Burton Snowboards announces the return of the 36th annual U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships to Vail Mountain March 5–10, 2018. As the final event of the competitive snowboarding season, following the excitement of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, the Burton U.S. Open is positioned to showcase the world’s top athletes and most progressive riders, including 2018 Olympians, competing at the top of their game in perfectly sculpted slopestyle and halfpipe venues.
In addition to top-tier snowboarding, the Burton U.S. Open features an expanded FREE Burton Concert Series featuring five nights of musical performances by some of the biggest main-stage touring bands, breakthrough musical acts and renowned DJs, plus the addition of late-night shows with special guests at Shakedown in downtown Vail. The Burton U.S. Open also continues to be a hub for fun FREE events, demos, and activities for the entire family throughout the five-day event.
As the longest-running event in competitive snowboarding, the legendary Burton U.S. Open offers the world’s top riders the chance to take home a major title and add their name to the enviable roster of past winners, with spectators invited to take in all the excitement. Expect plenty of snowboarding action throughout all five days of competition kicking off on Tuesday, March 6th with the celebrated Burton U.S. Open Junior Jam featuring a field of the top halfpipe groms aged 14 and under—16 boys and eight girls—battling it out in the 22-foot superpipe. These young riders will be competing for a piece of the $2,000 prize purse and the opportunity to compete alongside the pros in Thursday’s halfpipe semi-finals. Don’t miss this look into the future of the sport!
The pro competition gets underway on Wednesday, March 7, with the world’s top riders competing in the slopestyle semi-finals, followed by halfpipe semi-finals on Thursday, for a chance at the main event and the $343,000 prize purse. As the final event of this packed competitive snowboarding season, these riders will be ready to put down their most progressive runs in front of a cheering crowd to become part of history at the legendary Burton U.S. Open. Last year Shaun White (USA) decisively defended his U.S. Open halfpipe title with a history-making run including a Cab double cork 1440 (his first in competition), to earn a 10-point lead. Likewise, Chloe Kim (USA) successfully defended her title, improving her score with each consecutive run with tricks including a massive frontside 1080 tail grab.
In slopestyle, Anna Gasser (AUT) won her first Burton U.S. Open title by putting down arguably the greatest women’s slopestyle run of all time, with heavy rail combos and massive airs that included a Cab double underflip. Mark McMorris (CAN) dominated men’s slopestyle with a run that featured spins all four ways including a huge switch backside triple cork 1620 melon—the first time he had ever landed this trick in a slopestyle contest.
2018 marks the sixth year in a row that the Burton U.S. Open will be held at Vail Mountain where fans and families are invited to get in on all of the action on-hill and off. Burton will once again provide free snowboard and binding demos for riders to try out all of the newest 2018 equipment. Attendees will also have the opportunity to experience the new Step On™ premium on-snow demo experience. Burton Girls will also be offering demos and a free Burton Girls Ride Day for the ladies. And kids ages 3-6 years will be able to session the kids learn-to-ride Riglet Park, plus try out free Burton demo equipment and lessons.
The excitement of the Burton U.S. Open continues in the Town of Vail with an expanded FREE live Burton Concert Series (full entertainment announcement coming soon!) with musical acts set to perform on the Solaris outdoor concert stage and the newly-added Shakedown indoor venue. Attendees can also join in the fun at participating bars and restaurants throughout Vail Village offering daily Après All Day food and drinks specials, live broadcasts of the slopestyle and halfpipe events, plus giveaways and contests. Additional activities include product sampling, demos and giveaways in the Sponsor village at Golden Peak; exclusive U.S. Open gear at the Burton Pop Up Shop at the base of the slopestyle course and at Burton.com, plus opportunities to meet the pros, the annual Chill fundraiser, the closing party at the Dobson Ice arena and more.
Be sure to download the Burton U.S. Open App for all information around the 2018 Burton U.S. Open, including the competition, event and programming schedule, rider bios, results and more. The app is available now through Google Play and the App Store. Also follow #BurtonUSOpen and catch all five days of action online with slopestyle and halfpipe finals airing live on Red Bull TV and locally in Colorado on TV8 and all other semi-finals and Junior Jam competition airing live on BurtonUSOpen.com. The finals competitions will also be broadcast nationally on FS2—check your local listings for Friday and Saturday airtimes.
A big thank you to the following partners for their support of the 36th annual Burton U.S. Open: Burton, Toyota, Town of Vail, Pacifico, Clif Bar & Company, Paul Mitchell, G-Shock, Microsoft, Stoli, Rethink Water, Jack Daniels and Vail Mountain.
