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Pull a front 900, upgrade to Clair 4.0

Ian Cropp
Vail, CO Colorado
Daily file photoClair Bidez, of Minturn, flies out of the superpipe during the Winter X Games 10 in Aspen. Bidez took third at the Abominable Snow Jam in Timberline, Ore.
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TIMBERLINE, Ore. ” Most people flip the plastic when they want a new computer.

Clair Bidez spins a snowboard.

Bidez, a U.S. Snowboarding Team rider and Minturn resident, took third this week in the halfpipe contest at the Abominable Snow Jam in Mount Hood, Ore., and picked up the best trick award.



“I was more excited about best trick,” said Bidez, who took home a new MacBook Pro for the best trick in addition to the $1,250 third-place cash prize.

Bidez wasted little time setting the bar in the 22-foot halfpipe, dropping in third and laying down her money-making run.

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On the first hit, Bidez spun a frontside 900 ” the best trick ” then pulled a backside 540 and a frontside 540 and finished the four-hit pipe with a straight air. The run was good enough for third, behind top finisher Gretchen Bleiler and second-place finisher Kelly Clark.

“The pipe was amazing,” Bidez said. “It was really fun to ride, and it was actually a little bit cloudy out, which ended up being perfect because (the pipe) didn’t get beat up right away.”

Dylan Bidez, Clair’s younger brother and U.S. Snowboarding Rookie Team rider, competed in the men’s halfpipe contest. Clair and Dylan had been in Oregon for about a month before the Abominable Snow Jam.

On friday, Clair and Dylan were driving back to Minturn.

“The car is so full, I can’t see out of the back mirror,” Clair said.

Clair, who graduated from Battle Mountain high school, recently enrolled at Colorado Mountain College and is taking classes online.

“I haven’t taken (classes) in a while, and I’m planning on going back to school, and I wanted to stay in practice,” said Clair, who is taking an English composition and psychology class.

Although Clair had been working on a computer the U.S. Snowboarding Team lent her for her classwork, the upgrade to the MacBook Pro was welcomed.

“(The old computer) was just for homework and e-mails, and that’s it,” Clair said. “I’m really excited about (the MacBook Pro),” Clair said.

Both Clair and Dylan will be home for a bit before heading off to New Zealand at the end of August. Dylan will be a junior at Battle Mountain.


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