2012/2013 Winter Sports Thread

[Smallville22]

Snowboard Cross World Cup

Americans, Canadians win team events
Seth Wescott and Dominique Maltais both had a World Cup to remember in Telluride after helping America and Canada win the men’s and women’s snowboardcross team events respectively to add to their individual victories.
Double Olympic champion Wescott made history in taking a photo-finish victory in the second men’s World Cup race of the season on Friday, becoming the second oldest winner ever at 36 years and five months.
And he made it two from two in Telluride after joining forces with fellow American Nate Holland to win the big final of the team event ahead of Italian duo Emanuel Perathoner and Tommaso Leoni.
Wescott was the only snowboarder who finished in the top three of the individual event to do the same in the team event with Chris Robanske, third on Friday, placing fourth with Kevin Hill.
Robanske and Hill were beaten into third in the team event by Austrian’s Hanno Douschan and Michael Haemmerle while, like Wescott, Maltais collected her second win in as many days in Telluride.
Maltais, who maintained her unbeaten start to the World Cup season individually with a second win on Friday, joined forces with the snowboarder she beat again to claim yet another victory.
Alongside fellow Canadian Maelle Ricker, Maltais ensured Switzerland’s Emilie Aubry and Simona Meiler had to settle for second with Italian pair Michela Moioli and Raffaella Brutto third and France’s Claire Chapotot and Nelly Moenne Loccoz fourth.

 

[Smallville22]

Cross-Country Skiing World Cup

Kowalczyk wins comfortably in Canmore
Justyna Kowalczyk emphatically claimed her second cross-country skiing World Cup victory in Canmore and second of the season, winning the skiathlon by almost 35 seconds.
Kowalczyk, competing in North America while World Cup leader Marit Bjoergen concentrates on the Tour de Ski back home, was unstoppable in the third race of three in Canada.
The 29-year-old Olympic champion powered around the course to win in 42:51.5minutes and add to her win in the 10km classic mass start at the start of proceedings on Thursday.
And, while Kowalczyk ran away with the victory, the battle for second went right down to the wire with Finland’s Anne Kylloenen winning a photo finish on the line.
As many as six were in contention coming into the final straight and it was the outstretched left ski of Kylloenen that beat Vibeke Skofterud into the runners-up spot.
Kylloenen finished 34.9seconds behind Kowalczyk while Norwegian Skofterud was 0.01 adrift in third with her teammate Kristin Stoermer Steira taking fourth another 0.08 behind.
Such was the tight nature of the finish Masako Ishida of Japan was only another 0.01 behind while Valentina Shevchenko was 0.03 away for sixth and Alija Iksanova 0.05 for seventh.

Manificat wins skiathlon in Canmore
Maurice Manificat claimed his first victory of the cross-country skiing World Cup in the 15km classic-15km freestyle skiathlon in Canmore after a sprint finish with Roland Clara.
The 26-year-old trailed Clara at the summit of the final climb as the Italian broke away however, as he tired towards the finishing line, the Frenchman found enough speed to win.
Manificat gained time on Clara down the hill and then made his move at the start of the final straight to win, after 30km combined in the skiathlon, by just 0.7 ahead of the Italian.
He has enjoyed a mixed start to the season having finished 44th in the 15km classic mass start last time out in Canmore and 14th in the stage event in Kuusamo before that.
However a third among the three races in Finland underlined his potential and he delivered it in the skiathlon in Canada for his second career win, the first coming back in March 2010.
Much like the women’s skiathlon, there was little between the top of the field as Norwegian Sjur Roethe claimed third a second behind Clara with Tobias Angerer just 0.2 further adrift.
Another Norwegian Eldar Roenning was 0.8 shy in fifth with Russia’s Andrey Larkov sixth, 0.2 behind, and Carla’s Italian teammate David Hofer 0.4 off in seventh.

 

[Smallville22]

Alpine Skiing World Cup

Ligety wins Alta Badia Giant Slalom
Ted Ligety outclassed his rivals again with a comfortable victory in the classic Italian giant slalom of Alta Badia.

The world champion won his third giant slalom of the season in a combined time of two minutes and 37.27 seconds, 2.04 ahead of Austrian Marcel Hirscher.
While the gap was not as emphatic as Ligety's 2.75-second margin of victory in October's season opener in Soelden, it required a great second run by overall World Cup champion Hirscher to limit the damage.
Third-placed Frenchman Thomas Fanara trailed Ligety by 3.27 while German Fritz Dopfer was fourth, 4.22 off the pace.
The record margin of victory in a men's World Cup race stands at 4.06 seconds by Ingemar Stenmark in 1978 and Ligety, who also won in Alta Badia two years ago, has drawn comparisons with the Swede considered to be the best giant slalom specialist ever.
Ligety, who led by an impressive 2.40 after the first leg, conceded the shadow of Stenmark had weighed heavily on his performance in the afternoon.
"It's crazy. I was amazed, I couldn't understand leading by such a margin after the first run," the 28-year-old said.
"In the second, I must admit I had the Stenmark record at the back of my mind. I wanted to ski aggressive but at the same time, I wanted to win the race," he said.
Two big mistakes, which could have been costly, warned the American against trying too hard and he secured victory in the final section.
Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal was a solid ninth, 4.86 behind Ligety, whom he leads by 106 points in the overall World Cup standings.
However, Ligety does not believe he is strong enough in slalom or super-G to mount a real challenge to the Norwegian for the big globe.
"I don't have a true chance because I need to raise my level in a lot of other events. I hope my GS (giant slalom) form will help me go ahead in slalom and find my best form like in the old days," Ligety said.
With 14 giant slalom victories, the skier from Park City has joined Austrians Benni Raich and Hermann Maier as the fourth most successful specialist of all time and is one win behind Italy's Alberto Tomba. Stenmark notched an incredible 46 top spots in the discipline.
Hirscher, with six podium places including a win this season, said he had to be contented with his runner-up place behind an exceptional Ligety.
"I really skied at my limits in the second run but there was no catching Ted. He's on another planet and I asked him after the first run which line he'd taken, for it was just unbelievable," Hirscher said.
"In any case it's a great battle with Ted in the GS and with Aksel overall and I'm having great fun."
The men's circuit stays in Italy for a floodlit slalom in Madonna di Campiglio on Tuesday, the last race before Christmas.


