Louie Vito
Encyclopedia
Louis "Louie" Vito (born March 20, 1988) is an American professional snowboarder.
and raised in Bellefontaine
, growing up outside Mad River Mountain
. He attended the Stratton Mountain School in Vermont
and turned pro in 2005. After high school he relocated to Utah to continue his snowboarding career.
In 2008, Vito was crowned the overall Chevy U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix series title champion. That year, he went on to win the Killington Grand Prix on the heels of winning the Tamarack Grand Prix. Two days later he won The Jeep King of the Mountain Superpipe Championships in Squaw Valley, California. Vito went on to win the Etnies GVR and took second place at the Vans Cup in a hotly contested battle for the championship with superstar Danny Kass.
Recently, Vito co-won the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix series title championship, his second consecutive title. He finished first at the Copper Mt. Grand Prix and 2nd at both the Grand Prix at Boreal and the World Cup in La Molina, Spain.
Vito has been featured on ABC Family's Switched. He has also made numerous appearances on The Daily Habit on Fuel TV
, as well as features on Fusion and RSN TV. Vito has had feature stories on all the major TV networks as well as many cable stations including ESPN. He tried his hand at commentating when he had his debut on WGN-TV’s Fruit by the Foot Junior Jam.
Vito appeared on Season 9 Dancing with the Stars
. He partnered with former So You Think You Can Dance
contestant Chelsie Hightower
. He was eliminated from the competition in week six of the program. In addition to his dance rehearsals for the show, Vito trained intensively for the 2010 Winter Olympics
, where he later achieved 5th place.
Vito trained for gymnastics before starting snowboarding.
Early life
Louis Vito was born in Columbus, OhioColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
and raised in Bellefontaine
Bellefontaine, Ohio
Bellefontaine is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,069 at the 2000 census. It is the center of the Bellefontaine Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau in 2003...
, growing up outside Mad River Mountain
Mad River Mountain
Mad River Mountain is a ski and snowboard resort in Valley Hi, Ohio, United States. The elevation of Mad River Mountain is with a vertical drop of , and it has a ski season that runs from December 1 through March 16...
. He attended the Stratton Mountain School in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and turned pro in 2005. After high school he relocated to Utah to continue his snowboarding career.
Career
Vito became prominent on the professional snowboarding scene at age 17 by completing a backside 1080 at the Australia Open — making him the first rider to successfully pull off the complex move. This helped propel him to the top of the podium, winning his first of two consecutive championships there.In 2008, Vito was crowned the overall Chevy U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix series title champion. That year, he went on to win the Killington Grand Prix on the heels of winning the Tamarack Grand Prix. Two days later he won The Jeep King of the Mountain Superpipe Championships in Squaw Valley, California. Vito went on to win the Etnies GVR and took second place at the Vans Cup in a hotly contested battle for the championship with superstar Danny Kass.
Recently, Vito co-won the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix series title championship, his second consecutive title. He finished first at the Copper Mt. Grand Prix and 2nd at both the Grand Prix at Boreal and the World Cup in La Molina, Spain.
Vito has been featured on ABC Family's Switched. He has also made numerous appearances on The Daily Habit on Fuel TV
Fuel TV
Fuel TV is a U.S. cable and satellite specialty channel that launched on July 1, 2003. It focuses on the cultures of such extreme sports as skateboarding, snowboarding, wakeboarding, motocross, surfing, BMX and FMX. It is a unit of Fox Cable Networks and is currently available to 26-million...
, as well as features on Fusion and RSN TV. Vito has had feature stories on all the major TV networks as well as many cable stations including ESPN. He tried his hand at commentating when he had his debut on WGN-TV’s Fruit by the Foot Junior Jam.
Vito appeared on Season 9 Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 9)
Dancing with the Stars returned for a ninth season on September 21, 2009, on a three-night premiere. Executive producer Conrad Green confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that the 9th season would start off with 16 celebrities, with 3 double-eliminations halfway through the season...
. He partnered with former So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
contestant Chelsie Hightower
Chelsie Hightower
Chelsie Hightower is a Latin ballroom dancer, who is best known for being a regular dance partner, trainer, and choreographer on the ABC competition show Dancing with the Stars.-Biography:...
. He was eliminated from the competition in week six of the program. In addition to his dance rehearsals for the show, Vito trained intensively for the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
, where he later achieved 5th place.
Vito trained for gymnastics before starting snowboarding.
2005-06
- 1st at the Australian Open
- 2nd at the Vans Cup
- 3rd at the Middle Earth Superpipe Championships in New Zealand
- 4th at the Nippon Open
- 4th at the New Zealand Open
- 5th at the World Superpipe Championships
2006-07
- 1st at the Garnier Fructis Pro Challenge (Australian Open)
- 2nd at the New Zealand Open
- 2nd at the U.S. Grand Prix at Mt. Bachelor
- 2nd at the U.S. Grand Prix at Tamarack
2007-08
- 1st at the Grand Prix at Tamarack
- 1st at the Jeep King of the Mt.
- 1st at the Etnies GVR
- 2nd at the Australian Open
- 2nd at the Vans Cup
- 1st at the U.S. Grand Prix at Killington
- U.S. Grand Prix Overall Title Winner
2008-09
- 1st at the U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mt.
- 2nd at the World Cup at La Molina, Spain
- 2nd at the U.S. Grand Prix at Boreal
- 5th at the Dew Tour at Breck
- U.S. Grand Prix Overall Title Winner
2010
- 5th in the Half-pipeHalf-pipeA half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, and inline skating. The structure is wood, concrete, metal, earth, or snow. It resembles a cross section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramps , topped by copings and...
Snowboarding Final at the 2010 Winter Olympics2010 Winter OlympicsThe 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University... - 2nd At the 2010 US Open {Superpipe}
- 3rd (bronze) at 2010 Winter Euro X Games
- 1st at the Winter Dew Tour 2011 at Killington, Vermnt
2011
- 3rd in half-pipe at winter X Games
- 1st in half-pipe at European Winter X-Games, Tignes