David Wise Wins Inaugural Halfpipe Gold

On Tuesday, David Wise of the United States Freeskiing Team won the first ever Olympic halfpipe gold medal. He perservered through rain, snow, and a very slow and slushy pipe to post a score of 92. Canada's mike Riddle came in a close second, and France's Kevin Rolland placed third. Wise was the favorite for gold coming into Sochi, as he has won the last three XGames halfpipe golds, and he was the only American to take gold in either ski or snowboard halfpipe so far. Another American skier, Lyman Currier, blew out his ACL on a crash during qualifications while attempting a double cork 1260.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/02/18/american-david-wise-wins-gold-halfpipe-skiing/fHsiFg1A0Fh5yLJiQ4RM9K/story.html

Oregon Avalanche Finally Safe

Last week in the Wallowa Mountains of northwestern Oregon, four skiers were caught in a deadly avalanche. Two of them died, and the other two have recently been evacuated to the hospital after a night stranded on the cold slope. They had to be carried 10 miles by snowmobile to the nearest road, where they could be picked up by an ambulance. This past year has been particularly prone to avalanches across the country, and there will surely be more to come.

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/Skiers-stranded-by-Ore-slide-en-route-to-hospital-5226726.php

Shaun White Drops Out of Slopestyle

Early this morning, February 5, world renowned snowboarder Shaun White decided to drop out of the Sochi Winter Olympic inaugural slopestyle competition. He did this in part because of a jammed wrist he suffered the day before, which is a significant injury for a snowboarder. His other reason was that the jumps on the slopestyle course are particularly large and dangerous, so White wanted to remain healthy in order to defend his 2-time gold medal in the halfpipe competition. Fellow snowboarder Torstein Horgmo, or Norway, is very awesome and he broke his collarbone Monday on the slopestyle course. I personally think White should've stayed in the slopestyle event because he was a favorite for double gold in that and the halfpipe.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/winter-olympics/26044564