Kirkwood, CA – Under sunny skies with blowing winds, on a challenging race course filled with steeps, blind rollers and tight corners, 111 athletes braved the elements this past weekend to compete in the Eagle Bowl Banzai at Kirkwood Mountain Resort, stop number two on the 2011 Rahlves’ Banzai Tour of four skicross-inspired races around Lake Tahoe.nTime trial qualifiers on Saturday narrowed the field to 32 men’s ski, 16 men’s snowboard, 16 women’s snowboard and eight women’s ski competitors on Sunday, going elbow to elbow in four-person heats with the first two athletes across the finish line advancing to the next round. With a $10,000 prize purse up for grabs, racers were holding nothing back on a challenging course through the Eagle Bowl that demanded respect and a healthy dose of courage.

In the end, Squaw Valley’s John Bochenek stood atop the men’s ski podium, Sugar Bowl’s Jayson Hale took the men’s snowboard field, Kirkwood’s Marge Cossettini won women’s snowboard, and Keely Kelleher from Big Sky, Mont., won the women’s ski division.

A blend of big mountain freeriding, downhill racing and ski and boarder-cross strategy, the Rahlves’ Banzai Tour combines elements of ski and snowboard racing into a mad-dash race for a $50,000 prize purse at Alpine Meadows, Kirkwood and the famed Silver Belt Banzai and Tour Super Final at Sugar Bowl Resort this Mar. 12-13. For more information on the Rahlves Banzai Tour, visit www.rahlvesbanzai.com.

Official Results
Eagle Bowl Banzai
Kirkwood Mountain Resort – Kirkwood, CA
Feb. 6, 2011

Men’s Ski:
1. John Bochenek
2. Craig Garbiel
3. Jesse Maddex
4. Marcus Caston
5. Greg Lindsey
6. Tyler Hunter
7. Travis Wolfe
8. JJ Hanley

Men’s Snowboard:
1. Jayson Hale
2. Matt Clark
3. Rodney Folsom
4. Sylvain Ducois

Women’s Snowboard:
1. Marge Cossettini
2. Jennifer McCready
3. Raeland Tarnove
4. Carrie Hall

Women’s Ski:
1. Keely Kelleher
2. Shelly Robertson
3. Shannon Rahlves
4. Chloe Georges