Shaun White posts top snowboard score with 'Mctwist 1260'

PARK CITY — It took a loss to help Shaun White conquer his fear and land the most difficult trick the Olympic Gold medalist has ever attempted.

"It's the best trick I've ever done," said White, who scored 49 on his first run of a snowy night at Park City Mountain Resort in the first of two Grand Prix events that will determine who represents the U.S. in snowboarding at the Olympics next month.

"I was scared. I have never admitted that. I was scared to do that trick. It's intimidating. It's such a commitment right off the bat. ... It takes all your energy and focus. I'm just happy to have that trick now."

White credited Danny Davis for pushing him to new heights — literally.

"I gotta thank Danny Davis for beating me at the last event," he said. "I wanted to lock my spot down. I was just so upset. I don't know, I just needed that extra push. I hit my head three or four times on this trick. Obviously, friends have hit their heads this year. ... It is on my mind. It's a very tough time for us."

Davis and Kevin Pearce were expected to contend for a spot on the Olympic Team but are out for the season with injuries. Davis, who was sitting third in the Grand Prix standings and likely would have made the Olympic Team, fractured his lower back and pelvis in an ATV accident last week in Park City. Davis earned a record-breaking 49.2 in a run that he dedicated to Pearce when he bested White.

Pearce suffered a severe concussion while training in Park City on Dec. 31. Many fans held signs honoring Pearce and many athletes have stickers that say "I ride for Kevin" on their boards.

"It's just tough," he said of losing two top snowboarders in an Olympic year. "It's unfortunate. It's just strange not to see them. So when you see the banners, you see the stickers, it feels like (they're) still around."

White said he was supposed to go from the Grand Prix in Mammoth Mountain to Los Angeles for a visit with family and friends. But after losing to Davis, he headed to Utah.

"I panicked, booked it straight to here and the next day I learned it," he said. "It was a good call."

White said he's been trying to land the new trick for a long time and only Pearce was attempting anything like it. He calls it the Mctwist 1260 and it thrilled the crowd that braved snow and cold temperatures Friday night.