Maze wins Courchevel GS, Vonn skies out

Slovenia's Tina Maze won the women's Giant Slalom in Courchevel after Lindsey Vonn skied out in the first run.
The Slovenian, who has also won a super-combined, clocked a two-leg time of two minutes 16.84 seconds to pull ahead in the overall World Cup standings.
Austria's Kathrin Zettel had to be content with the runner-up spot for the third time this season, 0.22 seconds behind Maze, while local favourite Tessa Worley was third, 0.40 behind.
Maze's streak of four wins was the first such run in giant slalom since 2008 when Italy's Denise Karbon pulled off the feat.
"I remember clearly that year when Karbon won everything," Maze said. "It's great but I would love to win six."
Maze's 16th World Cup victory enabled her to take a lead of 331 points over Maria Hoefl-Riesch in the race for the overall trophy, while Zettel lies third, 28 points behind the German.
The Slovenian's 799 points represent the highest tally at this stage of the season.
"Who could have said at the start of the season that I would hold that many points? It looks natural because I ski so well, but there's a lot of hard work behind each and every point," she said.
The Slovenia's ambitions were boosted by a new disappointment for World Cup holder Lindsey Vonn, who failed to complete the first leg and headed straight back home to the United States for a rest over Christmas.
"Hit a rock on my left ski in the GS and skied off course," Vonn wrote on her Facebook page.
"Struggling to find the energy I usually have... going to think hard over the next few days about my plan for the coming weeks and how to get strong again. Trying to stay positive."
The American four-times World Cup winner would not return before the St Anton downhill on January 12, a U.S. Ski Team spokesman said.
Maze said it was a pity not to be able to compete against an in-form Vonn.
"It's true that it's not the same when the leading skiers are not all there, but I'm really tired as well. I will again have to grit my teeth until Are," she said.
The women's circuit moves to the Swedish resort for two technical races on Wednesday and Thursday.

 

[Smallville22]

Speed Skating World Cup

In the second 500m for Ladies, Sang-Hwa Lee impressed again by greatly improving the track record, this time to 37.65, after an opening of 10.36. Jenny Wolf could not keep up with her and finished in 38.41 in fourth. Jing Yu was second with 38.34 and Nao Kodaira third with 38.38. With 6 out of 6, Lee leads the World Cup with 600 points, far ahead of Wolf with 400 and Kodaira with 386, then Richardson with 275 and Jing Yu 245.

In the Men’s 500m was a larger group of skaters who had been on the podium before, than in the ladies’ field. Of the twin brothers, Ronald Mulder was the fastest today, he opened in 9.66 and finished in 35.21. Only Joji Kato was faster; the Japanese opened in 9.58 and also had the fastest lap, finishing in 34.95, as the only skater below 35. Yesterday’s winner Jan Smeekens beat his pairmate Michel Mulder, but his 35.27 brought him to bronze only. Smeekens is leading the World Cup ranking with 430 points, Kato 386 and third is Michel Mulder with 307 points. Olympic champion Mo (KOR) dropped out of the top-5 with a poor weekend.

In the Ladies' 1000m, times in general were a bit faster than on Saturday. Olga Fatkulina (RUS) skated 1:17.12. Laurine van Riessen (NED) also did much better, finishing in 1:17.26, a time that would have been good for bronze the day before. Today it brought her to fourth. Fatkulina earned her first podium finish with bronze. The two most precious medals were divided amongst the final pair with Hong Zhang and Karolina Erbanová. Like a day earlier, the difference in the opening was half a second to the advantage of the Czech, but with a 27.9 and a 30.2 lap Zhang beat everybody and crossed the finishline side by side with Erbanová in 1:16.71. In such a case the verdict comes down to the thousandth of a second, and that showed that Zhang had won in 1:16.717, and Erbanová had skated 1:16.718. In spite of this second place she now took over the lead in the World Cup ranking with 305 points, absent Richardson dropped to second with 280 and Hong Zhang, who was absent in Nagano, is now third with 260.

