Skiing fluid, fast runs and stomping landings today was key for up and coming, semi—pro athletes, as the top four women and top six men in tomorrows Finals will be pre-qualified for the rest of the 2010 Tour. It was their time to shine.
Here are those that shined the brightest, starting with the men, Whit Boucher, of Vail, in first, with a 40.57 score, ran second for the men and raised the bar right off the bat. Boucher skied a fast, fluid line on the top of the venue and followed by a 30-plus-foot stomp. Following Boucher, in second, was Travis Wolfe, of Telluride, with a 39.33, who skied a strategic rocky cliff line, which included lots of technical hop-turns and billy-goating. Behind Wolfe, in third, was Connery Lundin, of, with a 35.67, a former racer, who skied the venue like it was just some more gate practice, his turns were fluid, controlled, fast, and lead into several cliff hits smoothly. In fourth, was Chason Russell, also of Telluride, with a solid 35.17.
For the women, Sasha Dingle, of Bridger Bowl, skied the best women’s line of the day with a top score of 32.53, followed by Alexis DuPont, of Sun Valley, in second, who launched off a cliff early in her run, which nabbed her a score of 32.17, behind her, in third, was Louise Lintilhal, of Stowe, who skied a solid line and captured a flat 32-point score, followed by Karina Falck-Pederson, of Norway, in fourth, who stomped a fast, aggressive run with 31.57
Despite a larger than usual roster, the 600-vertical feet venue, Review, in Telluride’s Black Iron Bowl, yielded quick runs and a surprisingly early finish, according to head IFSA judge, Jim Jack. The competition started shortly after 9 a.m. and ended around 2 p.m.
Tomorrow, these top athletes, plus an additional 52 athletes, the top 14 women and 44 men will advance to Finals and ski their best line’s down a spiny area between Mountain Quail and Dihedral Chute to vie for a pre-qualified spot on the Tour.
