Weather was the major storyline in this morning seeding session on the X
Course for Men's and Women's SnowboarderX. Overnight, a few inches of wet,
heavy snow blanketed the run, and snow continued intermittently throughout
making for slower conditions and times. The bigger- or at least more
visually impressive- factor though, was fog, all pea-soupy and British. More
than a few riders commented that lack of visibility made it tough to
negotiate the course's many features. Yet another reason for top athletes to
develop sonar. It works for bats.
BKam
Other notes:
A. Each rider was given two runs down the course, a change from last
year, and something I got wrong in last night's wrap. Curse you media guide!
Either way, conditions made it tough for riders to improve on their opening
runs, and very few did.
B. It was a great day for the US. Whatever wax tech Andy Buckley did with
his magic potions and pixie dusts worked, because the top four men's
qualifiers were all his guys: Nate Holland, Graham Watanabe, Seth Wescott,
and Nick Baumgartner. Lindsay Jacobellis was the top qualifier among the
women.
C. Shaun Palmer took a nasty fall through the rollers on his second run,
banging his head on the snow and bouncing around pretty good. Fortunately,
he was soon up and walking around, and seemed more concerned about his board
than his health. He qualified eighth off his first run.
D. Tara Dakides, who hasn't competed in SnowboarderX since '99, had a
rough return, qualifying in 12th and final position, with a time well off
the pack.
E. For Watanabe, who at 5'6", 150 lbs. is particularly affected by slow
conditions, the solid qualifying time was welcome. He's hoping the extra
features on this year's course (read: less gliding time) will give him an
advantage. "It suits my riding style. Being really active and hopefully
having more stamina than the guy next to me. Certainly those opportunities
to gain momentum are better, rather than just gliding and watching people
zip by you."
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Contributors
Brian Kamenetzky
Brian Kamenetzky is covering Skier X and Boarder X this year. He's a frequent contributor to ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Action Sports, and he's logged many an X Games with us. You can call him B-Kam.
