Taku Hiraoka – He’s won medals at both the Olympics and the 2015 X Games, but Taku is still waiting for that first high-profile win. He’s certainly got the skills, and boasts one of the finest first hits in history – can he finally get to the top step in Breck?
Kelly Clark – Amplitude and technical ability have made Kelly the world’s most successful halfpipe competitor of all time. It’s been thirteen years since she won Olympic gold, and she’s still winning regularly – including at last year’s Dew Tour. If not Chloe, then we expect Kelly to bring home the gold.
Kelly Clark’s winning run from Dew Tour 2014
Matt Ladley – This American has been a journeyman on the halfpipe circuit for years, and regularly makes the finals if not the podium. However, his shots at Peace Park 2015 were some of the best – if he can apply that style to a solid pipe run, he could be right up there.
Ayumu Hirano – It’s hard to believe that this guy is still just 17, given how long he’s been terrorising the pipe with truly monstrous airs. A silver medallist at both the X Games and the Olympics, if he’s not on the podium again at Dew we’ll be pretty surprised.
Brett Esser – A relative unknown, Brett has nevertheless been a contest regular for some time, and has appeared at the X Games as well as previous Dew Tours. Plus he’s a Breck local, so will have the wind at his back one the crowd gets going.
Scotty James – This young Aussie made the podium last year, thanks to a seriously styley run that included a backside alley-oop rodeo and a massive switch air to regular. If he puts down a similar run in 2015, he’ll be right up there once more.
Yiwei Zhang – It was second place for the Chinese rider in 2014, and he’ll naturally be looking to go one better this year. His arsenal was already formidable, but now he’s got the triple cork. The jury’s out as to whether or not he’ll unleash it in Breck, but if he does then that may be enough for the win.
Taylor Gold – Despite only squeaking through to the finals last year, Taylor put down one hell of a first run and that was all she wrote. Having also won the Red Bull Double Pipe in 2014, he’s a formidable competitor that stands a very good chance of doing the Dew Tour double.
Taylor Gold’s winning run from Dew Tour 2014
