The inaugural Rockstar Energy Open went down this past weekend in Breckenridge, Colorado, and from the jump it was clear this wasn’t interested in feeling like just another checkbox on the contest calendar.

The rider mix was intentionally eclectic—established contest names, street-heavy steel boarders, and a healthy crop of newer faces who earned their way in through the Video Qualifying Series. That online component mattered. It didn’t just pad the roster; it opened the door for riders who might not normally get a look.

By leaning into head-to-head battles, a format that’s been popping up more often for good reason, the event found a structure that made sense. Clear for the crowd. It never felt stiff. It never felt overly precious. Between runs, people poached the hip, and the whole thing leaned closer to “shared experience” than “press conference.”

Oynind Kirkhus from VQS to final 2 // p: Durso

And while there were official results (we’ve listed them at the bottom, don’t worry), we here at Slush kept our eyes open and ears listening and penned our own list of superlatives from the weekend. Think of this as the viewers' choice awards. And by viewers, we mean us.

With that in mind, here are SLUSH’s completely unofficial, highly subjective Rockstar Energy Open superlatives—less about who won, more about who made the weekend feel like what it was. Think of it as a viewer’s choice awards. And by viewers, we mean us.

ROCKSTAR OPEN SUPERLATIVES:

WORST SLAM: JUDD HENKES
MVP: JESS PERLMUTTER
MOST CLUTCH: NIK BADEN - Waited until the Contest was over, and they made up a new contest on the spot and won it.
MOST REPS ON THE COURSE: GIMBAL GOD
THE RAUBU KATAYAMA “I REALLY HATE RAILS AWARD”: GABE FERGUSON
THE CHRIS GRENIER BEST ANNOUNCER AWARD: MIKE CICCARELLI
MOST ARTISTIC: CHRIS GRENIER
MOST BRECK CULTURED: YLFA & JILL
INNOVATION/NBD/WTF AWARD: ELI BOUCHARD
SCARIEST AIR MOMENT: MARK MCMORRIS MICHAELCHUCK
MOST ON-AIR PROFANITY: DUSTY HENRICKSEN
ATHLETE SUPPORT: JOSH THE BARTENDER AND SAVANNAH THE WAITRESS AT THE LIVING ROOM
MOST LIKELY TO BELIEVE THAT JAMIE ANDERSON AND SAM ANDERSON ARE RELATED: IRIS PHAM
SURPRISE CORAL COMPETING DRINK MOMENT AWARD: DALE’S PALE ALE
GATORADE IN A CAN AWARD: GATORADE IN A CAN