Vans Hi-Standard Series Tour Culminates At Sierra-At-Tahoe In California
The celebrated Vans Hi-Standard international snowboarding series closes out its 2018 tour with the grand finale at Sierra-at-Tahoe in California. After nine exciting stops around the world, the final event brought together regional MVPs from Canada, South Korea, Finland and the US to ride alongside local Tahoe talent for a final attempt to claim the 2018 Vans Hi-Standard Series ultimate MVP title. Taking cues from Vans team riders Chris Roach, Mike Ravelson and Lucas Baume aka “Yung Doli”, Colorado’s Dylan Okurowski’s standout style conquered the freshly built course with a huge bag of tricks, to earn him the coveted Hi-Standard Series MVP victory. On par with Okurowski, and in a Hi-Standard Series first, South Lake Tahoe local Alli Fox charged the course with poise and grace to win the first-ever Vans Hi-Standard Series women’s MVP award. The grand finale showcased a phenomenal day of snowboarding to celebrate yet another incredible year of raw and creative snowboarding style.
“I came out here to have fun and the course was super rad, everyone crushed it,” states Dylan Okurowski. “Riding powder with the Vans snow team was so sick, icing on the cake for sure!”
Sierra-at-Tahoe’s park crew put together an exclusive skateboarding-inspired course that featured a unique big air jump, a massive wallride, a pine tree pole jam, and a rhythm section with multiple hips and transfer options which lead into a rail garden. The open jam session awarded more than $2,500 on the spot for the most creative maneuvers, judged by special guests and Vans global snow team riders Pat Moore and Zac Marben. Vans team riders Parker Szumowski and Yawgoon Members Marcus Rand, Brian Skorupski and Dylan Gamache were also present as formal judges for the rail jam contest. Incredible moves were secured left and right, but it was Saku Tiilikainen’s frontside 270 boardslide 270 out on the down flat down rail that proved worthy of the Van Doren Best Trick. Whitney Teague took home the first women’s division Van Doren Best Trick with a 50-50 boardslide to fakie on the same down flat down rail.
“Traveling with the Vans Hi-Standard Series has been an amazing opportunity for the Vans snow team to ride with local riders in places like South Korea, China and the grand finale here at Sierra-at-Tahoe,” says Vans global team rider Pat Moore. “To be a part of snowboarding all over the world and riding with the local kids has been a blast.”
To cap off the Hi-Standard Series grand finale, residents and competitors joined Vans team riders for a local premiere of Vans’ first-ever snowboard film LANDLINE.
2018 Hi-Standard Series Grand Finale Results
- Men’s MVP – Dylan Okurowski
- Women’s MVP – Alli Fox
- Men’s Rail Jam Best Trick 16 and over – Saku Tiilikainen
- Men’s Rail Jam Best Trick 15 and under with 30 and over – Shaun Murphy
- Women’s Rail Jam Best Trick 16 and over – Whitney Teague
- Women’s Rail Jam Best Trick 15 and under – Jes Albary
- Most Improved – Devon Smead
The 2018 Vans Hi-Standard Series is one of the largest amateur snowboarding contest series in the world, welcoming competitors of all ages and levels to express style and creativity on a global stage. Free and open to the public, the Vans Hi-Standard Series fosters creativity on and off the board with House of Vans workshops, creating new and engaging opportunities to showcase emerging local talent
