Steve Fisher (St. Louis Park, MN) kept the engines rolling Sunday with a $12,000 win from the last stop of the Triple Crown at Northstar-at-Tahoe for his second consecutive victory. Fisher posted his first World Cup win last weekend in Joetsu, Japan. Fellow U.S. Snowboarding rider Hannah Teter (Belmont, VT) was second behind Olympic gold medalist Kelly Clark (Mount. Snow, VT), despite still recovering from an injury suffered in Japan.

"It feels so good to get two in a row," said Fisher, who also won the first stop of the Triple Crown in his new winter home of Breckenridge, Colo. in Dec. "I really didn't think that I deserved to make the final after I sketched a couple of my tricks in the qualifier, but I made up for it in the finals."

Fish hits 20
Fisher's winning run opened with a 20-foot frontside air to his signature backside 540 to a 1080 followed by a cab 720 to a frontside 900 and capped with a backside 720 for one of the most technical runs on record.

"I've been thinking about this run for a long time and this was the perfect pipe to let it loose," said the 2003 World Championship silver medalist and reigning X Games champ. "These back-to-back wins have really done a lot for my confidence and I'm looking forward to keeping everything rolling at the U.S. Open."

Also on the podium for U.S. Snowboarding was fellow Minnesota native Mason Aguirre (Duluth, MN), who took third for his second major finish on the year after taking third from the talent stocked field of the first Chevrolet U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix at Park City, Utah.

"We're really stoked for Fisher," said U.S. Snowboarding head halfpipe coach Bud Keene. "His 20-foot air could have been bigger had we put the tape to it. He's riding so strong right now and when he lands that run, he's unbeatable. Plus Mason was long overdue for a podium and his progression this season has been so amazing to see - these are both names that are going to be around for a while."

Teter at half speed
Still recovering from a back injury suffered in Japan after a rider landed on her during training, Teter dropped into the sun drenched pipe to claim second. The 17-year-old Vermonter was gunning for her second overall title on the season after winning the Grand Prix series, yet Clark claimed the overall crown with her second Triple Crown win.

"We played it by ear with Hannah," said U.S. Snowboarding assistant halfpipe coach Mike Jankowski. "She felt good and she had some great treatments from the doctors so we felt confident that she could ride. She wasn't 100 percent, but she still was second and that says a lot about her ability."

Claiming the overall men's Triple Crown title was Olympic silver medalist Danny Kass (Hamburg, N.J.), who has placed well in both pipe and slopestyle. Fisher also qualified for the Northstar-at-Tahoe slopestyle final, yet opted to save his energy for the pipe. His win also secured him an invitation to compete at Arctic Challenge in Norway to close the season.

VANS TRIPLE CROWN (third event)
Men's halfpipe final

1. Steve Fisher, St. Louis Park, Minn., 93.5
2. Luke Wynen, Reading, Pa., 90.0
3. Mason Aguirre, Duluth, Minn, 88.8

Women's halfpipe final

1. Kelly Clark, Mount Snow, Vt., 93.5
2. Hannah Teter, Belmont, Vt., 89.0
3. Kjersti Buaas Oestguaard, Norway, 86.3

— Courtesy of US Snowboard