Jamie Anderson

Balmy weather made Vermont feel more like California at the 28th annual US Open Snowboarding Championships, where Europeans Mikkel Bang (NOR) and Sina Candrian (SUI) each took home $20,000 and top slopestyle honors. Both riders are new to the top spot of the US Open slopestyle podium, adding a coveted title to their career highlights.

After the unusually hot Vermont sun set at Stratton, the Black & Night Jam was on. 25 men and 10 women had 90 minutes to get in as many runs as possible in the US Open’s fourth ever rail jam.

The setup called for creativity, with multiple riders dropping at once into what looked like a skatepark on snow. A variety of rails, boxes, mini-quarterpipes, gaps and a lift tower feature were part of the setup, providing riders with the opportunity to get multiple hits in on one run.

Sun Valley, Idaho-native Kaitlyn Farrington claimed the first Winter Dew Tour victory of her career at the women’s snowboard superpipe final at the Toyota Championship, while 28-year-old JJ Thomas pulled down the top score in the men’s competition at Mount Snow Resort to claim his first win on the three-stop circuit as well. In a night of firsts for both Farrington and Thomas, the wins for each landed them atop the year-long standings, giving them the Dew Cups in their respective disciplines.