The OWI halfpipe men were in action over the weekend in Whistler alongside their fellow Australian alpine snowboarders.

While Torah Bright opted to miss the event, and Holly Crawford was rested as a safety measure after she had experienced some minor aggravation of her repaired knee ligaments, Andrew Burton, Ben Mates and Mitch Allan contested two World Cup events.

The best performance in of the dual World Cup weekend came from Mitch Allan, who finished in 24th place in the opening event, at the same time posting the last of three top 60 per cent results he needed to meet the AOC qualifying standard for selection to the Australian Torino 2006 team.

Ben Mates placed 30th, also registering the final top 60 per cent of field result he needs, and Andrew Burton, who has already met the AOC qualifying standard, was 51st.

In the second event, Burton was the best of the Australians, finishing in 28th place to Allan's 33rd and Mates' 42nd.

In the case of snowboard, the AOC qualifying crieteria is only one of the hurdles to Olympic representation. It is also necessary to post a top 25 placing (which Allan did with 24th placings in both Valle Nevado and Whistler) and have 120 FIS (International Ski Federation) points, which Allan doesn't at this stage.

Mates has neither the top 25 result (in the past two seasons) or the required FIS points, while Burton has both, and is definitely on his way to the Games.

The OWI halfpipe women Bright and Crawford have also booked definite - though as yet unconfirmed - places on the team.

The next World Cup halfpipe event will be held in Le Relais, Canada, over the coming weekend.

Courtesy of OWI/Sportcom