Newry, Maine (March 29, 2014)—Gus Kenworthy claimed his second Dumont Cup victory under blazing spring sun at Sunday River Resort on Saturday. The Dumont Cup, created by Simon Dumont, is the largest freeskiing event in the East and the second-to-last platinum-rated event on the AFP World Tour schedule. With this win, 22-year-old Kenworthy earned 925 points and $12,000–and all but sealed his position atop the 2014 AFP Overall World Ranking.

“I just saw that there were some really technical rail options, and the jumps were big, but I think that everyone’s jump runs are usually pretty similar and it’s hard to separate yourself, so I tried to do that on the rails,” Kenworthy said of his strategy.

“It’s been a big season and it’s nice to kind of unwind on the East Coast in beautiful weather, and an awesome crowd came,” he added.

This is Kenworthy’s third time on The Dumont Cup’s podium; his first win was in 2012 and he placed second last year. This year, he and Nick Goepper, 20, swapped steps and Goepper, the event’s defending champion, finished as runner-up.

“It’s interesting now that Gus and I have both won twice. It just kind of makes a cool little one-up game. I’m definitely going to come back next year. I’m really excited to come and throw down in the spring of 2015,” Goepper said.

“[This year’s course] was really intense because everything was really close, on a super steep run, but I think we’re going to figure it out next year and it’ll be sick! It was really sick this year, too,” he continued. “There were a lot of guys [in this year’s competition]. My brother even dropped in and he’s 12. That’s what makes this event so cool, is that all of the amateurs can come out and compete against the pros, and have a couple of swings at the big guys. I think that’s what it’s all about—giving back to the kids, because that’s what feeds into our sport.”

Bobby Brown, 22, took out the third-place spot at his first-ever Dumont Cup showing. The crowd lining the course on Sunday River’s new terrain park trail, T72, went crazy for his tricks.

“[This] was one of the best events of the year and Simon did a great job,” Brown said. “The course was good; the jumps were big and kind of hard to get used to, but in the end, it ended up being really good, and one of the best courses of the year, as well. I’m definitely coming back, for sure, with the weather like this and the course being that big and awesome.”

After an action-packed semifinal on Saturday morning, Kenworthy and his two fellow Olympic medalists, Nick Goepper and Joss Christensen, joined 12 other finalists. The three medalists pre-qualified for the final and found themselves amidst a field full of hungry amateurs, despite the 2014 Dumont Cup’s pro roster being the most impressive to date. In addition to Kenworthy, Goepper, Brown, and Christensen, it included Torin Yater-Wallace; McRae Williams, Alex Schlopy (who had to bow out due to injury), Oscar Wester, Matt Walker, Alex Beaulieu-Marchand, Chris Laker, Vinnie Gagnier, PK Hunder, and Kai Mahler.

“I don’t know if the amateurs were more hungry, but they were skiing well,” Kenworthy said. “It’s sort of a vague line with the pro/amateur thing. The way they do it here is just that “amateur” means that they weren’t pre-qualified; they have to do the qualification round. Some of those guys, like Alex Bellemare, have been in X Games and the big events. He’s a pro skier, he just, for whatever reason, had to qualify [for this event]. It’s hard to say who’s an am and who’s a pro, but yeah, everyone killed it. The kids who did the qualifying rounds came out swinging, for sure, and put on a good show.”

“Maine’s awesome,” he continued of the venue. “I love coming out and all of us stay together at the Grand Summit Hotel, so it’s sort of fun to have everyone who’s in the event staying together and hanging out. It’s like a ski-in, ski-out hotel, so it’s straight out to the mountain and then you come back [to the] hot tub and pool. It’s just fun. The people that come out to watch the event are awesome fans, huge supporters, and it’s sweet to be able to connect with them.”

For additional information on The Sixth Annual Dumont Cup, please visit www.dumontcup.com or www.sundayriver.com.

Official sponsors of Simon Dumont and the Dumont Cup are: Red Bull, Target, Oakley, Sunday River, HEAD, Toyota, Nike, Visa, Giro, Empire Attire, and Kicker.

About Sunday River Resort – A true four-season destination, Sunday River Resort offers eight interconnected peaks of world-class skiing and snowboarding, two Resort Hotels, and golf at the highly acclaimed Sunday River Golf Club. Sunday River is a member of the Boyne USA Resorts family of resorts and attractions and is located in Newry, Maine amidst the scenic Mahoosuc Mountain Range.