In the Men’s 1000m the medals were divided between the three men who also made the podium on Saturday and again Kjeld Nuis missed the podium by a small margin, 0.02 seconds. Nuis was paired with Schwarz who went away fast from the start, opening 16.67, laps of 25.7 and 27.4 followed so he was the first to break the 1:10 barrier this weekend: 1:09.69.
In the final pair, Shani Davis and Hein Otterspeer made it again a tight race. Otterspeer opened in 16.74, had the fastest first lap of all, 25.4, but Davis stalked him and passed him just before the finish line. Davis’ 1:09.87 and Otterspeer’s 1:09.92 did bring them to the podium but left the gold to Schwarz. Schwarz: “Incredible, I feel like in wonderland. Technically and tactically everything is sound. You still learn little details. This result is beautiful. “Überüberrasschend”. This way skating makes so much fun!”
Morrison’s fifth place was enough to keep him in the lead in the World Cup with 325 points, Schwarz is closing in with 314 points, Otterspeer and Nuis both have 310 points.

Afterwards, there was a demonstration event, the Team Sprint. Kazakhstan was the fastest of five male teams with 1:23.48 ahead of Germany and Russia; the Chinese women with 1:29.11 beat Russia and Canada.

This concludes the first series of World Cups. The next will be in Calgary on January 19 and 20, where a week before their World Championships sprinters will compare their powers.

 

[Smallville22]

Luge World Cup

Armin Zöggeler on second place
Germany’s men have found their match in Albert Demchenko

Germany’s lugers have found their match in Albert Demchenko, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist and 2012 World runner-up of Russia. After twelve consecutive victories for Germany in the men’s singles of the Viessmann Luge World Cup series since November 27, 2011, the 41-year old athlete – the oldest competitor in the World Cup – ended the winning series of the protégés of head coach Norbert Loch. Italy's two-time Olympic and record World Champion Armin Zoeggeler claimed a second-place finish. The 38-year of from South Tyrol was the last non-German luger to have earned a World Cup top podium finish in Sigulda on February 19, 2011.
Felix Loch, in the lead after the first run, blew the chances of continuing the German winning streak when he made a capital mistake in curve 15. However, Loch eventually earned a third-place finish.
Loch is currently leading the overall Viessmann Luge World Cup rankings (355 points) ahead of Andi Langenhan (Germany / 300) and Albert Demchenko (257).

Quotes

Albert Demchenko (RUS / 2006 Olympic silver medalist and 2012 World runner-up)
“I feel younger than I actually am. We have a very good physiotherapist on our Russian team and I have no back problems. My 15th World Cup victory is an anniversary.”
Armin Zoeggeler (ITA / two-time Olympic and record World champion with six titles to his credit)
“Sigulda has always been one of my favorite tracks. Additionally, Albert Demchenko is a great motivation for me since he is even older than I am. It’s really something special when two lugers of our age make it onto the podium. Although – without that mistake - Felix would have surely won.”
Felix Loch (GER / 2010 Olympic and three-time World Champion)
“I’ve made that really big mistake in the exit of curve 15. It was such a stupid mistake it almost makes me laugh. But hey, things like that happen.”

 

[Smallville22]

DEW TOUR

Kai Mahler Takes All in First-Ever Freeski Big Air

The Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships offered a new discipline to the fans of flight with the addition of the Big Air competition gracing the bottom of the slopestyle course at Breckenridge.

As this was the first time the Dew Tour has hosted a true Big Air event, the excitement was felt from the fans to the athletes and everywhere in between on the mountain – the nighttime aspect only added to the thrills!

The format consisted of twelve skiers broken into two heats of six riding in an organized jam format for eight minute periods or until five runs were completed. The top two riders from each heat automatically advanced into the final round. In addition to those four skiers, the next highest score from both heats also advanced making for a five-man final – during the final round each skier took three paced attempts for their chance at the win.

This format of invited athletes going directly to compete in finals, every skier rode adamantly not leaving anything left on the slope.

In the first heat we saw both Gus Kenworthy and Jossi Wells advance with Russ Henshaw left on the bubble with the third highest score. Then, in the second heat Henrik Harlaut and Kai Mahler advanced automatically while Tom Wallisch slipped in with a score great enough to drop Henshaw out of the final.

Soaring over the 67-foot gap, it was Kai Mahler stomping the best trick of the night, a switch left double misty 1440 double Japan grab, earning him the highest score allowing him to ski out with the win at the inaugural Big Air competition at Dew Tour.

“The jump was so cool, it is big enough to throw anything. I’m stoked I got first! That switch left double cork misty 1440 double Japan grab was the first time I have ever tried that and landed it – I’m so happy I got it on my feet!”

Results

1st Place – Kai Mahler 97.00

2nd Place – Gus Kenworthy 95.75

3rd Place – Henrik Harlaut 94.75

4th Place – Josiah Wells 87.75

5th Place – Tom Wallisch 87.50

 

[Smallville22]

DEW TOUR

Mark McMorris Stomps The First-Ever Snowboard Big Air

The iON Mountain Championships brought a new discipline to the Dew Tour this year to best showcase the high fliers of snowboarding with the Big Air event at Breckenridge, Colorado.

With the new age of triple corks fresh to the world of snowboarding, it only made sense for Dew Tour to introduce this extra event to take the linked line pressure off the riders and offer them up a one-hitter-quitter style competition to put their skills on display.

The format of Big Air was simple, twelve snowboarders broken into two heats of six riding in an organized jam format for eight minute periods or until five runs were completed. The top two riders from each heat automatically advanced into the final round. In addition to those four riders, the next highest score from both heats also advanced making for a five-man final – during the final round each boarder took three paced attempts for their chance at the win.

