Keystone Resort and the Town of Silverthorne will host four World Cup telemark races, featuring local junior world champion Drew Hauser, Thursday through Sunday.
Thirty-five top international racers from Europe and Japan will join about 20 members of the U.S. National Telemark Ski Team in classic and telemark giant slalom competition throughout the week. In addition to Hauser, 17-year-old Lorin Paley of Steamboat Springs has emerged as a racer to watch after finishing third in the classic event during World Cup competition in Bjorli, Norway, last month.
The giant slalom races, held Saturday and Sunday, include gates similar to an alpine race, with the addition of a nordic- style jump in the middle of the run. The classic races, held Thursday and Friday, include the same elements as the GS, but with a banked turn called a reipeløkke (pronounced rap-a-loosh-a) followed by a grueling nordic skate section.
Bouvier top freeskier.
Big mountain freeskier Claudia Bouvier of Vail continued to assert herself on the extreme- skiing circuit with the top finish among the women at last weekend’s 19th annual U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships at Crested Butte. Jackson, Wyo., local Griffin Post added to his four Freeskiing Open titles with his second win at Crested Butte.
Skiers made good use of more than two feet of fresh powder falling last weekend to put on a spectacular display of aggressive skiing, big air and outright courage in the rock-riddled Staircase Glades during Sunday’s finals. Snowbird’s Cliff Bennett finished second in the men’s division, followed by Crested Butte local Caleb Mullen in third.
Kirkwood’s Hazel Birnbaum finished second to Bouvier among the women, and Jackson Hole ripper Jess McMillan placed third.
Footnotes.
Fresh snow from recent storms should finally enable portions of Arapahoe Basin’s 400-acre Montezuma Bowl to open Wednesday. . . . Copper Mountain is offering $39 lift tickets to anyone with a 2009-10 season pass from another ski resort. The offer, dubbed the “Swinger’s Pass,” is not available March 12-27 and April 5-9. Details at: swinger.
Scott Willoughby, The Denver Post
