Phoebe Novello and Hunter Wood Win Main Event Finals

This friday I drove up to Sugarloaf Maine with Phoebe and Hunter for the Main Event fianls. The 5 hour drive was filled with good conversation, strategy talks and scenery. We arrived at CVA to see our good friends Mike Mallon and Travis Moore. Travis was promoting his Argentina camp SASS. Apropos as one of the prizes up for grabs at finals was a free session at said camp.

Saturday graced us with one of the nicest days Sugarloaf has seen in years. Clear skies, mild temps, leftover powder and a great contest set-up made for an idyllic morning on the slopes. Hunter and Phoebe have new confidence and focus at comps this winter and their rise through the Main Event series has helped greatly. They rolled into the event like the champs they came out to be.
After casing a backside 360 on the 50 footer, Phoebe came back in the second run and stomped one deep. Hunter put himself high on the scorecard with a backside 900, but felt he should seal the victory with his double backflip. This trick was also sent to the bottom of the jump and stomped. One-two punch, KOs the judges and announcer...

Hunter and Phoebe both stood proudly atop the podium at day's end. Phoebe won all three stops, making her the points winner in this reputable East Coast Institution. Both riders will have their names engraved on the heavyweight belts joining a short list of current pros like Alex Duckworth, Shayne Fortier and Brandon Reis.



What else was in the purse for the Champs?

Overall Winner - Free session at South American Snow Sessions Argentina camp this summer. Phoebe won but in a shining example of showwomanship handed it to Hunter.

CASH- Hunter $500, Phoebe $250

PRODUCT- Both riders won Burton snowboards, $500 Nixon watches, helmets, hats and more.

US OPEN SLOPE SPOTS- Perhaps the sweetest prize, Hunter and Phoebe get to skip the slopestyle qualifying rounds at the US OPEN.



The trip home was tough. 7 hours in the worst driving conditions endured by this coach. Hail, lightning, rain....
Our spirits could not be dominated though and we pushed through like the Heavyweight Entourage we had become. Hunter staid awake the entire trip to keep me sane and as the sun was setting and we neared the NH border we saw a real Maine moose. As I lay safe in bed before midnight, I knew full well that one of my best days at SMS was behind me.