World Cup skiers find Birds of Prey conditions ideal

Nov 30, 2010

Didier CucheTraining runs are training runs and the results from them cannot be underestimated.

Having Didier Cuche tally the fastest time in the first training run at Beaver Creek is hardly surprising. He’s a veteran’s veteran with over 300 downhills runs (including training) over his career. He knows what to expect.

At Beaver Creek the racers generally expect the best possible conditions. This season – barring weather caused changes – the course is in the best condition it may ever have been.

While the course invited attack, training is not where that tactic is usually applied, particularly not on the first day. The risk taking comes out later in the week, when it counts. No sense in getting injured in practice.

Cuche was clocked in 1:47.80, well off any of the times he has recorded on race day over his 12 World Cup downhills. Frenchman Adrien Theaux was the second fastest skier on the day and Lake Louise winner Michael Walchhofer was third.

Walchhofer led a string of Austrians who finished in the three through six slots. Canadian Erik Guay posted seventh and American Bode Miller eighth.

Universally the racers called the course “smooth” and the surface “perfect,” hard, but grippy. “You could do whatever you wanted to so,” said tour newcomer Travis Ganong after finishing a very respectable 24th.

If the conditions don’t deteriorate and the talented Talon Crew – as the volunteer force is called – keeps doing what they do, we can expect some truly spectacular skiing when racing gets underway Friday.

Gepa image of Cuche inspecting Birds of Prey

Place   Beaver
Creek (USA)		   Discipline   Downhill
Date   30.11.2010   Category   Training
Race codex   6914   Gender   M
Valid for FIS Points   NO   TD Name   Williamson Greg (CAN)
       