After the first round it was Sebastien Toutant, aka Seb Toots, and Staale Sandbech that cleared their way into the finals. Then, from round two it was Mark McMorris, aka McMo, and Ulrik Badertscher landing in the finals. The fifth man to make it into the finals was Sage Kotsenburg from round one.

In the end it was Mark McMorris who rode out the victor of the first-ever Big Air competition at Dew Tour after landing his backside triple cork 1440 in the finals.

With regard to Dew Tour trimming the fat and expanding on their new single-stop format, McMorris had this to say, "It's way better, its a way bigger deal and there are way more people here to watch... It's a bigger deal than it used to be, and I'm stoked to be a part of it!" McMorris also went on to comment on the Big Air event being held at night, "I feel like every event should be done at night. It doesn't matter if it's snowing, it doesn't matter if it is flat light. With all the lights you can see everything so perfect and the vibes are way better at night, so Dew Tour Killed it on this one!"

Results

1st Place – Mark McMorris 96.75

2nd Place – Sage Kotsenburg 81.75

3rd Place – Staale Sandbech 69.25

4th Place – Sebastien Toutant 23.75

5th Place – Ulrik Badertscher 20.50

 

[Smallville22]

DEW TOUR

Jamie Anderson Rides Away The Women's Snowboard Slopestyle Champion

The Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Final at the Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships lucked out with clouds breaks and sunny skies allowing the women riders optimal conditions to strut their stuff at Breckenridge.

After the nail-biter semi-final yesterday, the top scoring six riders made their way into the finals with only two runs to prove they deserved to be the 2012 Dew Cup champ of slopestyle.

Just as in semis, each rider received two runs on the course with only the top score counting toward the cup, and despite the stiff competition the atmosphere around the event seemed friendly and relaxed – until the final few were ready to drop.

Following Jamie Anderson’s top-notch performance in semis, Anderson became a crowd favorite to win the final round. As it all came down to Anderson’s final run, the pressure was on for Anderson to throw it all out in order to take Spencer O’Brien off the top spot. With much success, Anderson nailed every trick in her final run and came out on top!

Anderson’s run included a half cab tail press on the tier drop box, a gap to tailslide to fake on the kink rail, a cab 540, a frontside 720, a backside tailslide to fakie on the rainbow box, a switch back 540 then into a powered out landing on a backside 540.

Jamie Anderson
“I was just trying to stay grounded [coming into today’s final seeded first], and just know that I could land a good run,” said Anderson after the competition. “I’m happy [there is only one stop this year] I just go with the flow. I love Breckenridge!”

O’Brien, although nearly taking first, was excited to take second overall after qualifying fourth from the day before and earning a high score of 90.00. Rounding out the third place position on the Dew Tour podium was yesterday’s third place qualifier, Enni Rukajarvi, who earned a final score of 85.25.

Congrats to all the women for putting on an epic display of talent!

Results

1st Place – Jamie Anderson 96.00

2nd Place – Spencer O’Brien 90.00

3rd Place – Enni Rukajarvi 85.25

4th Place – Sarka Pancochova 75.00

5th Place – Silvia Mittermueller 60.00

6th Place – Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas 53.00

 

[Smallville22]

DEW TOUR

Mark McMorris Takes The Win In Snowboard Men's Slopestyle Final

From 31 to the elite twelve, the Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle at the Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado consisted of the best snowboarders in the industry riding on what many have been referring to as “the best slopestyle course ever.”

As the final event of the last stop of the 2012 Dew Tour, spirits were high from riders to fans, and despite some winds and snowfall flurries, the level excitement and talent on display was something to be remembered.

When the semi-final came to a close back on Wednesday, Torstein Horgmo ended the day leading the pack and earning him the top qualifying spot after taking his two runs. Similar to the semi-final, riders in the final each were allotted two attempts to take to the slope in an effort to get that single highest score of the day.

After all the riders finished their first attempts on the course, it was Mark McMorris who nailed every trick and took the highest score of a 90.00. Then, during the second laps, McMorris upped the ante again growing from his previous score to a 95.00, which put the pressure on the remaining men left to drop.

Maybe it was the added confidence McMorris gained from the night before when he won the first-ever Big Air at Dew Tour, maybe not. Whatever it was, the Canadian snowboarder came out swinging in both runs stomping everything he tried – a feat in and of itself.

In the end, nobody was able to unseat McMorris and he rode out of the final stop of the 2012 Dew Tour with two titles! McMorris’ best run of the day was his second run that included a lipslide to fakie, switch hard 270 onto the next down feature, a cab double cork 900, frontside 720, backside 360 to tap on the iON camera feature, a double wildcat and a frontside double cork 1260 to cap it off.

“This course is sick! Four jumps, three rails – it’s a really technical setup. When you get to ride a really big course it is so much more fun… A lot of times you are limited to two or three ways of spinning, but with four jumps it makes for endless opportunities for lines you can choose – it makes for a lot more creativity,” said McMorris after he received his second Dew Cup in two days. McMorris went on to express his approval for the new Dew Tour’s change to a one-stop format, “[Dew Tour] is on the right track, one hundred percent!”

Chas Guldemond and Staale Sandbech rounded out the rest of the podium, respectively.

