BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (AP) — Shaun White looked every bit as good on the slopestyle course Friday as he did in the halfpipe the day before, finishing first in preliminaries at the year’s opening Olympic qualifying event.
The slopestyle competition, making its Olympic debut in Sochi next year, is where the questions lie for the two-time defending gold medalist on the halfpipe; White hasn’t focused on slopestyle much in recent years.
But on a crystal clear day at the Dew Tour, the world’s best snowboarder was solid.
He whipped his way through the rails and jumps with barely a bobble, scoring 93.20 points — six clear of Eric Willett.
Finals for halfpipe are set for Saturday, with the slopestyle finals Sunday. As the top finisher in both qualifiers, White will go last in both events.
