World Cup Halfpipe: Rolland lands new trick, earns win

PARK CITY — Two years ago, Kevin Rolland of France had an idea for a new trick. A week ago, he tried it. Saturday, he landed it — twice — and won the World Cup Halfpipe/Skiing event.

The trick was a double flip — lots of big air, two complete flips and a perfect landing on the steep sidehill of Park City Mountain Resort's Superpipe.

Pushing the limits was what it took to win.

Angeli Vanlannen of Washington went for a couple of right-side spins and a "7," tricks she was not particularly comfortable with, but hit them perfectly and won the women's title.

In all, 67 athletes, most on the younger side of 20, competed in the halfpipe event. Twenty-four — 12 men and 12 women — qualified for the finals, where it came down to the best of two runs.

Walter Wood of Evergreen, Colo., pushed his routine and threw down a "Right 1440" or four complete spins in the air before landing, along with a 1260, a left "Five" or one-and-a-half spins, and a "Left Nine" or a 900-degree rotation.

"It's the first time I've thrown a 1440 in competition. I went for it, and it worked out," he said.

It was enough to put him in first after the first run but not enough to hold the lead. He finished third, scoring a 46.1 on his first and a 42.8 on his second attempt.

"I didn't think much about the other competitors. I set goals for myself that I wanted to reach today, and I did that," he said.

Rolland scored a 41.8 on his first run and a 48.1 on his final run to win. Xavier Bertoni, also from France, finished second with a second-run score of 47.2. Bertoni won the X Games gold a few weeks ago, beating out Tanner Hall, who lives in Park City. Hall was a no-show for this event.

Colby West was fifth, Taylor Seaton was sixth and Evan Schwartz was eighth — all are from the United States. Seven of the final 12 competitors were from the U.S.

Vanlaanen hit her winning score on the finals run. Her first was a 20.9 after a missed trick and a fall, and her second was a 36.6. Megan Gunning of Canada was second with a high of 34.8, and Anais Caradeux of France was third with a 33.9.

Vanlaanen's run consisted of a "540 Mute" or a one-and-a-half spin with a ski grab, then a "Right 540" and another "540 Mute" and ended with a big "720," which she hit perfectly.

This win was particularly important, she said.

"I'm coming back from an injury. I broke my collarbone two months ago. I had surgery and came back in time for the X Games. I played it safe at the X Games and was able to come here and really put down my tricks," she added.

The best local performer was Siena Palmacci of Park City. She finished sixth with a score of 31, which she hit on her second run. Another local, Kim Sharp, finished seventh with a second-run best of 30.8.

Halfpipe/Skiing is a twin event to Halfpipe/Snowboarding. And, while snowboarding is an Olympic event, skiing isn't. It will be included in the World Championships in 2011 and will try to be included in the 2014 Games, along with women's ski jumping.