FIRST U. S. SKICROSS WORLD CUP A HIT
Both men and women needed big ones for the first ski cross World Cup in North America at Deer Valley, Utah. Canada's Davey Barr won for the men, Ophelie David of France was the women's winner, but it wasn't easy. A six inch dropoff at the start added interest as the pole-less skiers, hands on posts, pulled themselves out to meet the first feature: a steep, 30-foot tall spine.
'Cross is a race, not a style contest, so skiers stayed low to minimize air as they topped the spine and rode the near-vertical back side to a wide berm on their right. The track then narrowed to two gates about 12 feet apart, and whoever got through them first had a good chance of winning the heat.
The World Cup course was very different from the one at last week's X Games. Second place woman Sasa Faric (Slovenia) summed up what most of the athletes thought about the different courses when she said, "I liked the Deer Valley one better because it was more technical and shorter. The X Games (course) was more flat, it was boring. This was much more fun, and Deer Valley put on a better show."
Ski cross (or skier cross) is the new big buzz of winter competition, though it's been around for a decade. It's a combination of motocross and skateboard park competition, where skiers go solo for qualifications, and the top 32 men and 16 women make it. For World Cups, they compete in heats of four riders. Skiers duke it out all the way down the course, trying to stay ahead or pass to be first---even by a finger---across the finish line. The first two go on, the last two are eliminated. Incredible crashes and "incidental contact" have created an exploding popularity for the sport, which debuts in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Daron Rahlves, the former downhill racer star, is on his way to ski cross stardom. But despite his 'cross win at the X Games, he was fourth at Deer Valley. Former U. S. ski team teammate Casey Puckett added to the duo's former, and current, rivalry by speaking truth during the press conference. When asked why Rahlves had finished off the podium, Puckett said, "Daron's start is unbelievably slow. I watched him, he was fourth out of the gate every heat. I watched him make passes and thought, 'when he gets to the finals (with the top racers), he's not going to be able to make those passes.' " Then, looking a bit abashed, Puckett tried to make amends, saying, "Eventually we'll work together and I'll help him with his starts if he'll help me with my gliding."
Nearly all the top men in skicross are former speed event athletes for their country's national ski teams, including U. S. downhill racers Jake Fiala, Zach Crist, and Justin Johnson. No surprise, since skicross athletes tend to be older, because youth is not as important as the experience required figure out changing tactics while going head-to-head with three other racers.
U. S. head skicross coach Tyler Shepard said 'unfortunately' the sport has become almost identical to downhill, explaining, "Guys are starting to carry quivers of skis, prepped for every snow condition."
But it's a downhill with uphill---several sections of the DV course were actually built to be uphill, which meant, Shepard said, "They had to figure out how to use every bit of terrain to keep their speed." Men's winner Barr evidently did just that, saying the uphill sections were his favorite parts of the track.
The course was designed by Jeff Ihaski, considered the most world's most creative 'cross designer. He is already scheduled to do the Olympic course in Vancouver for both skicross and snowboardcross.
The event was part of the annual Deer Valley freestyle World Cup, which features aerials, moguls and dual moguls. The resort put on the excellent show that has made it one of the favorite World Cup stops for freestylers and spectators. There was even a volunteer stationed with a pair of scissors just outside the heated VIP tent. Those with credentials allowing them inside the clear-walled structure had a plastic band fastened to their wrist as they were admitted. The scissors-holding volunteer was there just to cut off the excess plastic on the wristband.