With the recent International Olympic Committee call to add skiercross to Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympics, the rough-and-tumble American-born sport is expected to surge in popularity.
“No longer will Olympic format ski racing only be held in Europe in January, February and March. The world’s best will be competing in the U.S. during the heart of the winter,” said Kipp Nelson, founder of The Ski Tour, this winter’s new four- stop, skier pipe and skiercross contest that marries two of the hottest forces in skiing’s evolution. The Ski Tour, which stops in Breckenridge and Aspen in February, will preview the Olympic showdown, with Olympians Daron Rahlves, Eric Schlopy, and Reggie Crist enlisted on the first tour. For more info, go to www.theskitour.com.
ACTION SPORTS: Winter X Games adds Mono Skier X
ESPN’s Winter X Games last week announced the addition of mono skier X to the lineup at the 11th annual Aspen winter circus in January. The raging sit-ski battle debuted at Winter X Nine with huge airs, turn-away- and-cringe crashes and photo finishes. This year’s return will feature 16 disabled men and women racing the skiercross course of berms and jumps in heats of four. Winter X execs also nixed the popular moto-X from this winter’s lineup and added snowmobile freestyle to the mix. The high-flying motorized acrobatics were part of Winter X Eight in a “jam” format, but this year’s thumb-throttling slednecks will be vying for medals and dollars in a Sunday night final under the lights at Buttermilk and just before the most Olympian-studded snowboard superpipe men’s final. Looks like Winter X’s Sunday will be the night for neck pain, as all the athletes will be flying. Just before the freestyle snowmo contest is the new-this-year snowboard best trick showdown.
SKIING/SNOWBOARDING: St. Onge soars to aerials victory
Steamboat Springs’ soaring Olympian Ryan St. Onge won the opening aerials contest of the World Cup season Saturday as the freestyle skiing schedule got underway in China. St. Onge has won two World Cup contests in the past two seasons. The athlete’s variations on quad-twisting triples (four twists and three flips) earned him gold and a momentous start to the season.
Olympic boardercross superstars Lindsey Jacobellis and Seth Wescott dominated the season’s first King of the Mountain contest at Utah’s Snowbird last week with convincing wins for their debut on the storied ski and snowboard tour. Skier Casey Puckett, Aspen’s four-time Olympian and no stranger to the King of the Mountain podium, edged longtime pal and fellow Olympian Jake Fiala of Frisco in the skiing final for yet another Puckett win. In the female ski race, last year’s King of the Mountain champion Ophelie David continued her dominance with a decisive win.
SKIING: U.S. Disabled Team strong at Breck
The U.S. Disabled Ski Team swept 10 of 12 podium spots at last week’s 19th annual Hartford Ski Spectacular at Breckenridge. The highlight of last Thursday’s slalom contest was between sit-skiers Tyler Walker of New Hampshire and Carl Burnett of Maine. Burnett won the first race but Walker’s blistering second run earned him the gold. Veteran Chris Devlin-Young took third.
(COMPILED BY STAFF WRITER JASON BLEVINS)
