Rahlves Leads Opening Ski Cross
TELLURIDE, Colo. (Dec. 15) - The 2007-08 ski cross season kicked off Saturday in Telluride with former U.S. Ski Team star Daron Rahlves (Truckee, CA) the top American in the Jeep King of the Mountain. Rahlves was second in a strong men's field. Ski cross is the latest addition to the Olympic Winter Games. The first World Cup in North America will be held as a part of the Feb. 1-2 Visa Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, UT.
Rahlves, the only American to make the four-man finals, was second to Sweden's Lars Lewin. Czech World Cup champion Tomas Kraus was fourth. In the women's final, France's reigning World Cup champion Ophelie David took the win over Austria's Karin Huttary. Brett Buckles (Steamboat Springs, CO) was the top American in sixth.
"As the first event of the year it was a good competition for all the athletes to get their season kicked off," said new U.S. Ski Cross Coach Tyler Shepherd. "The course itself was not too demanding, but [course builder] Corley Howard did an outstanding job designing the course with low early season snow."
Shepherd used the event as an opportunity to get a look at new talent in the wide-open field for the sport. "The event was a sneak-peak for me to scout out some of the other U.S. athletes that I had not been familiar with," said Shepherd. "We have some young talent that is eager to progress in ski cross."
It was an especially important tune-up for U.S. skiers who will be heading to Europe for the first World Cup events in January. "I'm confident, as are the athletes, about going into the first World Cups next month in Europe and Deer Valley. Casey Puckett (Aspen, CO) and Jake Fiala (Breckenridge, CO) are both skiing really well. And, for the women, Brett Buckles is skiing very aggressively. They will be fun to watch in France." All three are former U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes."
Puckett won his quarter final heat but lost out in the semis in a heat won by Rahlves.
With the Olympics just two years away, the FIS World Cup will take on additional significance when it opens in January. Shepherd will take a group of U.S. athletes to the opening races in France. The World Cup begins Jan. 12 in Les Contamines Montjoie, France, then heads to Flain, France Jan. 16. The athletes will skip the Jan. 20 event in Kreischberg, Austria to return for the X Games in Aspen, CO.
A strong U.S. team is expected to take part in the Visa Freestyle International World Cup set for Saturday, Feb. 2 on Deer Valley's Solid Muldoon run.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
JEEP KING OF THE MOUNTAIN
Telluride, CO - Dec. 15, 2007
Ski Cross
Men
1. Lars Lewin, Sweden
2. Daron Rahlves, Truckee, CA
3. Tomas Kraus, Czech Republic
4. Enak Gavaggio, France
Women
1. Ophelie David, France
2. Karin Huttary, Austria
3. Magdalena Jonsson, Sweden
4. Anik Demers Wild, Canada
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Rahlves Leads Opening Ski Cross
