Dew Tour excites Utah participants

Elena Hight never really thought about making a living as a snowboarder.

"It kind of just turned into a profession without me really deciding that's what I wanted to do," said the 19-year-old who will compete in this weekend's Winter Dew Tour at Snowbasin. "It was always just a really big part of my life."

Her father taught her to snowboard when she was 6 years old.

"I started competing in the USASA (amateur) contests until I was 14," she said. "When I was 13, I started competing in Grand Prixs and I qualified for the X Games."

That's when she began picking up sponsors and earning the attention of the U.S. Ski Team. In addition to representing sponsors like Toyota in the Dew Tour, she hopes to represent the U.S. in the Olympics in February.

She's concentrating on half-pipe as she competes on the Winter Dew Tour, as well as in the Grand Prix competitions, which will determine the U.S. Olympic Snowboard team. Competing on both circuits can be hectic, but she said it also keeps her sharp.

"It's definitely some added pressure and it definitely keeps me busy," she said. "I just try to stay healthy, because with all the travel it's really easy to get sick. I also try to stay energized and not get too worn out."

The half-pipes are a bit different on each circuit, with the Dew Tour half-pipe measuring 18 feet, while the Olympic half-pipe is 22 feet.

"It's kind of nice to go to the Dew Tour because it's more about just snowboarding and having fun," she said. "They both bring very good crowds."

The Winter Dew Tour includes men's and women's snowboarding in Slopestyle and Superpipe, and men's freeskiing in Slopestyle and Superpipe. The Winter Dew Tour consists of three events in which snowboard and freeski athletes earn points over the course of the season for a shot at the year-end Winter Dew Tour title.

In addition to Hight, a rising star, there are also stars like X Games gold medalist (multiple times) Andreas Wiig, a snowboarder who competes in slopestyle and Big Air; as well as Simon Dumont, who has also earned multiple X Games medals in Big Air, Slopestyle and Superpipe freeskiing. Steve Fisher and Mason Aguirre are both hoping to make the Olympic team, as well as earn a Dew Tour title. Aguirre earned a fourth-place finish in the Torino Olympics.

Salt Lake's Tom Wallisch will be a contender in freeskiing as well.