Burton U.S. Open hosts March 8 ‘Meet Red Gerard,’ March 9 ‘Meet Burton U.S. Snowboard team’ events in Vail
AP | AP
Mere days after he returns home from the Pyeongchang Olympics, Summit County snowboarding fans have the opportunity next week over in the Vail Valley to meet Olympic gold medalist Red Gerard and the U.S. Olympic snowboarding team.
The 17-year-old Summit County resident will be at the Burton at Arrabelle store at 675 Lionshead Place in Vail next Thursday, March 8, at 4:30 p.m. for the “Meet Red Gerard” event. The event is one of many on- and off-hill activities and competitions scheduled for next week’s 36th annual Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships at Vail Ski Resort.
Also as part of Burton U.S. Open week, a meet and greet will be hosted the following day with the Burton USA Olympic Team. The Friday, March 9, 3:30 p.m. event is scheduled for the Burton Pop-Up Shop on the resort’s Golden Peak.
Then at 4 p.m. on Friday, 2017 X Games Aspen women’s snowboard superpipe gold medalist Elena Hight will host her own meet and greet, scheduled to take place at the Clif Bar Booth in the sponsor village on Golden Peak. And then on Saturday, March 10, at 12:30 p.m., a “Ride with the Burton Team” event is scheduled at the Burton Pop-up Shop on Golden Peak.
All Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships events, including competition viewing, Solaris concerts and the U.S. Open Closing Party are free and open to the public. But, if you wish to access any activities or events that require transportation via Vail’s chairlifts, lift tickets and skiing/riding equipment are required.
The Burton Open returns to Vail for its sixth consecutive year. Gerard’s fellow Summit County Olympians Kyle Mack and Chris Corning are scheduled to take part in the Burton Open’s slopestyle competition, with semifinals taking place on Wednesday, March 7, at 12:30 p.m. Finals are scheduled for Friday, March 9, at 2 p.m.
Eighteen-year-old Corning scored the highest of the three Summit County snowboarders at last year’s Burton Open, finishing in fifth place.
The women’s slopestyle semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday, March 7, at 10 a.m. while the finals will take place on Friday, March 9, at 11 a.m.
The men’s halfpipe competition will kick off with semifinals on Thursday, March 8, at 12:30 p.m. Finals are scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. The women’s halfpipe competition will begin with semifinals at 10 a.m. on Thursday while finals will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Preps: Basalt football beats Grand Valley to open league play, stays unbeaten at 5-0
The Basalt High School football team only needed one half to put away visiting Grand Valley on Friday night, winning 42-6 in the league opener on a wet BHS field. It was also homecoming for the Longhorns.
