Deer Valley World Cup

It seems everyone here wants to know how the course is here in Deer Valley. Ski Cross is something they have never seen around here and they are very excited. I’m trying to stay positive but I’m not very happy with the course. It’s narrow and slow and I think it will be difficult to pass. The course builder is the same guy doing the course in Vancouver and this is my first time on his course. My first impression of his course is it has a strong Boarder Cross influence. He builds big berms and the jumps have steep take offs and short landings. On the Ski Tour we have gotten used to less berms, bigger jumps, and more speed. Corley Howard, the builder for the Jeep Ski Tour, did some radical changes in his course building last year. He started building big rolls on the inside line. The idea is to make the outside line easier and the inside line more risky. It is supposed to eliminate the single file line that you get when there is just one fast line. When there is nowhere to pass it’s not fun for the racers or the spectators. I think the two course builders need to work together to come up with great courses. Hopefully the action will be good on course tomorrow and the powers that be on the U.S. Ski Team will get excited to build a strong team moving forward.

Today was the qualifying time trial and it was a good day for me. I was 2^nd behind Michael Schmid by 2 hundredths. I will have my pick of the gates in every heat until the final. Kraus was 4^th, Daron 8^th, Jake 12^th, and Errol was 28^th. I think Errol missed the wax. The weather should be good tomorrow and I look forward to a great race. I’m still searching for my first win of the season.

One thing I love about Ski Cross is the events always have great entertainment. We always have great music at the Jeep Tour, now called 48Straight, which means 48 straight hours of sports, music, and partying. Well we got to watch my favorite AC/DC cover band, Hell’s Belles. I watched them on New Year’s in Aspen, they played at the XGames, and I just watched them at Deer Valley after the Aerials competition. I was there with Heidi Voelker Brennwald and she said “Deer Valley isn’t used to this kind of entertainment.” The Hell’s Belles rock and I think I’ll win tomorrow after checking them out.