2018 Burton U.S. Open Competition Schedule:
Tuesday, March 6th: Halfpipe Junior Jam
Wednesday, March 7th: Men’s and Women’s Slopestyle Semi-Finals
Thursday, March 8th: Men’s and Women’s Halfpipe Semi-Finals
Friday, March 9th: Men’s and Women’s Slopestyle Finals
Saturday, March 10th: Men’s and Women’s Halfpipe Finals
The world’s best snowboarders will come together in Vail, Colorado from March 5–10, 2018 to partake in the longest running, premier snowboarding event, the Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships. By day, experience world-class halfpipe and slopestyle competition, then at night keep the momentum high with free concerts, events and activities for all-ages.
The 36th annual Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships announce the massive Burton Concert Series lineup featuring six days of non-stop entertainment in Vail, Colorado. This year’s roster of live bands and DJs includes Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, BØRNS, Dean Ween & Friends, Monophonics and more! The Burton Concert Series will run from Monday, March 5th through Saturday, March 10th in the heart of Colorado’s Vail Village following each day’s snowboard competition.
The Burton Concert Series continues to build on the close tie between snowboarding and music, which the Burton U.S. Open has celebrated throughout its 36 years. This year’s roster includes 19 unique artists including world-class reggae, jam bands, funk, and indie, plus award-winning DJs, and classic American rock. This year’s program also includes a brand new venue—in addition to the all-ages outdoor Solaris Concert Stage, performers will also take the stage at Shakedown Bar. The new venue allows for a greatly expanded lineup with additional après and late night set times. Live music at the Solaris Concert Stage and the closing party at Dobson Ice Arena continue to be FREE and open to the public. Tickets for the Shakedown Bar performances will be available for purchase in advance of the show through Shakedown Bar and at the door.
Highlights of this year’s Burton Concert Series include:
•Grammy award winning performer Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley performs Saturday night on the Solaris Concert stage. The youngest son of the legend Bob Marley is celebrated for his rousing reggae roots jams and dancehall bangers.
•Michigan-bred singer songwriter BØRNS, aka Garrett Borns, will take over Friday night on the Solaris Concert Stage with his danceable indie-pop ballads and captivating stage presence.
•One of the premier soul bands in the country, Monophonics, plays the Solaris Concert Stage on Wednesday. This Bay Area band’s live shows are a one-of-a-kind raucous, soulful experience.
•Dean Ween & Friends play Shakedown Bar après set on Thursday for an intimate acoustic performance. This is a must-see for any Ween fans.
•The closing party at Dobson Ice Arena on Saturday night will be a one-two-three punch of DJs, featuring DJ Cre8, Deejay Theory and DJ Hedspin aka “the World’s Best Party Rocker DJ.”
2018 Burton Concert Series Full Schedule:
Monday, March 5th
Late Night Live Music—Kory Montgomery, 10:00pm at Shakedown Bar
Tuesday, March 6th
Late Night Live Music—Eddie Roberts Super Jam, 9:00pm at Shakedown Bar
Wednesday, March 7th
Dangermuffin and Monophonics: 6:00pm at the Solaris Concert Stage
Late Night Live Music—Town Cavalry, 10:00pm at Shakedown Bar
Thursday, March 8th
Après All Day—Dean Ween & Friends, 4:00pm at Shakedown Bar
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (two sets): 6:00pm at the Solaris Concert Stage
Late Night Live Music—New Orleans Suspects, 10:00pm at Shakedown Bar
Friday, March 9th
BØRNS and Madaila: 6:00pm at the Solaris Concert Stage
Late Night Live Music—The Medallions, 10:00pm at Shakedown Bar
Saturday, March 10th
Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Itation Sound (DJ Nickel B + Tosheba), 6:00pm at the Solaris Concert Stage
U.S. Open Closing Party with DJ Hedspin, Deejay Theory and DJ Cre8, 9:30pm at the Dobson Ice Arena
Late Night Live Music—Brothers Keeper w/ Special Guest Dean Ween, 10:00pm at Shakedown Bar
The Solaris Concert Stage performances on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night will follow the exciting Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships Junior Jam, slopestyle and halfpipe finals awards presentations.
Come experience free nightly shows, plus the new Shakedown Bar Late Night Live Music lineup. For details on all things U.S. Open, follow the hashtag #BurtonUSOpen and head to BurtonUSOpen.com or download the official Burton U.S. Open app on your mobile device now through Google Play and the App Store.
Under blue skies more than 300 days each year, Vail is where outdoor pursuits meet village sophistication. Offering more than 5,200 acres of developed ski and snowboard terrain including seven legendary Back Bowls in winter, and flourishing with new summer activities through Epic Discovery, the options for year-round adventure are endless, coupled with the vision inherent in the spirit of Vail’s founders.