US Snowboard Racing

[fin]

For all the racers out there. Below is an announcement Becky from US Snowboarding just sent me.

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Hello,

I wanted to let you know about a great addition to the alpine competition calendar that perhaps you would be willing to share with your community.

The Race to the Cup alpine series consisted of three stops throughout the U.S. this season, with the winner of the PGS at each stop earning a start right at the Bachelor World Cup. At the previous two stops, prize money was only available for the PGS event, but Crystal has worked hard at finding sponsors and putting 110% effort into this race, resulting in an announcement this week that they will also provide prize money for the PSL. This is a tremendous show of support for alpine snowboarding, and I would like to see the event run as successful as possible for them so that they (and others) are willing to continue to support alpine snowboarding in the future.

Entering the event is simple... if you are concerned about earning FIS points and establishing an international ranking, you will need a national USSA license and a FIS license (total cost $140) and that should be taken care of in the next week through the USSA office. If you just want to come out and ride, have a shot at some cash and see how you rank up compared to some of the top riders in the U.S., you can enter with a regional USSA membership and provisional FIS license (total cost $50) and can be done on-site. I've attached a race announcement and entry form, or you register on-line by following this link: http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1096422 An announcement should also be posted on www.ussa.org today as well. The event takes place at Crystal Mountain, WA on March 1-2, which segways right into the World Cup at Bachelor on March 5.

Please feel free to direct any questions to me or to forward this information on to anyone else who may find it relevant.

Best,

Becky Woolley

U.S. Snowboarding

Program Manager

435.647.2081

[Guest Randy S.]

Well, Mike T and I will be at Bachelor this Friday to watch the World Cup racers. It should be fun. Hopefully the weather will hold. I've been told that Mt. Bachelor has an upper mountain area that's great for carving, but in the 3 days I've spent there, I never saw it emerge from the clouds. If anyone else is coming up, let us know.

Randy

MT. BACHELOR, Ore. (Feb. 27) – Following a three-year hiatus, the World Cup tour returns to the U.S. with the Mt. Bachelor Snowboard Classic Powered by Chevrolet. The Mar. 5-7 event will feature the world’s best snowboard cross and parallel giant slalom riders along with a solid field of big air athletes in the Paul Mitchell Progression Session.

Snowboard cross and PGS will air Wednesday, Mar. 24 at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN with big air set for Thursday, April 8 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

While the World Cup may be returning to the U.S. for the first time since Park City, Utah, hosted an event in 2001, Mt. Bachelor is no stranger to hosting the World Cup competition. The Pacific Northwest mountain hosted a World Cup giant slalom and halfpipe competition in 1998 with the U.S. taking seven podium spots.

“It’s an honor for us to bring the World Cup back to the U.S. and it goes to show what Mt. Bachelor is capable of,” said Mt. Bachelor Communications Manager Chris Johnston. “We’ve hosted the World Cup before and we’ve hosted the Grand Prix – our freeriding is legendary and Mt. Bachelor is excited to continue our strong snowboarding reputation with the snowboard classic.”

Leading the U.S. charge into Bachelor is a red-hot Michelle Gorgone (Sudbury, MA), who already has five top-10 finishes on the season. For the men, look to former Bend local turned Olympic bronze medalist Chris Klug (Aspen, CO) and current Oregon resident Adam Smith (Tangent, OR) at the top of the men’s roster.

Mt. Bachelor will also host snowboard cross, the newest winter Olympic sport, providing a look at the potential 2006 Olympic picture. Headlining the U.S. roster is World Championship silver medalist Seth Wescott (Farmington, ME) and X Games and Mammoth Grand Prix winner Lindsey Jacobellis (Bondville, VT). Also looking to gain some World Cup hardware are newly crowned World Junior Champion Joanie Anderson (Lake Tahoe, CA) and Mammoth Grand Prix champ Nate Holland (Olympic Valley, CA).

“We’re going to give national media and U.S. spectators a sneak preview of the Olympic games,” added Johnston. “In 2006, it’s likely that you’ll see many of the same riders who will be going to battle on our slopes, but best part is that all three events finish at the base of the West Village providing for amazing spectator visibility and access.”

