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X Games 2014 – Was Halldor Helgason’s the Best Slopestyle Run of the Competition?

HE MAY NOT HAVE MADE FINALS BUT HE GOT PEOPLE TALKING

The standard of X Games competition in the slopestyle eliminations last year was insanely high. The UK watched with baited breath while Billy Morgan was bumped out of a qualifying spot at the last minute for reverting on the triple cork on his first run (a fault that to some would seem inconsequential) while Seb Toots, despite throwing four doubles, spinning three ways and stomping some of the most technical rail tricks of the day only managed to qualify 7th!

In the midst of all that madness one dude decided to make a mockery of the whole thing by just messing about.

That dude was, of course, Halldor Helgason. It had to be right? As mr “finish first or finish last” he’s got form when it comes to this sort of thing.

Halldor midway through a laid out double backflip… that’s style right there!

Pissing around, throwing butters all over the course and opening up his kicker section with a casual (and super stylish) switch back 5, he stacked on his first run, but then proceeded to do the same routine on his second – only this time he claimed every single trick like he’d just won the whole competition.

In fairness his final trick – a front rodeo 10 off the toes – was one of the techest doubles on the day, but he wasn’t really taking anything seriously there was he?

Anything that helps cement his status as a maverick is good for his reputation. So in the long run, that means this can be chalked up as another win for the cheeky chappy from Iceland…

His buddy Sage Kotsenberg seemed to take a similarly laid back approach to the whole thing, throwing a circular eurocarve into the middle of his run – a quality manoeuvre you don’t see enough of in contests. His run is also well worth a watch, if only for his signature back double 10 japan – a proper unusual looking trick.

Of course while the American commentators might have been left wishing that “a dude with so much raw talent would just throw down”, this kind of thing does Halldor no harm with snowboarders at large. In fact, anything that helps cement his status as a maverick is good for his reputation – hence the cheeky video of the event above.

His run might not have been good enough to qualify for the finals, but it will certainly be talked about long after many of the ones that were. And in the long run, that means this can be chalked up as another win for the cheeky chappy from Iceland…

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