SNOWBOARD, SBX. In a press conference held yesterday in the Montafoner Hof, the local Organising committee has announced that 25 nations have already confirmed to send their riders to the season's SBX World Cup opening on December 6 thru 8.

SBX World Cup Montafon riders, photo: FIS
 
According to Christian Speckle, Secretary General of the OC, the field will feature everybody who is anybody.
 
“The Montafon region brings as many nations to the World Cup as we ever had,” said Speckle.
 
“We will have Olympic Champions as well as X-Games Gold medallists and World Champions competing on the course.”
 
The course will be build by Anders Forsell. The Swedish shaper will also be responsible for the Olympic Winter Games SBX course in Sochi 2014.
 
Eleven days before the final FIS snow control takes place, the technical data of the planned course has also been revealed.
 
The course length will be about 1,000 meters, the total amount of artificial snow need to build the course is 60,000 m³.
 
Anders is supposed to start building the course on November 26
 
While the local OC obviously counts the days to the official World Cup race, also four Austrian riders coming from the region are psyched to compete in their home event.
 
Besides 2009 World Champion Markus Schairer also Michael and Alessandro Haemmerle and Susanne Moll grew up in Vorarlberg.
 
Schairer stated: “There is nothing better than competing at home. There aren't that many athletes in the World Cup circuit who ever get a chance like this.”

FISsnowboard.com
Wednesday 14 November 2012

First drawings for the Montafon Snowboard Cross

Some two weeks ahead of the FIS Snowboard World Cup season's first snowboard cross races in Montafon, Austria (Dec 6 - 8), Anders Forsell came up with the first official drawings.
 
The Swedish course shaper, who will also be responsible for the World Championships course design, had to produce two ideas in order to be prepared for all eventual snow conditions.
 
However, the basic idea still is to run the single and team events on a lower course with the finish in the town of Schruns.
 
Obviously this would guarantee a more technical track leading through the village.
 
As a consequence, this would also mean a heat of four competition due to the less available space – similar to the event hosted two years ago in Lech.
 
In case of bad snow conditions, the whole race will take place higher on the mountain where the terrain is wide open with no tress or other obstacles such as rocks.
 
The pretty flat area perfectly suits for a six rider course and follows more or less the natural fall line.
 
According to Forsell, who runs his own business called Snowparkconsulting, this alternative would feature some technical jump combos plus some special features just like the course in Valmalenco, Italy
 
However, FIS Officials as well as local Organisers will decide where the race will take place next Monday, November 26, right after the final snow control.

FISsnowboard.com
Wednesday 21 November 2012

Montafon SBX Lower Course Design with finish in Schruns >

Montafon SBX Higher Course Desgin >