Sandro vs. Shaun

The Skateboard Vert competition at the Portland stop of the Dew Tour is really anyone’s game -- Bucky Lasek, Bob Burnquist, Sandro Dias, Shaun White. Really, any of them could take it, but the competition between Dias and White should really be one to watch.

White is a relative newcomer on the Vert scene. He enjoyed his first pro win at the Louisville Dew Tour stop in 2005 and has been on fire every since, although his most impressive accomplishments (can you say Olympic Gold?) have come with him strapped on to his snowboard. Dias, on the other hand, is seasoned, to say the least, with almost ten years as a Vert pro under his belt. He was the third person to land a 900 on a skateboard and remains the only person to do it in his run in timed competition.

But for all of Dias’s experience and skills, the young gun White has been giving him a serious run for his money. First off, it was always Dias whose name was synonymous with amplitude, that is, until White started blasting his snowboard-style airs out of the vert ramp. And although he did not succeed in his attempts to land the 1080 at the X Games, White is as close as possible to landing it and will no doubt be the first one to pull it off. Okay, so the 900 will still be impressive, but a 1080? What’s next, a double backflip on a motorcycle? Oh, wait...

Anyway, back to White and Dias. The 2006 season has been impressive for both but in Denver, White took away Dias’s gold, or at least, some saw it that way. Dias threw down one of the best runs of this life, only to have White take it all with his remarkable amplitude and trickery.

Then at X Games it was payback time. Dias was on. He threw down a run to match his second-place run in Denver and took home his first X Games Vert gold medal. What about White? He had trouble sticking his run and ended up in 8th. Dias was no doubt ecstatic about his win, but it probably would have been a bit more sweet to do it when White was on.

Fellow Vert competitor Bucky Lasek says it’s hard to compare the two skaters. “Sandro is more fluid, more flowy, more stylish, and Shaun has more bangers and has his run more dialed.” But, he predicts, “If Sandro pulls out the 900 it will be all over.”

In Portland, White looks to defend his Denver win and also get back on the horse after faltering at X Games. Dias is floating high off his gold and would love to beat the 18-year-old snowboard sensation (and of course, everyone else). Both skaters have had trouble with consistency in the past, but if they are both on in Portland, it should be a close match and an exciting show.