Last weekend, Europe's biggest snowboard competition - The Burton European Open - wrapped up in Laax, Switzerland with some surprising results. Part of Burton's Global Open Series of contests, the BEO usually attracts some of snow sliding's biggest athletes. But with hardcore training for the upcoming Vancouver Olympics underway, plus the lucrative Dew Tour rolling through the US, quite a few of of the states-based riders (including Jamie Anderson, Jenny Jones) hadn't made the annual pilgrimage across the atlantic.
That didn't stop the BEO being any less progressive: less than a week after her win at the prestigious Roxy Chicken Jam contest, Finnish super talent Enni Rukajärvi topped the podium once more on Friday at the Slopestyle event, followed by her fellow Roxy team rider Paulina Ligocka in the pipe event on Saturday.
Read the full contest report & watch videos after the jump ->
Enni won the Slopestyle finals over eight other contestants, with a run that included a few 50-50 boardslides and spins off the rail section to start, followed by a stalefish on the quarterpipe, then massive frontside 360 indy, backside 540 mute and cab 720 spins over the kicker lines. Enni had been riding strong, smooth and solid for the entire event, but managed to just beat the likes of Sarka Pancachova to take home $15 000 prize money, 8000 BGOS and 1000 TTR points for her first place win.
above: Enni grabs her victory in the Slopestyle course's quarter pipe
Much like the headline grabbing win by Czech teen Sarka Pancachova - who came third last week after some sketchy landings - in 2009, watch out for this talented 19-year-old this winter as she shakes up the women's TTR rankings and pushes her older peers to land more than a safe 720. Local swiss snowboarder Sina Candrian took second, following her impressive second place last season at the 2009 BEO.
above: Ursina Haller's huge spins almost won her 2nd in Halfpipe
With the olympics almost here, last year's BEO pipe winner Kelly Clark didn't compete last week, instead choosing to focus on training for Vancouver (Gretchen Bleiler, Torah Bright, plus Burton rider's Hannah Teter, Spencer O'Brien and Ellery Hollingsworth were also missing). Instead Switzerland's K2 snowboarder Ursina Haller - fresh from winning the O'Neill Evolution in Davos last week, took the lead, but was then overtaken by the second run from eventual winner Paulina Ligocka - who stuck a frontside 900, followed by a backside air, a crail, a tailgrab, a frontside 720 and a cab 360 shifty. Japan's Miwa Akiko came in third.
With the TTR World Snowboard Tour well underway Sarka is still at number one - but Enni is threatening to topple her from the top spot, with Jamie Anderson close behind. So who'll win the champion title this season - or the BGO Series finalist's fat cheque? Keep checking back to nollie.tv/ttr-world-tour/ to follow the latest and find out....