The "YOLO flip" has been landed

Believe it or not, even when Shawn White isn't in the competition, snowboarding does exist. In fact, there is a lot of competition out there, and while White may dominate the half-pipe year in, year out at the X Games Aspen, the other stops on the X Games tour still boast world class competitions. The men’s half-pipe competition at the X Games stop in Tignes, France is definitely one to watch.

In a competition that saw American Olympian Louie Vito battling it out with Swiss rider Louri “Ipod” Podladtchikov, as well as Frenchmen Arthur Longo, you know the competition is going to be stiff. The big talk of the competition was the massive new move dropped by Ipod. In his last run while trying to claim the lead, Ipod dropped a cab double cork 1440, which he has dubbed the “YOLO flip.” The maneuver involves three and a hlaf rotations horizontally, while also putting down two vertical flips. Ipod stuck the move, got the crowd going wild, but unfortunately hit the deck on his front double, dropping his score substantially. Ipod ended up taking fourth in the competition, but was thrilled to introduce the new move.

After Ipod’s fall, the competition was between Arthur Longo and Louie Vito. With Longo in the lead from his first run (he was also first to compete), it looked as if the competition was in the bag until Louie Vito’s final run. The American came into the last run of the day with the intent to win, and ended up dropping a run scored at 92.66. This was enough to put him at the top of the podium. Longo, though the obvious crowd favorite, settled for second with Taku Hiraoka of Japan coming in third.

For more information on X Games snowboarding or other extreme sports, head over to their ESPN-based website.

Photo courtesy of Fun Crunch