Burton has announced that their CEO Laurent Potdevin has resigned. Potdevin joined Burton in 1995, was promoted to president in 2002, and finally promoted to CEO in 2005.

“Laurent and I have had a great 15 years together,” says Jake Burton Carpenter, Founder and Chairman of Burton Snowboards. “I support his decision to move on, and as a company we’ve always looked at change as an opportunity. This marks a new chapter for Burton during a time when snowboarding is gaining a lot of momentum.”

Potdevin will act as a consultant and advisor. Burton's Chairman and Founder, Jake Burton will serve as interim CEO until the company hires a new CEO.

Nikita has announced the winners of their photoshoot contest. The winners will be heading with the Nikita team to Mexico to be part of their Spring/Summer 2011 photoshoot. Nikita received over 150 entries but narrowed it down to just two.

The winners are Laura Diehm from Munich, Germany and Lynn Vanderhallen from Maasmechelen, Belgium.

Torah Bright has been named the the Ski & Snowboard Australian Athlete of the Year along with fellow gold medalist Lydia Lassila.

Bright has been named the Australian Athlete of the Year several times, but it's her first time being earning the highest accolade in Australian winter sports.

via Brisbane Times

Westbeach is giving away a free summer session at Camp of Champions. All you have to do is show them how bad you want it with a video or photograph.

Email your plea with the photograph or link to your video on youtube/vimeo to canada@westbeach.com (subject line 'Camp of Champions').

The most creative entry will win.Contest Closes June 20, 2010.

Westbeach has just started a huge sale on all of their outerwear. They are offering 50% off this season's jackets and pants via their website - http://westbeach.com.

Mammoth Mountain has just announced they are extending their operations until July 4th.  They received over 41 feet of snow this season and currently have a base of 11 to 14 feet.

“We have the best April snow conditions I’ve seen in my 32 years on the mountain.  With as much snow as we have, our customers would riot if we closed down as early as the other ski resorts.  Keeping the mountain open until July 4^th is what ‘Playing Big’ is all about,” said Rusty Gregory, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mammoth Mountain.

If you buy a 2010-2011 Season Pass you can ride free starting May 1st.

http://mammothmountain.com

Bonfire has welcomed Desiree Melancon to their team. Also on the Salomon team, Desiree is currently filming with the Peep Show crew.

On being on Bonfire, Desiree said, "The team is sick. Some of my favorite snowboarders are on Bonfire so it makes me feel good to be a part of it. It’s also cool to work with the designers Shawn and Kate on stuff that I’m really siked [sic] on.  I love that the pants fit me nice and that the jackets are long and super waterproof."

Kazuhiro Kokubo (JPN) and Kelly Clark (USA) won the weekend's US Open halfpipe finals, where thousands of fans enjoyed some of the most progressive riding in halfpipe history. The contest marked a historic moment for Kelly Clark, who is now the only woman in US Open history to win four halfpipe titles. Kazu's win was also a landmark as it was his first time winning a US Open title. 

"It was so great to win here, especially because my good friends Mikkel Bang and Charles Reid also won titles, which made my win feel even better," said Kazuhiro Kokubo.

In addition to the coveted US Open halfpipe crowns, three major titles were also awarded today, including a new Volvo to top US Open male and female overall riders Ulrik Badertscher (NOR) and Jamie Anderson (USA). Peetu Piiroinen (FIN) was on the podium for three different awards, taking home a total of $103,250 in winnings today alone. He won the $3000 Kodak Best Trick award for his Cab 1080 double cork, the $50,000 men's Burton Global Open Series (BGOS) title, the $50,000 men's Swatch TTR World Tour Championship title, plus $250 for his 12th place halfpipe finish.

Fellow Finnish rider Enni Rukajärvi (FIN) won the women's 2010 BGOS championship title and a $50,000 check. And for the first time, second and third place BGOS ranked riders took home $30,000 and $20,000 respectively. 

"This is so special and overwhelming - I'm the first guy who has won both the BGOS and TTR titles twice," said 2010 Olympic silver medalist Peetu Piiroinen. "I've had an incredible season."

The women's halfpipe contest was dominated by the Americans, who swept the podium. Kelly Clark secured her fourth US Open halfpipe title with her first run, earning an unbeatable 94.17 with her signature style and huge airs. Her run started with a huge frontside air, a backside 540 mute grab, a frontside 720, and a Cab 720 mute, finishing with a frontside corked 900, which also earned her the $3,000 Totino's Highest Air Award. Coming in second place was Kaitlyn Farrington (USA) with a strong run that included back-to-back 720s. Ellery Hollingsworth (USA) rounded out the women's halfpipe podium with her third place finish and also earned the Kodak Best Trick for her Michalchuk.

"It's amazing that it's my fourth US Open halfpipe title," said Kelly Clark. "It's so great to come home after such a long season and win here."

Double corks were the trick of the day in the men's halfpipe competition, with podium winners throwing down double corks in every run. First Iouri Podladtchikov (SUI) stepped it up with a mind-blowing run that included a backside 1260 double cork in the middle of his run. Then Louie Vito (USA) topped Iouri by nailing three double corks in his first run, taking the lead by a mere fraction of a point. But it was Kazuhiro Kokubo's signature smooth style that put him on the top spot of the US Open halfpipe podium for the first time, with a run that included a frontside 900 melon, his crowd-favorite McTwist Chicken Wing trick followed by three 1080s. 2010 Olympic bronze medalist Scotty Lago (USA) won the Totino's Highest Air award.

Be sure to watch the US Open on ABC on March 27 at 5:00 pm EST and 3:00 pm PST.

After the unusually hot Vermont sun set at Stratton, the Black & Night Jam was on. 25 men and 10 women had 90 minutes to get in as many runs as possible in the US Open's fourth ever rail jam.