World Cup snowboarding is coming to Telluride! Check out the Visa U.S. Snowboardcross Cup from December 17 to 20, 2009 at the Telluride Ski Resort: this is the only stop in the United States fro the International Ski Federation’s (FIS’s) Snowboard World Cup. Both snowboard cross (SBX) and parallel giant slalom (PGS) competitions will be held in what is the second in a series of five Olympic qualification events for the two disciplines.
Ryan Mackey, snowmaking and grooming manager at Telluride, says, “Snowmaking is off to one of our best starts in years with the cold weather, and the new snow we have received in the last couple of weeks is a great bonus.” He continues, “Currently we are making snow on Upper Village Bypass, Lower Boomerang into the Mountain Village, Meadows and Lower Misty Maiden (especially for the World Cup).”
U.S. Snowboarding Head Coach Peter Foley calls Telluride the perfect western home for an World Cup stop early in the season. “With the early start on snow happening at Telluride we are getting really excited to get there,” he says. “We can’t wait to show the athletes from around the world how great Telluride is and let them experience a real world class course,” Foley adds.
John Jett, the Competition and Event Services Manger, has been working through the course procedures and qualifications with the USSA and FIS. “The last of our summer projects for the event, including laying the timing wire for the PGS, has been completed,” he explains. “Both FIS and USSA course inspections have been approved for the World Cup Competition.”
This is the Telluride area’s first World Cup competition and will give a taste of what’s to come in February’s Vancouver Olympics. Frank Bell, Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee, hopes that “the world will join us either in person or through the media coverage in introducing the best snowboarders in the world to the great terrain, spectacular mountain setting, and two great ski towns that embrace the 2009 Snowboard World Cup.”