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Taylor Gold advances to Grand Prix snowboard finals, but Chase Blackwell misses the cut

Taylor Gold makes a qualifying run on the halfpipe Thursday, Dec. 9, at the U.S. Grand Prix snowboarding event at Copper Mountain Resort.
Hugh Carey/The Associated Press

On Day 2 of the U.S. Grand Prix on Thursday, Dec. 9, athletes competed in heats of the men’s and women’s snowboard halfpipe competition to earn their spots in the finals on Saturday, Dec. 11.

Summit County talent Taylor Gold and Chase Blackwell both headlined the men’s competition, with Gold competing in the first heat and Blackwell competing in the second.

Gold, who is originally from Steamboat Springs, was ready to impress as he received a score of 83 on his first run to put him in third in his heat. Gold almost matched his score on his second run of the day as he received an 82, but Gold’s first run was enough for him to stay in third in his heat and advance to Saturday’s finals.



Blackwell had some trouble in the superpipe after winning a national title at the competition last season at Buttermilk Ski Area. After scoring 36.66 on his first run, Blackwell had some work to do in order to finish in the top five of his heat to advance to the finals. On his final run, Blackwell recorded a score of 10.33, meaning he would not advance.

Americans Shaun White and Chase Josey were also able to put together runs that will advance them to the finals Saturday.



White, who is seeking to be named to his fifth Olympic team, reminded everyone why he is the seasoned veteran, scoring 77.33 on his first run of the day to coast into the finals.

Josey also made it to the final day of competition after receiving a score of 83 on his second and final run of the day.

On the women’s side of the competition, no Americans succeeded in making it to Saturday’s final. Zoe Kalapos was the top-ranked American in qualifiers, scoring 64 points for the fifth best time in her heat.

The women’s halfpipe final Saturday will feature Queralt Castellet from Spain and Xuetong Cai of China, who finished fifth in PyeongChang in 2018.

The finals are scheduled to start at noon with coverage on Peacock TV and NBCSN.

The Copper Mountain Resort Superpipe is pictured during the Grand Prix on Thursday, Dec. 9.
Chris Devore/Copper Mountain Resort

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