FIS News
Olympic snowboard and ski cross course revealed
FIS today released the snowboard cross and ski cross course designs for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi (RUS). The course is located in the Extreme Park at Rosa Khutor ski area.
This custom designed course, which was created in cooperation between the Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding disciplines, will provide one of the most dramatic settings for two of the youngest and most exciting FIS Olympic events. Snowboard cross (SBX) was introduced at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, while ski cross (SX) was successfully introduced at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
The 1250 meter-long course in Sochi, which was designed over the last four years, will consist of a series of eight turn sections, punctuated by a series of jumps and roller sections and is sure to be a strong and exciting test for the Olympic snowboarders and skiers.
In the cross event, a group of competitors (four skiers, or six snowboarders) launch themselves from the starting gate which drops open onto the course. After each round, the top half of the field (two skiers or three snowboarders) advance to the next round. The final medal rankings are determined by the positions in the final.
For both Freestyle Skiing and the Snowboarding, the cross competition represents perhaps the most complete display of talent and skills, with jumps, turns, gates, speed, and head-to-head competition testing every skill set.
Skiers and snowboarders will share the same start and finish areas in Sochi, with around 80% of the cross course sections to be shared as well. There will be one area where the course will split into separate ski and snowboard sections to specifically target each discipline's skills. In total, 64 ski cross and 64 snowboard cross ladies and men will compete on the course during four days, with each heat clocking a time between 1:15 and 1:30 minutes.
The course was successfully tested during the 2012/13 World Cup season when the Olympic test events were held in February, 2013. Feedback about the course in both disciplines was overwhelmingly positive.
The FIS Technical Advisors David Ny (SWE) and Nicolas Vaudroz (SUI) have built numerous World Cup and World Championship courses and their efforts, in cooperation with the FIS cross specialist and former German Olympian Martin Fiala, were used to create an exceptionally dynamic and challenging Olympic cross venue.
Martin Fiala, FIS, who competed in Vancouver 2010 as a ski cross competitor for Germany stated: “The Olympic programme always provides some extra special characteristics from our World Cups and World Championships courses. The cross course in Rosa Khutor challenges all skills from both snowboarding and skiing. I would like to thank all involved from the Rosa Khutor ski area, National Ski Association(s), from the Organising Committee and also to the course designers and the course builders for their hard pre-work on the road to the competitions and wish all the teams and athletes a safe, successful and exciting Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 for what could become a true highlight of the programme.”
Check out the course design here: http://www.fis-ski.com/news-multimedia/photos/gallery=olympic-snowboard-and-ski-cross-design.html
Source: the official FIS site
This custom designed course, which was created in cooperation between the Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding disciplines, will provide one of the most dramatic settings for two of the youngest and most exciting FIS Olympic events. Snowboard cross (SBX) was introduced at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, while ski cross (SX) was successfully introduced at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
The 1250 meter-long course in Sochi, which was designed over the last four years, will consist of a series of eight turn sections, punctuated by a series of jumps and roller sections and is sure to be a strong and exciting test for the Olympic snowboarders and skiers.
In the cross event, a group of competitors (four skiers, or six snowboarders) launch themselves from the starting gate which drops open onto the course. After each round, the top half of the field (two skiers or three snowboarders) advance to the next round. The final medal rankings are determined by the positions in the final.
For both Freestyle Skiing and the Snowboarding, the cross competition represents perhaps the most complete display of talent and skills, with jumps, turns, gates, speed, and head-to-head competition testing every skill set.
Skiers and snowboarders will share the same start and finish areas in Sochi, with around 80% of the cross course sections to be shared as well. There will be one area where the course will split into separate ski and snowboard sections to specifically target each discipline's skills. In total, 64 ski cross and 64 snowboard cross ladies and men will compete on the course during four days, with each heat clocking a time between 1:15 and 1:30 minutes.
The course was successfully tested during the 2012/13 World Cup season when the Olympic test events were held in February, 2013. Feedback about the course in both disciplines was overwhelmingly positive.
The FIS Technical Advisors David Ny (SWE) and Nicolas Vaudroz (SUI) have built numerous World Cup and World Championship courses and their efforts, in cooperation with the FIS cross specialist and former German Olympian Martin Fiala, were used to create an exceptionally dynamic and challenging Olympic cross venue.
Martin Fiala, FIS, who competed in Vancouver 2010 as a ski cross competitor for Germany stated: “The Olympic programme always provides some extra special characteristics from our World Cups and World Championships courses. The cross course in Rosa Khutor challenges all skills from both snowboarding and skiing. I would like to thank all involved from the Rosa Khutor ski area, National Ski Association(s), from the Organising Committee and also to the course designers and the course builders for their hard pre-work on the road to the competitions and wish all the teams and athletes a safe, successful and exciting Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 for what could become a true highlight of the programme.”
Check out the course design here: http://www.fis-ski.com/news-multimedia/photos/gallery=olympic-snowboard-and-ski-cross-design.html
Source: the official FIS site
