Burton Canadian Open 2011: Halfpipe and Slopestyle

If not already there, the big names of the snowboarding world are off to Calgary for the slopestyle and halfpipe events of the third annual Burton Canadian Open (CANO).

Competitions of the Burton Canadian Open have already begun at the WinSport Canada’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta. World famous riders like three-time Olympian Kelly Clark and current TTR World No. 1 Jamie Anderson will join local favorites like Pierce Mimura and Brooke Voigt in one of Canada’s biggest snowboard competitions.

The Canadian Open promises an extremely competitive women's field, jam-packed with international talent. Kelly Clark has won almost every halfpipe competition this year and will be the snowboarder to beat at the CANO, especially now that she has pulled off the first-ever 1080 in a women’s snowboard competition.

Finland's Enni Rukajärvi won the Canadian Open slopestyle event last year and is looking to defend her title. Enni will have to outdo Jamie Anderson, who currently leads the TTR World Snowboard Tour.

Kendall Brown was last year’s Canadian Open halfpipe champion and she will need to put up a good fight against competitor Sina Candrian, who is currently in the lead for the Burton Global Open Series (BGOS) Championship title.

On the men’s side, Christian Haller, who currently leads the men’s BGOS championship standings, is sure to give a great performance. Chas Guldemond and Brett Esser will also be looking for a spot on the Canadian Open podium. Jack Mitrani, Ben Watts and Charles Reid are all planning to compete at this year’s Canadian Open as well.

All riders are strong contenders for winning a piece of the Canadian Open’s $50,000 prize purse and points towards both the SWATCH TTR and Burton Global Open Series 2010/2011 titles.

Additionally, riders at the Canadian Open will have a shot at the new Creative Use of Space Award by MINI, worth a total of $50,000 that will be shared by the best male and female rider who have shown creativity and progression throughout the BGOS series.

The Burton Canadian Open is free and open to the public. Halfpipe finals are scheduled for Friday, February 4 at 7:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) and slopestyle finals will be on Saturday, February 5 at 11:00 a.m. (Mountain Time).