  
OFFICIAL RESULTS – FIRST TRAINING
Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time
 1  15  510030 CUCHE Didier  1974  SUI   1:47.80
 2  2  192746 THEAUX Adrien  1984  FRA   1:48.37
 3  16  50041 WALCHHOFER Michael  1975  AUT   1:48.46
 4  12  50753 KROELL Klaus  1980  AUT   1:48.57
 5  27  50833 GRUGGER Hans  1981  AUT   1:48.69
 6  6  50858 STREITBERGER Georg  1981  AUT   1:48.71
 7  13  102263 GUAY Erik  1981  CAN   1:48.72
 8  22  532431 MILLER Bode  1977  USA   1:48.91
 9  19  421328 SVINDAL Aksel Lund  1982  NOR   1:48.94
 10  31  421483 JANSRUD Kjetil  1985  NOR   1:48.97
 11  41  191591 BERTRAND Yannick  1980  FRA   1:49.03
 12  10  511139 KUENG Patrick  1984  SUI   1:49.10
 13  4  293006 INNERHOFER Christof  1984  ITA   1:49.15
 14  30  510747 GRUENENFELDER Tobias  1977  SUI   1:49.20
 15  25  51215 BAUMANN Romed  1986  AUT   1:49.21
 16  38  533866 NYMAN Steven  1982  USA   1:49.27
 17  9  510890 ZURBRIGGEN Silvan  1981  SUI   1:49.36
 18  20  51005 SCHEIBER Mario  1983  AUT   1:49.40
 19  32  50625 RAICH Benjamin  1978  AUT   1:49.42
 20  11  292455 FILL Peter  1982  ITA   1:49.47
 21  60  150398 BANK Ondrej  1980  CZE   1:49.70
 22  14  292514 HEEL Werner  1982  ITA   1:49.79
 23  18  511313 JANKA Carlo  1986  SUI   1:49.88
 24  37  530874 GANONG Travis  1988  USA   1:49.92
 25  1  500150 JAERBYN Patrik  1969  SWE   1:50.05
 26  3  102961 DIXON Robbie  1985  CAN   1:50.06
 27  23  560332 JERMAN Andrej  1978  SLO   1:50.15
 28  57  201606 KEPPLER Stephan  1983  GER   1:50.22
 28  52  50742 REICHELT Hannes  1980  AUT   1:50.22
 30  40  290998 STAUDACHER Patrick  1980  ITA   1:50.29
 31  5  191964 POISSON David  1982  FRA   1:50.40
 32  34  291459 PARIS Dominik  1989  ITA   1:50.43
 33  24  380260 KOSTELIC Ivica  1979  CRO   1:50.52
 34  7  191740 CLAREY Johan  1981  FRA   1:50.55
 35  17  560447 SPORN Andrej  1981  SLO   1:50.77
 36  45  292291 THANEI Stefan  1981  ITA   1:50.92
 37  46  380292 ZRNCIC-DIM Natko  1986  CRO   1:50.95
 38  55  534939 FISHER Erik  1985  USA   1:50.96
 39  73  50600 GOERGL Stephan  1978  AUT   1:50.97
 39  36  51327 PUCHNER Joachim  1987  AUT   1:50.97
 41  54  293550 MARSAGLIA Matteo  1985  ITA   1:51.02
 42  68  561085 KRIZAJ Andrej  1986  SLO   1:51.03
 43  61  561216 KLINE Bostjan  1991  SLO   1:51.07
 44  42  53817 FRANZ Max  1989  AUT   1:51.13
 45  28  530939 WEIBRECHT Andrew  1986  USA   1:51.19
 46  35  294277 KLOTZ Siegmar  1987  ITA   1:51.36
 47  50  192932 FAYED Guillermo  1985  FRA   1:51.43
 48  8  501076 OLSSON Hans  1984  SWE   1:51.45
 49  43  561087 MARKIC Gasper  1986  SLO   1:51.81
 50  21  102899 OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel  1984  CAN   1:51.85
 51  78  560406 GORZA Ales  1980  SLO   1:51.86
 52  62  103271 THOMSEN Benjamin  1987  CAN   1:51.90
 53  39  511529 GISIN Marc  1988  SUI   1:51.97
 54  64  100558 COOK Dustin  1989  CAN   1:52.10
 55  66  501230 ERICSSON Daniel  1987  SWE   1:52.22
 56  33  534562 LIGETY Ted  1984  USA   1:52.54
 57  29  533131 SULLIVAN Marco  1980  USA   1:52.62
 58  65  511352 VILETTA Sandro  1986  SUI   1:52.75
 59  47  511405 OREILLER Ami  1987  SUI   1:52.80
 60  69  491129 TERRA Ferran  1987  SPA   1:52.88
 61  53  201900 WAGNER Hannes  1986  GER   1:52.96
 62  44  511634 SPESCHA Christian  1989  SUI   1:52.98
 63  56  193560 PASQUIER Alexandre  1987  FRA   1:53.00
 64  49  201811 STECHERT Tobias  1985  GER   1:53.16
 65  51  180570 ROMAR Andreas  1989  FIN   1:53.69
 66  59  103090 HELIE Louis-Pierre  1986  CAN   1:53.89
 67  75  191746 DE TESSIERES Gauthier  1981  FRA   1:54.08
 68  26  561067 PERKO Rok  1985  SLO   1:54.22
 69  72  380298 SIROKI Tin  1987  CRO   1:54.53
 70  63  103375 NELLA Tyler  1988  CAN   1:54.55
 71  48  294911 PATSCHEIDER Hagen  1988  ITA   1:54.59
 72  67  421954 LYSDAHL Espen  1990  NOR   1:55.37
 73  70  220656 DRAKE Ed  1986  GBR   1:55.41
 74  79  700724 BABUSIAK Jaroslav  1984  SVK   1:58.23
Did not start 1st run
   77  531799 FORD Tommy  1989  USA   
   76  534959 JITLOFF Tim  1985  USA   
   74  220874 BALDWIN TJ  1990  GBR   
   71  534289 FRANK Chris  1983  USA   
   58  102814 BOURQUE Francois  1984  CAN   

About the Author: Hank McKee

In memoriam: The veteran of the staff, McKee started with Ski Racing in 1980. Over the seasons, he covered virtually every aspect of the sport, from the pro tours to junior racing, freestyle and World Cup alpine competition. He wrote the first national stories for many U.S. team stars, and was still around to report on their retirements. “Longevity has its rewards,” he said, “but it’s a slow process.”

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