Results

1st Place – Mark McMorris 95.00

2nd Place – Chas Guldemond 90.75

3rd Place – Staale Sandbech 85.75

4th Place – Sebastien Toutant 84.24

5th Place – Roope Tonteri 79.75

6th Place – Peetu Piiroinen 65.00

7th Place – Torstein Horgmo 75.00

8th Place – Sven Thorgen 70.25

9th Place – Sage Kostenburg 50.00

10th Place – Eric Willett 43.75

11th Place – Maxence Parrot 30.25

12th Place –Ulrik Badertscher 23.75

 

[Smallville22]

DEW TOUR

Kaya Turski Wins Women's Freeski Slopestyle 2012 Dew Cup

The Women’s Freeski Slopestyle Final broke in the last day of the Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships at Breckenridge, Colorado, and with light snowfall mixed with broken sunshine it was a perfect day for competition finals.

Following a fierce semi-final from the day before, the best six scores advanced skiers into this winner-take-all final for the 2012 Dew Cup, and every women on the slope through everything they had in an effort to take the title.

The Breckenridge local, Emilia Wint was the top qualifier coming into today’s final, and considering her qualifying score was an entire five points higher than the rest, all eyes were on the local lady to come through for the win.

However, as the event went on the snowfall grew and after taking a spill on her first fun, Wint was left in the last place position as she prepared to take the last drop in the final. Wint rolled through the course nailing every hit, but as she approached the final 67-foot booter Wint came up short and knuckled.

This left the win in the hands of yesterday’s third place qualifier Kaya Turski, who nailed her first run of the final that carried her through the rest of the competition. Turski’s first and best run included a switch on front swap on the rainbow box, lipslide to fakie on the next rail, to switch unnatural 360 over the first jump, to switch 540 over the next jump, then 270 onto the next rainbow box, then she wrapped up her run with a 540 then a switch 720 over the final two jumps.

“There is a lot of great talent coming up, all these young girls definitely stepping it up and are keeping on my toes. I think I have the experience, so I played it cool,” said the humble Turski with regard to how she played the conditions and her competition. Turski went on to comment on the Dew tour’s new single-stop format saying, “I think it’s great! Overall I’ve had a great time at the Dew Tour. It’s been a great course… they have been great with working with the athletes. It’s been a fun event and the lounge is awesome!”

Rounding out the podium was Yuki Tsubota, who qualified fifth, with a score of 72.25, and yesterday’s second place qualifier Anna Segal with a 56.75.

Results

1st Place – Kaya Turski 87.25

2nd Place – Yuki Tsubota 72.25

3rd Place – Anna Segal 56.75

4th Place – Emilia Wint 42.50

5th Place – Dara Howell 40.50

6th Place - Ashley Battersby 36.50

 

[Smallville22]

DEW TOUR

Russ Henshaw Rides Out The Men's Freeski Slopestyle Champ

The Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships at Breckenridge, Colorado wrapped up the final day with three slopestyle events, and the Men’s Freeski Slopestyle Final was without a doubt a highlight to the day as they skied with strength through what many athletes had referred to as, “the best course ever.”

Following the 31-man final from yesterday, only the top twelve were allowed to return to throw it all on the line for their chance at taking the 2012 Dew Cup.

As the top twelve skiers began to take their turns on the slopestyle course, the snow began to flurry making for a true winter competition allowing some riders to flourish while others had to make adjustments in order to excel.

With James Woods, aka Woodsy, coming into the event as the top qualifier from semis, he was looked to be a favorite to do well. However, between the conditions and the stacked competition, this event was anything but predictable.

As it came down to Woodsy’s final run, he seemed to have his entire run as he wished, but as he approached the final jump he decided to ride to the side and let this event go to the Aussie Russ Henshaw who scored a whopping 84.50 on hi first run.

Topping the podium was Henshaw, and directly behind him in scores were Andreas Hatveit and Henrik Harlaut taking second and third, respectively.

Results

1st Place – Russ Henshaw 84.50

2nd Place – Andreas Hatveit 80.00

3rd Place – Henrik Harlaut 78.75

4th Place – Matt Walker 77.25

5th Place – Tom Wallisch 74.25

6th Place – Sean Jordan 70.25

7th Place – Aleksander Aurdal 62.75

8th Place – Jf Houle 60.50

9th Place – James Woods 37.00

10th Place – Nick Goepper 30.50

11th Place – Alex Bellemare 29.50

12th Place – Gus Kenworthy 20.50

 

[Smallville22]

DEW TOUR

Eric Beauchemin Wins Inaugural Snowboard Streetstyle

The Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships has broken ground on many levels this week in Breckenridge, Colorado. From hosting a film night in the town to putting on a Big Air competition under bright lights in front of a giant crowd at night, but what is quite possibly the most innovative addition to the lineup is the new Snowboard Streetstyle event hosted in the town at night.

Complete with a trailer truck drop-in, a Toyota van to jib on and off of and multiple dumpsters to grind, wallrides to hit, cement street barriers to slide and kickers to launch off around each obstacle – the new Snowboarding Streetstyle event offered a new style of riding that represents true riding in the streets.

The streetstyle event format consisted of a 30-minute organized jam with thirteen riders taking turns on the unique course being judged on their overall impression.

Eric Beauchemin ultimately scored the highest from the thirteen-man jam with tricks like a half cab 360 onto the down barrier, back 270 to 270 out on the barrier as well as a variety of grinds across the long dumpester at the end of the course.

“I’ve never done anything like this, features in the streets of Breckenridge… it was fun. My favorite feature was the wallride,” said Beauchemin still taking in his win.