Something that big air spectators are certain to enjoy as an international field of pros rock the Mt. Bachelor kicker with a barrage of tricks. Look for Colorado rider Brent Meyer (Wheaton, IL), who’s been a staple in the Grand Prix exhibition events, to show up with a loaded bag of smooth spins and off axis rotations.

Traditionally on the World Cup tour, the host country has additional starting spots in each event and for each sex on top of their regular quota. Therefore, along with the full American World Cup team, U.S. Snowboarding will send a pool of fresh talent, who qualified through the Race to the Cup series, totaling 37 riders set for home turf advantage.

“U.S. Snowboarding is thrilled to bring the World Cup back to Mt. Bachelor,” said USSA Vice President-Events Annette Royle. “The U.S. has a strong tradition of producing the best riders in the world and it’s going to be exciting to see them showcase their talent at Mt.Bachelor.”

Schedule:

Mar. 5 – PGS Qualification 9:30 a.m. PT, Thunderbird; PGS Finals 1:00 p.m. PT, Thunderbird

Mar. 6 – SBX Trials 10:30 a.m. PT, West Boundary; SBX Finals 1:00 p.m. PT, West Boundary

Mar. 7 – Big Air Qualification 9:30 a.m. PT, Midway; Big Air Finals 1:00 p.m. PT, Midway

Friday, February 27, 2004

[kalalex]

Do any of you know if the race's going to be aired??

or where can I find broadcasting schedule for "alpine snowboard race"??

[Guest Randy S.]

It looks like its going to be on ESPN on the 24th at 2:30pm (don't know what time zone). Check USSA Schedule

Why not just fly up there and hang out with us?

[kalalex]

Thank you Randy.

Oh,,I saw your pictures of SBX race at tahoe carvers.

How did it go?

Looked like you had lots of fun there,,,,

[philfell]

I jsut got back from the race to the cup at crystal, mt. I would like to add on to what Fin stated above. This was the best stop this year, the mountain was really excited to have us there and they did an exceptional job accomadating us. They truely went above and beyond what was expected from them. Please put this mountain on your list of carver friendly place to your vaction list.

[Guest Randy S.]

Originally posted by kalalex

Thank you Randy.

Oh,,I saw your pictures of SBX race at tahoe carvers.

How did it go?

Looked like you had lots of fun there,,,,

I had a ton of fun. My team-mate and I didn't stand a chance of qualifying since there were at least 3 teams from national teams (US and Austria) vying for 2 qualifying spots, along with a bunch of other good riders. It was the first race I'd ever entered with jumps. For the first time since high school I was scared standing in the start gate. The jumps seemed huge to me, and the final jump had a very harsh, flat landing (they fixed that for the 2nd day of competition).

I'm trying to track down a copy of the video of the Jeep race. It was on CBS this past Sunday, but somehow I messed up taping it. I doubt I'm on TV, but my 6 year-old daughter may be. She wore her pink helmet and got it signed by all the "girls who rip" - her words - plus Tommy Moe. All in all, it was a great time, but I was sore until Wednesday.

[Art]

I was was one of the lucky people who got to help out with the event and I just want to say thanks to all of the participants for coming. Crystal is my home mountain and to have so many competitors there was great to see. I could actually tell people there are more than 5 of us in the world who ride alpine boards. I almost have my wife convinced that I am normal . For a recreational rider like me to be able to pre-run the couse was amazing. I have a much greater appreciation for the amount of time, energy and money these athletes put into their racing careers. I met some great people and hope that I will have the chance to do it again in the (hopefully near) future. Good luck with the rest of the season! Art W.

[Mike T]

I will be on 5/12 if anyone wants to hook up...

[P06781]

I also helped out up at Crystal Mtn and had a great time. It was fun doing the preruns and made me realize how hard real GS and Sl can be . I hope to do it again next year. I wish I could be down at Bachelor this weekend but have to work in portland. Hopefully all the snow we are getting in the cascades wont screw up the course too much (18"/24h at hood) . I feel the pain that the race course slippers will have this weekend. We all need to support and encourage the furture generation of racers coming up in the ranks by hosting more of these type of events. It was great riding with all of the Wa / seattle area riders...

