Nollie: Torah Bright breaks records in the X Games Superpipe 2009

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January 29, 2009 11:42 PM

Torah Bright breaks records in the X Games Superpipe 2009

Torah Bright breaks records with the highest womens score ever in the X Games Superpipe 2009 as Gretchen Bleiler crashes bad

A no-show at the BEO, it looked like Roxy rider Torah Bright was instead training hard for the X Games: well worth it as she managed to score the highest women's score in the contest's history 97.66 - just behind general record breaker Shaun White's with an X Games score of 97.67 in the 2003 superpipe.

Keep reading for a full report, pics and videos...

As it snowed hard and the light was poor, the final saw riders go big and crash hard. Gretchen Bleiler whacked the lip hard, scorpioned and then stacked so badly on the tranny on her second run that it called for a helmet check and pulling out of her third.

Oakley pro snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler falls in her second run at the women's x games superpipe 2009 in buttermilk, aspen, colorado

Kelly Clark didn't disappoint pulling enormous airs out of the u-tube - but the extra boost also meant she stacked bad a couple of times too. 17-year old Ellery Hollingsworth was a surprise finalist, but tried to prove her credentials with a not-quite-landed cab 10.

But it was Australia's perfection princess Torah Bright who topped the podium once more tonight. The 22-year-old may not have the amplitude of her rivals but Torah's signature high-tech trickery stole the show with a run of backside 360, switch backside 720, mctwist, air to fakie to cab 720 - no other lady is landing switch back 7s, and only a few guys.

Burton pro snowboarder Kelly Clark boosts huge of the superpipe at the X Games 2009 women's halfpipe final in Buttermilk, Aspen, Colorado

The first year that women will get the same amount of prize money at the as their male colleagues, this superpipe comp proved that the standard in women's shredding is astronomical right now - and shows no signs of slowing down.

So can we always expect rider's to go huge or go home? "I think it has a little bit to do with the progression of female snowboarding right now. We're all just trying to become better snowboarders, and just pushing ourselves in the sport," said Torah. Nicely worded.

Women's halfpipe highlights:

Second place winner Kelly Clark's run:

First place winner Torah's runs:

Images courtesy of ESPN

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