If crowd turnout and overall atmosphere are any indicator of an events success, this new streetstyle discipline will be remembered and return to the Dew Tour as a flagship competition for fun and creativity!

Results

1st Place – Eric Beauchemin

2nd Place – Jamie Nichols

3rd Place – Sam Hulbert

4th Place – Dash Kemp

5th Place – Austin Hein

 

[Smallville22]

DEW TOUR

Brita Sigourney Wins Women's Freeski Superpipe Final

Following the windy semi-final earlier this week at the Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships, the stacked list of skiers for the Women’s Freeski Superpipe Final brought the heat to Breckenridge as these women went all out for their chance at a Dew Cup.

With only the elite six skiers making it into the finals, each brought their best tricks to the pipe but it was Brita Sigourney that had all eyes on her as she qualified first with the highest score from semis.

Similar to the semis, each skier in the finals received two runs down the pipe with only the best score counting toward the end goal. After the first round of runs, it was Sigourney again gracing the top spot.

With only two skiers left to ride, it was teammate Maddie Bowman left to dethrone Sigourney, but following a miscalculation Bowman took a spill in the pipe and it was officially Sigourney’s Dew Cup.

Sigourney took one final victory lap before claiming her trophy from atop the podium. Sigourney’s first, and best, run included an alley-oop 180, a left 900, alley-oop 540, left 540, right 540 and capped it off with a left 720.

Brita Sigourney
“The pipe [at Breckenridge] is so nice, it’s definitely one of my favorites I’ve ever skied. The atmosphere here is always great, even though this is the first competition and there were a lot of nerves going on, the people are great and it is such a big event now with just the one stop *– it was great!”

Fortunately for Bowman, she had already secured herself a spot on the podium and was able to leave the competition with the second place position overall. As for the third place spot, Roz Groenewoud would round out the podium making for the same exact top three as we saw in semis.

Results

1st Place – Brita Sigourney 90.25

2nd Place – Maddie Bowman 87.25

3rd Place – Roz Groenewoud 84.00

4th Place – Ayana Onozuka 78.00

5th Place – Anais Caradeux 74.50

6th Place – Keltie Hansen 62.00

 

[Smallville22]

DEW TOUR

Justin Dorey Sticks It For The Win In Men's Freeski Superpipe Final

For the first time in superpipe history, the Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships at Breckenridge offered a new cable camera angle to best display the height and technicality of the tricks on display!

The Men’s Freeski Superpipe Final brought great skiing, crowd energy and progression of riding, but also progression of video treatment to best showcase the action to fans everywhere with a cable camera strung down the center of the pipe.

Coming into the finals were the top ten of 21 skiers from the semi-final, and, just like the semi-final, those riders competing in the finals were given two chances to take to the pipe and put it all on the line in a last ditch effort to take home the 2012 Dew Cup.

Mike Riddle was the number one qualifier coming into finals, however the lineup of skiers included a number of riders that could easily come in hot and create an upset.

Justin Dorey showed up to do just that, and on his first run Dorey exploded out of the pipe and picked up a high score of 93.50 that put him on the top of the list for the rest of the event. Dorey’s run included a right double 1260 safety, left 900 tail, air-to-fakie, switch 720 Japan, alley-oop left flat 540 critical and a left double 1260 Japan.

“Riddle has been on point this year, stomping runs better than anyone I have ever seen this year,” said Dorey with regard to his competition. “The fact that [Dew Tour] is doing this stop bigger than any other is pretty cool. Breckenridge is sick, this is one of the best pipes in the world and the weather always seems to cooperate with us – Breck has been good to me over the years.”

In the end, Dorey rode out the overall winner and Dew Cup champ, Byron Wells took home the second place position and the top qualifier coming into the event, Riddle, rode out with a respected third place.

Results

1st Place – Justin Dorey 93.50

2nd Place – Byron Wells 90.25

3rd Place – Mike Riddle 88.50

4th Place – Kevin Rolland 85.50

5th Place – David Wise 85.00

6th Place – Tanner Hall 83.75

7th Place – Ben Valentin 83.00

8th Place – Taylor Seaton 76.75

9th Place – Matt Margetts 74.25

10th Place – Thomas Krief 38.75

 

[Smallville22]

DEW TOUR

Kaitlyn Farrington Steals The 2012 Women's Snowboard Superpipe Title

The Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships at Breckenridge, Colorado received a ton snowfall throughout the day Saturday, and to no surprise the Women’s Snowboard Superpipe Final went off without a hitch!

For the first time in superpipe history, the Dew Tour introduced a new camera angle to best showcase the amplitude and style of the riders with a cable camera strung down the center of the pipe showing the runs from drop to final stomp.

The format for the women’s final in the pipe was very similar to the semi-final with each rider taking two runs and only the best score counting toward the win.

Considering in the past three years Kelly Clark has rode away with five stop victories and three consecutive Dew Cups, all eyes were on the Vermont native to ride with style and throw her well recognized 1080.

However, today would be a day of upsets as Kaitlyn Farrington dropped into her first run and nailed every wall to score an 85.00, while Kelly took a back seat on one wall causing her to put all the pressure on her final run.

Then, Farrington, hungry for the win, took her second run to new heights and upped her score t a 90.00. As Clark dropped in for her final run, she was airing higher than any other woman in the pipe, but on her second to last trick took another back seat and slipped out leaving it to Farrington.

