American Reiter 13th in opening snowboard PGS

SOELDEN, Austria — Snowboarder Justin Reiter of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, made it two World Cup finals in two starts, finishing 13th at the season-opening parallel giant slalom Sunday. Olympic silver medalist Simon Schoch of Switzerland won the event, with younger brother and Olympic gold medalist Philipp Schoch in third. Slovenian Rok Flander was second.
    Reiter, the reigning PGS and parallel slalom U.S. champion, qualified 11th to make the top 16, before falling short to Swiss rider Heinz Inniger in the first round of finals.
SOELDEN, Austria — Snowboarder Justin Reiter of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, made it two World Cup finals in two starts, finishing 13th at the season-opening parallel giant slalom Sunday. Olympic silver medalist Simon Schoch of Switzerland won the event, with younger brother and Olympic gold medalist Philipp Schoch in third. Slovenian Rok Flander was second.
    Reiter, the reigning PGS and parallel slalom U.S. champion, qualified 11th to make the top 16, before falling short to Swiss rider Heinz Inniger in the first round of finals.
    The alpine squad will now have a month before the first stop on the Race to the Cup series slated for Nov. 20-21 at Copper Mountain, Colo. The World Cup resumes Dec. 3 in S. Viglio di Marebbe, Italy.

Kohli wins women’s PGS; Mueller 28th
Swiss rider Fraenzi Kohli won the first parallel giant slalom World Cup of the women’s season Saturday, besting Austrians Doresia Krings and Marion Kreiner in a race where Austria placed five riders in the top 10. Organizers moved the start of the race higher up the Rettenbach Glacier due to poor snow conditions.
    The top American finisher was Erica Mueller of Steamboat Springs in 28th.

SNOWBOARD WORLD CUP
Sölden, Austria – Oct. 22, 2006
Men’s PGS
1. Simon Schoch, Switzerland
2. Rok Flander, Slovenia
3. Philipp Schoch, Switzerland
4. Andreas Prommegger, Austria
5. Heinz Inniger, Switzerland
Top U.S. riders
12. Justin Reiter, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
20. Tyler Jewell, Sudbury, Mass.
21. Chris Klug, Aspen, Colo.
29. Zac Kay, Mount Shasta, Calif.
31. Adam Smith, Bend, Ore.
35. Ryan McDonald, Entiat, Wash.

SNOWBOARD WORLD CUP
Sölden, Austria – Oct. 21, 2006
Women’s PGS
1. Fraenzi Kohli, Switzerland
2. Doresia Krings, Austria
3. Marion Kreiner, Austria
4. Isabella Laboeck, Germany
5. Amelie Kober, Germany
Top U.S. riders
28. Erica Mueller, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
34. Michelle Gorgone, Sudbury, Mass.
35. Stacia Hookom, Edwards, Colo.
39. Lindsay Lloyd, Centerville, Utah

— U.S. Snowboarding