While Europe was blessed with some new snow fall over the last days, it is obvious that this powder was a drop in the ocean as a perfect shaped pipe needs a lot of more. No wonders that the snow team at Kreischberg - the venue for the first two LG Snowboard FIS World Cup competitions in the New Year - had a lot of work to do.
A total of 30,000m³ of artificial snow has been produced over the last view days in order to provide the pipe for the halfpipe contest which serves as last Olympic qualifier. The international minimum needed in order to be part of the national battle for Vancouver spots is 100 FIS points and a top 30 finish at a World Cup or World Championships.
The 120 metres halfpipe which will feature a night final under flood lights is 120 metres long, 18 metres wide (lip to lip) and enables the riders to fly five metres into the air.
Action guaranteed - but not only in the halfpipe.
Right next to the pipe, the race boarders will battle it out in head-to-head duels on the parallel giant slalom course - another Olympic qualifier. One athlete with very good memories of the race hill is Siegfried Grabner. The Austrian veteran who grabbed Gold at the 2003 World Championships at Kreischberg however is banned to the visitor's stances.
Due to an ankle injury suffered in the last race of 2009 in Telluride, the 34-years-old will swap his racing suite with clothes of a team manager of SG boards. His first turns in competition are planned for Nendaz (SUI, January 17th) or latest for Stoneham (CAN, January 24th).
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