Farrington’s best run included a backside 900, a frontside 900, a backside 540, an alley-oop 540, a straight air and a frontside 720.

“I was practing well, so I knew I had the tricks and the run that I wanted to do – I wasn’t too nervous going in,” said a confident Farrington speaking to her mindset prior to dropping in. “The pipe at Breckenridge is so good! It couldn’t be better.”

Queralt Castellet and Maddy Schaffrick rounded out the podium in second and third, respectively.

Results

1st Place – Kaitlyn Farrington 90.00

2nd Place – Queralt Castellet 80.00

3rd Place – Maddy Schaffrick 71.75

4th Place – Torah Bright 66.00

5th Place – Kelly Clark 44.75

6th Place – Elena Hight 39.50

 

[Smallville22]

DEW TOUR

Shaun White With The Win In Men's Snowboard Superpipe Final

The Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships marked the fifth consecutive year of a winter stop at Breckenridge, Colorado, and when it comes to Superpipe this location has provided multiple ground breaking opportunities for riders and spectators alike.

This year, Dew Tour introduced to the superpipe a cable camera that runs down the center of the pipe showing the rider’s runs from drop in to finish from the front perspective – a superpipe first that truly enhanced the viewers experience.

Directly following a snowy final for the women, the clouds broke and offered some sunshine to the men making for a feel good environment for everyone.

With past years in the back of everyone’s minds, Shaun White was a favorite to come in and take home another Dew Cup to add to his collection. However, as we saw in semi-final, White is human and occasionally slips an edge and with the stiff competition this event was truly up for grabs.

By the halfway point of the competition, Louie Vito had laid down an insane first run that temporarily put him in first place with a score of a 90.00 that seemed unmatchable. Then, White rolled in and everything for before went out the window as White nailed every wall with perfection and pulled out a 95.25 and the top spot.

White’s first run held true and carried him to the top of the podium and awarded him the 2012 Men’s Snowboard Superpipe Dew Cup. White’s double mctwist 1260, or tomahawk as White prefers to reference it, was truly the trick that set his run apart from the rest, as he was the only one in the lineup with it in his arsenal.

That’s not all, since White had secured a spot on the podium, and practically guaranteed a first place with only one rider left to go, White went for another trick that only he has in his bag, a double rodeo. Although he did not pull the double rodeo, he did take home the Dew Cup.

“I think that [the new single-stop event format] is great – the Bigger, the better! When you make it a premier event like that it sets it up for everyone to bring their A-game,” said White, still taking in his victory. Looking toward the future at the 2014 Olympics to take place in Sochi, Russia, “I started training a year ago, and this is all part of it. I’m just going to keep doing what I have set out to do.”

Results

1st Place – Shaun White 95.25

2nd Place – Louie Vito 90.00

3rd Place – Taku Hiraoka 81.50

4th Place – Christian Haller 77.00

5th Place – Ayumu Hirano 72.75

6th Place – Nathan Johnstone 66.75

 

[Smallville22]

Alpine Skiing - Vonn to take unexpected sabbatical from skiing
Lindsey Vonn has been forced to take a break from the current World Cup season as the American struggles to get over the effects of an intestinal illness.

Vonn, who disappointed in outings in France at the weekend, said she needs time to recover fully from the stomach problem that landed her in hospital for two nights last month.
“After talking with my family and consulting with my coaches and trainers, I have decided to take a break from the World Cup circuit,” Vonn said on her Facebook page.
“Since my intestinal infection last month, I have been struggling with my energy and strength. I believe that some time off the mountain will help me regain the physical strength that I require to compete at the level that I demand from myself.”
The 28-year-old suffered two uncharacteristic falls over the weekend - first in the Val d'Isere downhill and then the giant slalom in Courcheval.
Vonn revealed in a magazine article published before the two French World Cup meetings that she suffers from depression, but she insisted this sabbatical was unrelated.
“I want to be emphatic that this has nothing to do with my recent interview with People Magazine," she said.
“I had completed that interview weeks before I was in the hospital with the intestinal infection."
The four-times overall World Cup champion is yet to set an exact date for a return to action, although she hopes to be able to do so in January.
"I want to thank my sponsors for their continued support," she said. "Most of all I want to thank my fans for all of the kind words and love you have shared with me. I wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday and look forward to getting back on the mountain in the new year.
US women's head coach Alex Hoedlmoser said how soon Vonn returns to the slopes “depends on how she’s feeling and exactly what her condition is".
“She’s going home for now,” Hoedlmoser added. “We’ll have to see when she’s ready. It’s a little bit unknown but the plan is to get her back strong. ... With the way the schedule has been and all the travel she just hasn’t had a chance to get back to strength. We want her back at full strength.”
Vonn will certainly miss the races in Are, Sweden this week and probably those in Semmering, Austria, on December 28 and 29.
“It’s possible she’ll skip Semmering, so that would mean her next races would be in January,” Hoedlmoser added.
Vonn got off to a blistering start to this season's World Cup, winning three straight speed races at Lake Louise before claiming victory in the super-G at St Moritz earlier this month - her 57th career win.
However, having skipped several races due to her stay in hospital - and with more to be missed over the coming weeks - Vonn's bid to defend her overall title is now in jeopardy.
She currently sits in fourth place in the standings, behind Tina Maze, Maria Hoefl-Riesch and - after the weekend's results - Kathrin Zettel.