Jim

[Guest Randy S.]

Lots of fun at the Bachelor races. I'm too tired and need to get to the hot tub or I'd write a report. Lisa Kosglow is doing an article for Ski Racing Magazine. Watch for that soon. I rode with her and Lynn Ott today in the powder before the BX started. I'm not at all used to being the last one of the group. These girls rip, whether riding soft or hard! Here's a picture from today's BX. I'll post some more as I get time.

Randy

Here's one of the Guillaume Nantermod (Suisse) going huge in hard boots during BX. One of the jumps was incredibly large.

[Guest Randy S.]

Your Truly on the Podium.

[Guest Randy S.]

These girls ride faster than you:

[jason_watkins]

hey, nice pics, makes me wish I'd gone to check it out :(

[Mike T]

Originally posted by jason_watkins

hey, nice pics, makes me wish I'd gone to check it out :(

Yeah, makes me wish I hadn't sprained my ankle at about 10:00 am on Friday! Fortunately it's only a 1st degree sprain.

[Maciek]

Originally posted by Randy S.

These girls ride faster than you:

Randy,

It depends. If course is open or closed you can be faster or not even than those girls ;) Believe me.

It is matter of experience in difficult course. When it comes to open course and easy terrain, only your own fear is a limit.

It really depends... so don't exaggerate with some stuff looking too much uphill into our Gods.

They definitelly rip, but I bet you will be amazed by what racing men can do on the course. That's a challenge!

[philfell]

The top world cup girls often chick some of the guys!!! Unless you are a mid-pack of better male world cupper, these girls are faster than you. Yes Maciek you are right on an open course you could keep closer to them than on a technical course, but my money will be on the top world cup girls than most guys I know.

[Guest Randy S.]

Maciek,

I'm sorry if I insulted your manhood. Let me explain it this way. I outweigh Lisa Kosglow by at least 65 lbs. If I strap on my 210 and we both head straight down the hill, I'll be at the bottom before her (we both have a pretty high mental speed limit). Put us both in a course and she blows me away. I chased her and Lynn Ott through the trees on Saturday and was always the last one down. Even on open pistes I kept thinking to myself, "damn were going fast, I can barely keep up with these girls". If you ask most people who have ridden with me, they'll confirm that my idea of fast is pretty darn quick, so they were moving.

Anyway Maciek, I'm not sure what you were trying to say here. "Uphill into our Gods"??? WTF? My point was that it was a blast watching the racing. The women were just as exciting to watch as the men. In fact many were more animated. Stacia Hookum talks to herself out loud all the way down the course. Doresia Krings raced PGS Friday then took 3rd in the BoarderX on Saturday. Lindsey Jacobellis won the BX by passing Marie Laissus of France while 20 feet in the air (on the jump where I took the picture of Nantermod above) in the final run just 3 jumps from the finish. It was incredibly exciting. Marie speed-checked coming into the jump and Lindsey hit it full speed. She landed almost at the bottom of the transition and immediately launched off the next jump and into the victory. As much as I love alpine racing, I must admit that a World Cup BX is way more fun to watch. They're going to air the BX on March 24 in the middle of the day. Set your VCR or Tivo. Its worth watching.

Here's a picture of Lindsey, Marie and Doresia on the Podium.

[jason_watkins]

Mt Bachelor has been kind enough to provide us video highlights on their homepage:

http://www.mtbachelor.com

Man, that big jump just before the end of the BX course looks you just fall outta orbit right onto the start of the next jump.

[Guest Randy S.]

I was actually in that BX video. About 3/4 of the way through where the commentator is saying "beat Canadian..." I'm on the edge of the big jump. Tan pants, black jacket. That's where I took those big jump pictures. It was amazing how high they went when you were right next to them. Plus you could hear their pants flapping in the wind.

Just don't tell my boss. He thinks I was working.