coolest thing about this course is deciding what line you\u2019re going to take,\u201d he said. \u201cI can go mini-pipe hit, or I can do the hit out, and you have to ask yourself which you\u2019ll have more fun doing, and which might score better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Defending champion Scotty James, who topped the field in Thurday\u2019s semifinals, said the course tests air awareness, board control and \u201cthose key fundamentals you learn from a very young age that you don\u2019t get from bouncing on the trampoline or sending yourself into an airbag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">James said the first time he tried halfpipe snowboarding, in a hand-dug, Australian terrain park, the walls were probably about the same size as the 13-foot mini-pipe on Burton\u2019s course.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI would say there\u2019s a lot of similarities between this top section in this course to my first pipe experience,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n<p>In the women\u2019s semifinal, Japan\u2019s Ruki Tomita led qualifying ahead of California\u2019s Maddie Mastro and Japan\u2019s Haruna Matsumoto. Also making the six-rider final are China\u2019s Xuetong Cai, China\u2019s Shaotong Wu and Japan\u2019s Mitsuki Ono.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:jlaconte@vaildaily.com\">jlaconte@vaildaily.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/scotty-james-tops-halfpipe-semis-at-open\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rakai Tait gets inverted off the tombstone feature during the men&#8217;s halfpipe semifinals at the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships Thursday in Vail. Tait is a 2017 graduate of Vail Mountain School who now lives in New Zealand.Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com Jake Pates, of Eagle qualified for Saturday&#8217;s Burton US Open halfpipe finals in fourth [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2455143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 13:05:23","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2455143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455143\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2455143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2455143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2455143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}