Kirkwood - Saab Salomon Crossmax
It's the men's final round of the Saab Salomon Crossmax race at Kirkwood, CA, and there is a mixed batch in the start. The burly Swede, Eric Andersson, is the favorite to win, and his presence on the course is as intimidating as a mafia hit man showing up to a funeral. He tips the scales at 210lbs, he has race resume a mile long, and he has a little brother back in Sweden referred to as the "Butcher." The Swede can hardly underestimate his competition, though. Salomon team rider, Jamey Parks and Atomic freerider, Justin Glick both have extensive race and skiercross backgrounds, and they have bested the big guy before. Then there is the dark horse. Tall and lanky, limber like rubber, Park City's Eric Schmitz is a big mountain guru, and a bit out of his element on the skiercross course, but he wants the overall skiercross/big mountain title, so he steps into the ring.
The gates drop and Andersson grabs the hole shot right away. Parks stays on his tails all the way down, but he doesn't have the bulk to pass on the double line. Schmitz soaks up the rollers like a Jamaican bobsled team, and somewhere in the shuffle Glick gets tossed from the course in rodeo style. When it is all said and done, Andersson crosses the line in first, Parks lands on the podium in second after a disappointing result at the Salomon North American Freeskiing Championships the day before, and Schmitz (3rd) takes the skiercross/ big mountain combined honors. "The skiercross was gnarly," said Schmitz. "I was surprised at how well I did. I am a rookie. I wouldn't have been doing it if it weren't for the combined."
For the women it is a Salomon stronghold, and three out of the top four women sport the trendy jersey. Four time WX Games champ, Aleisha Cline, takes the hole shot every heat and goes on to win her millionth skiercross. (She's won so many it is hard to keep track.) Up and comer, Ashleigh McIvor is Cline's closest competitor and a second place finish is one of her best results all season. Snowbird's Vickie Bates grabs the last spot on the podium, while Squaw Valley's Anik Demers rounds out the final heat in fourth. Demers in particular likes the skiercross/ big mountain combination. "It gets all the big mountain guys fired up for skiercross because the combined is the best," says Demers. "And it gets all the skiercross guys to mix with the laid back big mountain guys--opposites attract."
While event director, Adam Comey, reflects on the week's events, "The Saab Salomon Crossmax and the Salomon North American Freeskiing Championships were a great opportunity for skiers to showcase their skills in two different elements of skiing," women's skiercross champ, Aleisha Cline, offers a competitors' perspective, "The competition was really stiff today," says Cline and then pauses to glance at her cocktail, "no wait maybe that was my drink."