We rode up the lift and got our first view of the venue. Unfortunately we did not get to inspect. It was just an inspection from the bottom, then ski it. That is tough to do especially if you want to get into the gnarly sections; you certainly don't want to get stuck into a situation you can not escape from. It was such a clear morning it was tough to stay focused on the event. I was easily distracted byt he great view of the Turnagain Arm.
I spent some time trying to warm up, taking a couple runs on chair 6, then went to the tramdock and relaxed in there where it was very warm. I was there with Kent and Stefan (fellow Hostel stayers) and then headed out for the hike up once everyone was on the bootpack. Reaching the ridge line was awesome - there was a great view of the surrounding peaks. The start order was from 1 on down - this favored the better scores from the day before - giving them first tracks in the untouched snow. I was in 13th place. I found comfort in the fact that I was not the only one scared. Lots of the other competitors were talking about how scared they were at the top - not sure where they were going to go.
Once it was my turn to go, I found out that I didn't know exactly where I was going either. I got into the area above the largest cliff, but I didn't see any good way to get out on the skiers left side of the venue which is where I had hoped to go. I ended up going right side and found a way down. It worked out really well, I was able to make telemark turns then entire way. Every turn was on bended knee. This worked out great and put me into 5th place! They decided to make the finals cut at 10 people, so I made it to the finals!
No comments:
Post a Comment