As surprised as we were to learn that snowboarders are still racing slalom, it was sad to see that the management at Cypress Mountain, home to next year’s Vancouver Olympic snowboard events, could not pull of the course prep necessary to hold a slalom event and it was cancelled, according to a story in the Vancouver Sun.
We were pre-riding on the race hill and a lot of athletes were irate at the snow conditions,” said a frustrated Alexa Loo of Richmond, a veteran on the Canadian team. . . .“There was basically a metre of sugar. There was no bottom. You try to push and there was nothing to push on. It would have been like trying to run a track meet in six inches of mud.” . . .The decision to cancel was made by the International Federation de Ski and accepted by Vanoc, the 2010 organizing committee which is overseeing the venue as an Olympic test.
Even some of the halfpipe riders were complaining:
“I just get a bad vibe,” Canadian halfpiper Jeff Batchelor of Oakville, Ont., said Saturday. . . His coach, Jesse Fulton, used even stronger language, about both the condition of the superpipe — “it’s off axis, not steep enough, not long enough” — and Cypress’ lack of co-operation.
Hopefully, they’re figure it out by next year when the eyes of the world are watching.
[Link: Vancouver Sun]
Just found this page. I was a photographer for the men’s half pipe
and for me it went well but for the snowboard slalom it was an insult
having the event cancelled. The day (Sunday) was a beautiful day and
sky was a vivid blue but as I arrived at the parking lot I was told the
event was cancelled. I tought ‘what the heck’? The meet organizers
came up with some lame excuse that the course was too soft which at
the time I didn’t buy, I just thought the event staff were being lazy
and couldn’t get the course set up. After reading this blog I found in
fact the course was a mess and was too soft. If the VANOC thinks they
can run an Olympic event ( in one month) and then cancel it at the last minute and escape being embarrassed they have something to learn
about the media. The media will shame them so bad if they (the VANOC)
cancels an event at the last minute. That Sunday cancelation cost me 80
loonies!!
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