The Burton European Open kicked off with junior competitions this past weekend in Laax, Switzerland and will run through till Saturday, January 16th. The legendary European event is a major milestone on the Swatch TTR World Tour with two 6Star results available for the taking. With two valuable results on the line, the European Open will prove to be a pivotal point on tour where riders can solidify a shot to go for the 2010 Swatch TTR Snowboard World Champion title. With Olympic qualifications still rolling along for American athletes, some familiar faces are absent from the rider list, but there are plenty of heavy hitters who will mix things up in the TTR World Rankings. 

BEO Brings Interesting Developments to the Women’s TTR Rankings   
The women have had a crazy busy month with a triple stack of 6Star events in January. Czech destroyer, Sarka Pancochova, has been able to hold on to the Swatch TTR Tour lead over the past couple of weeks despite the heavy competition.  She will need to keep an eye on TTR veteran and current World No.2 Cheryl Maas (NED). Maas is known for her determination and big style, and she has a good chance to move ahead of Pancochova after the halfpipe finals on Saturday. Two other talented competitors that have a shot at shaking up the women’s Top 5 are current World No. 3 Sina Candrian (SUI), and World No.5 Lisa Wiik (NOR). 

One More 5Star Then A Short Olympic Break
The Swatch TTR World Tour has one more major event scheduled, the 5Star Burton Canadian Open, before the professional level events take a break for the 2010 Olympic Games. Following the Olympics, the men will have only a few more events before heading towards the last 6Star event, the Burton US Open, where the 2010 Swatch TTR Snowboard World Champion will be crowned on Saturday, March 20, 2010 The women will have two 6Star events, the Burton US Open and the Roxy Chicken Jam US.

Swatch TTR World Ranking List as of Jan. 1 2010
1. Pancochova, Sarka (CZE) 682.74
2. Maas, Cheryl (NED) 678.94
3. Candrian, Sina (SUI) 569.79
4. Sadar, Cilka (SLO) 562.37
5. Wiik, Lisa (NOR) 483.05
6. Sladics, Chanelle (USA) 467.3
7. Anderson, Jamie (USA) 455.72
8. Buaas, Kjersti Ostgaard (NOR) 426.44
9. Gotlieb, Shelly (NZL) 377.28
10. Davis-Meehan, Michaela (AUS) 337.01