 

[Smallville22]

Curling - China jump up world rankings

China have jumped up three places in the latest curling world rankings following their performance at the Pacific-Asia Curling Championships in New Zealand.
China sit in sixth spot in the list after skip Rui Liu led his team to gold in Naseby last month.
Russia moved up four places from 17th to 13th after they finished fifth at the European Curling Championships in Sweden under skip Andrey Drozdov.
Otherwise, Canada remain on top with Scotland in second, while Germany drop down to eighth after their ninth-place finish in Halstad.
In the women's game, there was little movement in the top 10, with just Korea edging out Japan from 10th place. Sweden remain on top of the pile, ahead of Canada and Switzerland. Scotland stay in seventh.

Men's world rankings top 10:

1 Canada 782

2 Scotland/GBR 610

3 Norway 590

4 Sweden 484

5 Switzerland 419

6 China 336

6 USA 336

8 France 331

8 Germany 331

10 Denmark 318 0

Women's world rankings top 10:

1 Sweden 688

2 Canada 639

3 Switzerland 534

4 China 502

5 Denmark 430

6 Germany 417

7 Scotland/GBR 387

8 USA 354

9 Russia 328

10 Korea 237


Alpine Skiing - Janka takes break until January
Carlo Janka will take a break from skiing as he attempts to recharge his batteries following a series of disappointing results.

The former world champion will not race again until January as he takes "a break for his head", according to Switzerland men's team boss Osi Inglin.
At Alta Badia on Sunday, Janka finished nearly eight seconds behind Ted Ligety in the giant slalom.
He will now focus on preparing himself for the giant slalom at Adelboden on January 12.
"At Alta Badia, he gave the impression he did not have any strength," Inglin said. "He will go back to work with his physical conditioning coach Peter Meliessnig and will have a check-up on his blood levels."
If those tests prove normal, Janka is expected to return to the slopes at Hinterreit in Austria on December 26 to practice his giant slalom technique with Tumler, Manuel Pleisch and Gino Caviezel.


Biathlon - Jonsson diagnosed with asthma

Swedish biathlete Jenny Jonsson has been diagnosed with asthma.
The 25-year-old, who posted poor results in the opening two rounds of this season's World Cup in Ostersund and Hochfilzen, took time out from competing last week.
And after tests, it has been confirmed that she is suffering from the respiratory ailment.
“I still have some samples that I have not received an answer to yet, but yesterday I learned after two tests that I have stress asthma," she said on her official website.
"Not fun to get the news, but there is treatment available so it was super important that I have found out about it."


Alpine Skiing - Bertrand forced into early retirement

Frenchwoman Olivia Gallay Bertrand has announced her early retirement from alpine skiing.
The 23-year-old was forced into making the decision over two years after sustaining serious injuries in a training crash in Ushuaia.
Bertrand represented France at the 2010 Winter Olympics, finishing 12th in the women's giant slalom. Her best World Cup results came in 2009, with two 12th-placed finishes at Aspen and Cortina.
A statement on the FIS website read: "Olivia thanks her team, sponsors and the French Ski Association for their support and great times."

 

[Smallville22]

Freestyle Skiing - Val Thorens ski cross put back

Qualification for the World Cup ski cross event in Val Thorens has been postponed due to inclement weather.
A lack of visibility at the French venue forced organisers to put back the opening action for both the men's and women's competition from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Skiers will now compete in qualifying on Wednesday morning with the finals to be contested in the afternoon, weather permitting.
If not, the qualifying session standings could be used to determine the event results.

 

[Smallville22]

Alpine Skiing World Cup

Consistent Hirscher celebrates slalom win

Austria's Marcel Hirscher finished 2012 in style with his second victory of the winter in a floodlit slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, his last race of the year.
The reigning overall World Cup champion won both runs and destroyed the field in the night's second leg to win in a combined time of one minute and 42.50 seconds.
The race was marred by the death of a 70-year-old steward, who suffered a heart attack during the first run.
Hirscher, who finished on the podium in all seven technical races held this winter, left second-placed German Felix Neureuther 1.67 seconds adrift.
His consistency and his second win of the season, after success in the giant slalom at Val d'Isere 10 days ago, lifted the Austrian to second in the overall World Cup standings, 54 points behind Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal.
"I gave it more than 100 per cent. All in all, it was an awesome second run," said Hirscher.
"Now I'm looking forward to Christmas... I can devote some time to my girlfriend," he added.
While the speed specialists will resume skiing with a downhill in Bormio on December 29, Hirscher will not race before New Year's Day at a city event in Munich.
"The World Cup remains my goal. I won it last year almost to everybody's surprise and I'm determined to confirm this season," said Hirscher.
Japan's Naoki Yuasa achieved his first career podium after climbing from 26th to third with a blistering second run.
"It's a night I'll never forget," said the Japanese, who was all the more surprised by his feat as he finished the race lying on the snow after injuring a disc on the way down.
Hirscher's victory meant he added his name to the Madonna roll of honour with the greatest slalom specialists in the sport's history, from Ingemar Stenmark to Alberto Tomba, by having also won World Cup races in the Italian resort.
"It's a great honour to be on this list," he said.
The race also saw the return to the World Cup of slalom world champion Jean-Baptiste Grange, who had been sidelined since a knee operation in March.
The Frenchman skied two solid runs and finished 21st.