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All events, all the time

New events offer something for everyone

By Andrew Mitchell

With the addition of a second big air and a new cross-country cross race, as well as the return of all competitions and demonstrations from last year, the 2007 Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival has something for every sports fan.

 

World Skiing Invitational and Old Spice Snowboarding Classic

For the second year, snowboarders and skiers will compete in the same events on the same days, showing the progression of both sports. All told there are four contests, including two big air events, a superpipe, and the stompede.

The first event on the list is the Stompede, which gets underway with training on Thursday, April 12, followed by the snowboard qualifiers on Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the ski qualifiers on Saturday during the same time. The finals take place on Sunday, with the snowboarders going from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and the skiers competing from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

The format this year is different, with athletes sessioning five different terrain park features at the top of the Emerald Chair and receiving a score for each one. The winners are the skiers and riders with the most points after the session.

The Old Spice Big Air takes place that Saturday night, with training on Friday from 6:45 to 8 p.m., followed by the LG Flip Contest for skiers and riders. The competition takes place from 8 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Training for the Superpipe gets underway immediately, with training from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, followed by the ski superpipe qualifier on Wednesday from 9:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and the snowboard superpipe qualifier on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The semi-finals for both skiers and boarders are on Friday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the finals take place from 10:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the athlete-judged SuperHit contest.

The Playstation Big Air rounds out the events on Saturday, April 21, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Complete athlete lists are posted online at www.whistler2007.com .

 

Rail Session

Back for a fifth year, the Rail Session will take place on Thursday, April 19 at the base of Whistler Mountain. The top 11 men and four women will take part, skiers and snowboarders, for a total of 30 competitors.

It will be short, with a warm-up from 8:15 to 8:45 p.m., followed by the contest from 9 to 9:55 p.m.

 

XCX

New to the festival this year, the XCX is a cross-country cross race taking place at the base of Whistler Mountain, if snow conditions allow it. Racers will face off on a hill climb that will eliminate half the field, and then move onto the racing. Groups of four will make two laps of a course that includes a climb up and around tower three, and descends through a series of turns and whups. By the end of three heats, competitors will have climbed more than half a kilometre, and made six laps of the course.

The racing gets underway with the prologues at 3:45 p.m., followed by the heats and finals at 5:45.

Spots are still available for men and women at www.whistler2007.com .

 

World Backcountry Freeride Jam

The Jam runs for three days, April 20 to 22, with telemark clinics, demo days, the Out of Bounds photo exhibition, and three backcountry-themed events. One event is Friday’s North Face Whistler Windup, an uphill sprint from the base of Whistler Mountain to the Roundhouse for a total vertical vain of 1,200 metres. Another event is the North Face Whistler Dash on Saturday, a recreational ski mountaineering race that takes place in-bounds.   The third and most popular event, judging by the number of pre-registrations, is the North Face Spearhead Passage race from the peak of Whistler Mountain to Whirlwind Peak and back to the Roundhouse. The course distance is 26 km, with more than 2,150 metres of elevation gained and lost.

This event is one of two races in the world designated at a High Range Classic, and results will be considered when picking the Canadian National Ski Mountaineering Team for next season.

For more information on the races and Backcountry Freeride Jam, visit www.wbfj.ca .

 

If Ullr Was a Girl

New this year, the If Ullr Was a Girl contest will wrap up with participants being scored on four criteria — online voting ( www.ifullrwasagirl.com ), results in the Stompede, a mountain culture exhibition, and a big mountain competition on April 18.

 

Skate Zone

The mini halfpipe will be set up in the village once again for skaters, with a few informal contests and giveaways over the festival.

 

Bike Trials

Some of the leading bike trials riders in the country, including Ryan Leech, will be on hand to demonstrate their sport, with shows several times a day. Crowds are usually about 10 deep, so get to the shows early. And if you want to know more about trials, check out the trailer for Kranked 6 and Ryans Trail at www.radical-films.com.