Mammoth Mountain slopestyle designer put to Winter Olympics test

Shaun White celebrates his ride during the Men’s Halfpipe Final U.S. Olympic Qualification #5 at Mammoth Mountain. He qualified for a spot on the U.S.’ inaugural slopestyle team.  (Harry How / Getty Images)

Arielle Gold competes during the Women’s Halfpipe Final U.S. Olympic Qualification #5, logging an Olympics-qualifying performance on the halfpipe that Mammoth Mountain terrain designer TJ Dawoud has been fretting over.  (Harry How / Getty Images)

Hannah Teter logs a third-place finish during the Women’s Halfpipe Final U.S. Olympic Qualification #5 at Mammoth Mountain. Teter would go on to make the U.S. team for Sochi 2014.   (Harry How / Getty Images)

Louie Vito competes during the Men’s Halfpipe Final U.S. Olympic Qualification #3 at Mammoth Mountain. “That’s a lot of long hours those guys are putting in,” Vito says about Mammoth’s terrain crew. “We thought it was going to be a slush-fest but they’re putting together a sick pipe.”  (Harry How / Getty Images)

Olympic silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler competes during the Women’s Halfpipe Final U.S. Olympic Qualification #3. She gave Mammoth Mountain’s slopestyle designer TJ Dawoud a thumbs-up, saying he “pulled it off big time.”   (Harry How / Getty Images)

Spencer Link attempts a rail slide during the Men’s Snowboarding Slopestyle Final U.S. Olympic Qualification #4 at Mammoth Mountain.  (Harry How / Getty Images)

Brandon Davis competes during the Men’s Slopestyle Final U.S. Olympic Qualification #5 at Mammoth Mountain.   (Harry How / Getty Images)

Two-time Olympic medalist Kelly Clark catches big air at the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix on Jan. 19 in Mammoth.  (Gabe L’Heureux / Getty Images)

Sage Kotsenburg competes to a first-place finish during the Men’s Slopestyle Final U.S. Olympic Qualification #5 at Mammoth Mountain.   (Harry How / Getty Images)