After the parallel giant slalom which was scheduled for last Sunday in Limone Piemonte, Italy, had to be cancelled, the December is fully characterised by two LG Snowboard FIS World Cup host debuts. For the first time ever, Seoul and Telluride will organise World Cup contests. While the freestyle snowboarders meet on December 13th in the Korean capital for the season's second to last big air competition on the Gwanghwamum square, the race boarders will truly enter their competition winter at the world wide tour's sole stop on US American soil.
On December 15th and 17th it's not only time for holding the re-scheduled Limone race but also the originally for Telluride planned Olympic qualifier race. After the first two parallel giant slaloms of the 2009/2010 winter, the snowboard cross specialists step into the international spot light. December 18th will bring the time trials for the season's second heat finals taking place on the 19th - being followed by a SBX team exhibition the day after.
Strong competitor field including World and Olympic Champions
In the US, the world's best riders will compete for Gold in the PGS and SBX races - and also for their national Olympic team spots, their tickets for Vancouver 2010. Due to this, the three contests play an essential role for all nations. No wonder that everybody who is anybody will enter the slopes of those high-rated races.
While Amelie Kober (GER), Doris Guenther (AUT), Fraenzi Maegert-Kohli (SUI) and Johanna Shaw (AUS) as well as Benjamin Karl (AUT), Mathieu Bozzetto (FRA), Jasey Jay Anderson (CAN) and Rok Flander (SLO) will compete in the parallel giant slaloms, Maelle Ricker (CAN), Olympic Champion Tanja Frieden (SUI) as well as US-girl Lindsey Jacobellis are aiming for a podium finish in the Snowboard Cross. On the men's side, all eyes are on Pierre Vaultier (FRA), Olympic Gold medallist Seth Wescott (USA), Mike Robertson (CAN) and Markus Schairer from Austria.
In Korea, the currently dominating talents of the World Cup ranking will meet for another big air show. Reigning World Cup title holder and World Championships Bronze medallist Stefan Gimpl from Austria, who sits in first of the WC stats with 3.000 points and might be able to celebrate an early back-to-back title win, will duel with his strongest pursuers. Those are Gian-Luca Cavigelli from Switzerland (2,100 points) as well as Slovenia's Marko Grilc (1,180) and Matevz Pristavec (1,100). All four will also have to deal with the top rider of the last World Championships' big air competition as Gold medallists Markku Koski (FIN) will enter his season's first contest.
