Bleiler soars to superpipe gold

ASPEN, Colo. -- Gretchen Bleiler wore a sunburst yellow outfit Friday night and, with an electrifying second run above the icy superpipe walls, she earned an X Games gold medal.

The crowd cheered its resident hero, who treated the downward-sloped U-shaped venue as her personal runway.

Bleiler edged last year’s winner, Torah Bright, largely on the merits of a front-side 900, a flip-trick called a crippler and back-to-back 720s for a score of 93.33.

But if the judges awarded style points, she might have earned a perfect 100.

That’s because Bleiler, 26, who has three X Games gold medals and an Olympic silver medal, is breaking into her own as a clothing designer.

“This is the banana suit,” a beaming Bleiler said, moments after her triumph. “I didn’t want anyone to miss me tonight so I decided to wear the all-yellow.”

Her pants and jacket are part of the GB Collection, created in partnership with Oakley, due out this fall.

And ever the environmentalist, Bleiler insisted that line also feature an eco-jacket, which is made of recyclable material and is itself recyclable.

“If I put my name to something I want total input,” she added, citing a year-long involvement in the design process.

“I want to be involved as much as I can be. And of course I wanted it to be perfect.”

Remarkably, she has had time to keep up with the swiftly rising progression of her sport.

Kelly Clark, the 2002 Olympic gold medalist, led after the first of three runs with incredibly big airs and an amazing 900-grab for a score of 90.00.

Bright moved into second with an 89.66 after nailing several difficult switch-stance tricks, including a backside 720.

Bleiler’s first run was marred by a slip after her final trick. She settled for 89.33 points and third place out of six riders in the best-of-three-runs final.

But the Aspen resident, also an avid surfer who recently bought a home in Carlsbad, was nearly flawless on her second run, putting up a score neither Bright nor Clark could match. Bright came closest with a third-run score of 92.66.

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Palmer rides again

Shaun Palmer’s life is a series of peaks and valleys.

When he was young and brash he was practically unbeatable on a snowboard or skis, mountain bike or motorcycle. He earned millions and seemed on top of the world--until 2005, when burnout and partying knocked him down. The low point came May 30 of that year. After a business deal gone sour, Palmer overdosed on alcohol, painkillers and cocaine and slipped into a coma.

He emerged with a new lease, a vow of sobriety and powerful desire to rekindle his career and become an Olympic hero.

He made the U.S. snowboardcross team in 2006, but suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon weeks before the Games.

That only slowed the legendary bad-boy athlete. Today he’s among favorites to win the Snowboard X final on Buttermilk Mountain.

Already this winter he won a Jeep King of the Mountain competition at Breckenridge, and finished second at a World Cup contest in Austria.

The former triumph landed him a spot on the U.S. Snowboarding “A” squad.

Remarkably, Palmer is 39 -- ancient for this demanding kind of side-by-side downhill racing. He’s the oldest athlete at the X Games.

“It really is a great comeback for him,” said Peter Foley, U.S. Snowboarding head coach.

Apparently, it’s also a bit of a struggle. After the King of the Mountain triumph, Palmer lapped champagne showered upon him during his victory celebration.

Asked this week if he’s still sober, he confessed, “I’ve partied a few times and I know it’s a problem for me and I’m not scared to admit that,” he said. “But I have not had a drink since the first of the year and I don’t feel like I need one.”

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Shaun on Shaun

Asked what it feels like to be the “other Shaun,” in reference to Shaun White, who is the biggest action sports star on the planet, Palmer was quick to point out that both Shauns have six X Games gold medals.

“I’m the one who paved his road,” Palmer said. My name’s spelled S-h-a-u-n too and I was the first one so . . .

“But it don’t matter. I’m proud of the kid, though I’d love to come out of here with more gold medals than him.”

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Midwest flavor

Tucker Hibbert says, “I’m not big on speed, but I’ve been well over 100 mph on a snowmobile.”

Slow-poke Hibbert will be angling to win tonight’s SnoCross final and assures that if you hail from Minnesota, as he does, you ride a snowmobile.

Asked what’s more popular, snowmobiling or ice fishing, he responded: “Well, a lot of people use snowmobiles to go ice-fishing, so they kind of go hand in hand.”

SnoCross racing is done over a supercross-style track with jumps and tight turns. “So we’ll only be able to reach speeds of 50-60 mph,” Hibbert said.

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Results

* Snowboard superpipe: 1. Gretchen Bleiler, 93.33

2. Torah Bright, 92.66.

3. Kelly Clark, 90.00.

* Women’s skiing superpipe: 1. Sarah Burke, 92.00 points. 2. Mirjam Jaeger, 81.33. 3. Jen Hudak, 78.33.

* Men’s ski big air: 1. Jon Olsson. 2. Charles Gagnier.

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