Gjermund Braaten and Sina Candrian lead the swatch TTR world rankings as the Southern Hemisphere leg comes to a close

The Southern Hemisphere leg of the 2010/11 Swatch TTR World Tour has come to a close with Norwegian ripper, Gjermund Braaten, and Swiss rider, Sina Candrian, sitting atop the TTR World Rankings. The highlight of the Southern Hemisphere leg was its premier event, the 5Star Burton New Zealand Open, where riders from around the world gathered eager to secure some early-season ranking points. Unfortunately, due to a record-breaking snowstorm in Australia, the legendary 4Star Stylewars event had to be cancelled. But, a string of 3Star events went off in both New Zealand and Australia where riders were able to bank some ranking points.

Snowboard Live Scoring System Put to the Test at NZ Open
The New Zealand Open is, historically, an event where riders set the pace for the upcoming season. This year was no different especially with the added hype of the new judging system that was tested with both the riders and judges. The new system, called the Snowboard Live Scoring (SLS) system, was first introduced at the 6Star Oakley Arctic Challenge slopestyle last season and was used in the halfpipe for the first time in New Zealand. Overall, the new judging system was dubbed a success by the riders, judges and organizers and the system is slated to be used at all major Swatch TTR events in the upcoming season.

Riders from around the world secure early season TTR points
In addition to the new judging system, there was also some great riding at the New Zealand Open despite some challenging riding conditions. The slopestyle day was a foggy one, but Christian Haller (SUI) was able to power through and bag his first major TTR title, and 19-year old Jamie Anderson (USA), who has been building herself a reputation as a slopestyle superstar, took home the top spot for the women. The conditions turned around to sun and slush for the halfpipe competition where Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) and Kelly Clark (USA) took home top honors.

3Star events driving the rookie tour in the Southern Hemisphere
The rookie scene was also pumping down under with a handful of 3Star events happening in both New Zealand and Australia. The 3Star Dew Hut Jam took place at the end of July, featuring a very unique team format that the riders loved. Kiwi riders Stef Zeestraten and Jake Koia won the session as a team representing New Zealand. The 3Star Billabong Bro Down at Snow Park NZ featured a big air format and a stacked rider list. Once again, local up-and-comer, Jake Koia (NZL), took the top spot with a huge frontside 1080 melon entering the TTR Top 20 and now sits in 18th position on the World Rankings.

With two major events in the bag for the men and one major for the women for the 2010/11 season, the TTR tour will take a hiatus for a couple of months before returning to the Northern Hemisphere. Oakley Air & Style in Beijing will kick things off with a bang as the first major event for the men. After China, the tour will move on to Europe for the classic run of the O’Neill Evolution, Burton European Open and Billabong Air & Style Innsbruck. For a complete calendar of events and all the latest information on the 2010/11 TTR World Snowboard tour, head over to ttrworldtour.com.