The 2009 Oakley Arctic Challenge
February 6, 2009 – 3:55 am PT by MeTags: 2009 Oakley Arctic Challenge, Heikki Sorsa, Jame Blauvelt, Shaun White —
With the evolution of the modern snowboarder comes the evolution of the modern snowboard contest. So what came first? The modern snowboarder of the modern challenge? Neither because it’s an irrelevant question once THESE take over. No seriously. But in the meantime, the as the snowboarder gets better, so are the challenges and the 2009 Oakley Artic Challenge is no exception now in their 10th year. And you know that after a decade of challenges, they had to up the ante.
In 1999 Oakley asked Terje Haakonsen if he would be interested in doing a special / interactive event with several top riders, to which Haakonsen shared his idea for a new event format. Snowboarding contests had gone stale in format and the industry was hungry for someone to step in and make a change. Upon hearing the news of Terje’s idea for a new approach to an event format, Oakley and TAC crew began the progression of what The Oakley Arctic Challenge is today.
The Oakley Arctic Challenge (TAC) has been the smart fox on the competitive snowboarding scene now for many years. Free from corporate constraints, Terje and his crew have been able to implement new ideas faster and more unexpectedly then any other contest. By 2001 TAC had built the first 10-meter Quarterpipe and 6-meter Pipe; redefining snow architecture for snowboard contests. Even today, with live TV and huge arena productions, TAC is able to keep the essence of the pure jam format that was originally developed back in 1999.
Every snowboard air that has gone above the 9-meter mark in a Quarterpipe, has taken place at TAC: Heikki Sorsa was the first with his legendary world record 9.3-meter air in 2001 – which stood until 2007, when Terje set the new world record air at 9.8-meters, that same year Jake Blauvelt went 9.4 meters in a very special final round.
TAC was also Shaun White’s first International contest win in the six-meter Pipe contest in 2001. Additionally this year could be where Kevin Pearce scores the first TAC hat trick with three consecutive title wins (Kevin has one the last two Quarterpipe contests – 2007 and 2008).