Beaver Creek & World Cup's Dec 3-5

EMSC

EMSC

Well-known member
I'm not even up there today yet, but am getting the inside scoop.

Too much wind up top today. They are moving today's downhill start to the Super G start house. So no long flat at the top, nor some of the initial steeps which means wax jobs and gliding ability will be a whole lot less important for this years Downhill...

Will be up there over the weekend and add some good stuff and pics to this thread.
 
And start is now delayed till 1:30pm.... though even that looks iffy.... New decision on the race to be made at 1pm. Just too much wind.
 
And now delayed till 2pm which is the latest possible start time. Final go/no go decision to be made at 1:30... My guess is no go at this point. We'll have to see if they play with the whole weekend schedule, or just cancel the DH.

EDIT: DH canceled... Super G course to be set now for Saturday's race...

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Not quite but almost live Super G updates: Bode blew out. After 19 Streitberger leads.

Make that all of the us skiers in the top 30 have blown out of the course... Same leader after 30 racers.

Final Super G results:
Georg Streitberger of Austria wins, Adrien Theaux of France second, Didier Cuche of Switzerland third.

Very dissaponting day for the US. A lot of early in the course crash and burns. I waited around to see Tommy Ford for Schubwa but he had a wild run all over the course too.

Robbie Dixon led the Canadians in 8th.

A lot more ski terrain open this year as you would expect with the snowfall. Still a bit thin, especially lower down. More words and pic's later.

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GS 1st run results put Ted Ligety in the lead by 0.36 of a second. Kjetil Jansrud and Aksel Svidal both of Norway currently sit in 2nd and 3rd. Bode had a poor run and sits in 28th. Top Canadian is Jean-Philippe Roy in 22nd.

Just above freezing at the finish with flat light from overcast skies.

Update: Ted Ligety of the US wins! Jansrud 2nd, Hirsher of Austria 3rd.

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Wow, what a neat day. Despite the grey overcast, watching Ted Ligety win from start to finish of both GS runs!

First off the ski day. Attempting to ski for the second day in a row hurt. My legs are noodles right about now. Baby legs will do that (that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it). Temps were running just above freezing on the lower mtn to still wintery up higher. Beaver Creek has thinner snow than Loveland did last weekend. Enough on the steeps of Grouse mtn for the first 1200' or so of vertical, but a lot of stuff to avoid on the lower 600' or so. I'm sure it's partially due to no significant refresh storms for the last week or so. Things are getting skied off a bit and exposing more and more. Today I stuck pretty close to the race hill since GS is two runs. So multiple runs on Grouse despite the thin lower part.

Yesterday post Super G race, I spent some good time in the Rose Bowl area which was a touch better covered; except the flats where the groomers had dug up dirt ironically. Both days had some runs on the flats up top and down Latigo, the standard run into the base. Latigo has had snowmaking so good groomer to get down in considering the other open stuff on the front face is quite thin lower down.

I've got some decent shots of today's event which will go up later tonight along with more about the race. Just wanted to get some usable info out there for anyone skiing the central mtns this week...
 
Crazy is taking the whole family on a ski trip! I wish I'd had more time to write while up on the hill, but thought I'd take a different approach this year and post some quick updates of the action first and foremost. Hopefully at least a few folks found the update information useful. After the DH was literally blown out and the crash an burn effect for the best US hopes on Saturday in the Super G, it's amazing how one day can turn the mood around. In a nearly annual trip for me, I like to attend the only stop of the World Cup in the US since it's basically next door. I did grow up ski racing after all. It's always fun to watch the worlds best train right under the Cinch lift up top to set the mode for the day.

In this case for the GS on Sunday, Ted started only bib #5 and had to sit and wait to see how his time would hold up for the first run. He clearly skied much smoother than anyone else, just from a visual perspective, with most of the racers either bobbling occasionally or fighting the course the whole way down. Shred Ted headed into the second run with a decent sized 0.36 lead. For those that follow the World Cup, Ted historically pulls out a huge run in the second run of GS and rarely has the lead after one run. Ted even commented after the race (in a media and fan 'scrum' in front of the podium) that he was "pretty nervous before both runs". And as admin's news article mentions, he got some good advice from Aksel Lund Svindal before the second run (http://www.firsttracksonline.com/News/2 ... ver-Creek/). The fact the I watched about 50 kids from Park City ski team following Ted around for the next 15 minutes was quite entertaining (Race jacketed kids from Mt baldy even).

Anyway Ted not only won the first run, he more than held his own under big pressure as the final skier of 30 in the afternoon run. The crowd went crazy, the coaches went crazy; a very uplifting environment when a US skier wins at home. Ted's earliest in the season victory, his first on US soil (he was second at Beaver Creek a few years ago, and 4th last year here).

Despite my long lens being essentially crippled the previous day, I managed to get a few shots that are at least decent. And maybe even a video clip of Ted talking too when I can get it converted.

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berkshireskier":1nqvevv6 said:
Nice photos. Always amazes me the angulation the top ski racers can attain, esp. Bode going around that gate.
Click to expand...

jasoncapecod":1nqvevv6 said:
great report..really enjoyed it..
Click to expand...

Thanks!


FInal post for this year's World Cup: Some video of Ted being interviewed... I wasn't expecting the opportunity (usually the athletes go to the media center for press interviews, not just standing on the hill) so my camera was down to basically no time on the SD card. So instead you get some choppy cell phone stuff. Turn up the audio.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5w6C9fAvnw[/youtube]
 
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