The Burton European Open Snowboarding Championships kicked off its week-long birthday bash in Laax, Switzerland, this weekend with the junior slopestyle and halfpipe comps.

Over the weekend, the under-14 riders competed on the legendary BEO slopestyle course on Crap Sogn Gion. Bluebird skies and a perfectly designed course greeted the rippers in Friday’s slopestyle contest, with riders as young as eight braving the mini-spine log jib, wallride, downrail, downbox, halfpipe and three kickers!

Sixteen boys and nine girls from 14 different countries had three runs in the finals to earn their top scores. The girls started things off with 14-year-old Clémence Grimal from France dropping first with a solid run that included a straight air indy grab on the second kicker, earning her second place in the competition. Eleven-year-old Ty Walker (USA) impressed the judges with her winning run, which included a backside air over the jib, a 360 on the wallride, a switch frontside boardslide on the box, a Cab 360 and frontside air on the halfpipe feature finishing with a backside 360 tail grab, a backside air and a nosegrab on the three kickers. Fourteen-year-old Emma Bernard from France came in third place with a solid run that included a frontside 360 and Cab 360 on the halfpipe feature followed by a frontside 180, straight air indy and a straight air nosegrab on the kickers.

In Saturday’s halfpipe finals, sixteen boys and eight girls from 11 different countries had three runs to earn their top scores. The same girls who were on the podium in yesterday’s slopestyle competition were also on the podium for the halfpipe competition, just in a different order.

Fourteen-year-old Emma Bernard (FRA) earned the top spot with a frontside air, backside air, frontside mute 360, Cab 360 finishing with a nose grab to fakie. Clémence Grimal (FRA), who placed second in yesterday’s slopestyle competition, earned second place again in today’s halfpipe event with a run that included a frontside air, backside air, nose grab, mute grab, frontside 360, Cab 360 and a frontside 540. Yesterday’s girls’ slopestyle winner Ty Walker took third place in the halfpipe competition with a frontside air, backside air, frontside 360, Cab 360, straight air ending with a backside 540.

Emma said: “I’m really glad that I won because it’s my last year in the junior category and it will be more challenging for me to do well in future competitions. I was on the podium yesterday, and am happy that I did well in both events.”

Junior Slopestyle Girls’ Results
1 Walker, Ty (USA) Roxy 74.33
2 Grimal, Clémence (FRA) Roxy 73.00
3 Bernard, Emma (FRA) Roxy 72.00

Junior Halfpipe Girls’ Results
1 Bernard, Emma (FRA) Roxy 83.83
2 Grimal, Clémence (FRA) Roxy 72.17
3 Walker, Ty (USA) Roxy 60.00

For more information on the Burton European Open, head to opensnowboarding.com