News
Red Dedicates Terrain for Ski Cross and Snowboard Cross Training and Competitions
November 2007
ROSSLAND, BC November 22, 2007 - Red Mountain Resort has committed terrain and resources towards a new Ski Cross and Snowboard Cross training and competition course. Both disciplines are spectacular new Olympic events that feature either 4 or 6 athletes racing simultaneously to the finish down a moto-cross style track with banked turns, jumps and other course features. The new run at Red is located adjacent to Indian Flats accessible from Red’s new Quad chairlift.
“These disciplines are hotter than ever with the success of Snowboard Cross in the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Games and with the inclusion of Ski Cross in 2010,” states Red’s General Manager Erik Kalacis. “Red is really proud to support high performance development of these incredible snowsports. Our new run promises to be one of the best courses in Canada and we hope this will help Canadians reach the podium in 2010 and beyond!”
The course is designed to meet FIS World Cup specifications and the track is over one kilometer in length. The Canadian National Snowboard Cross team is already considering training at Red this winter. A provincial-level competition is being planned for late February. Red is also in discussions with both the BC and Canadian Ski Cross Teams for training. Other regional and international level competitions are planned for the future. Red has invested in safety infrastructure including the purchase of new B-netting, and plans to de-tune the course to open it to the public in March.
The new run was designed by Whistler’s Jeff Ihaksi, designer of the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Snowboard Cross track and the courses for 2010. “I'm happy to be working with Red Mountain Resort on one of the first Snowboard Cross / Ski Cross designated runs. The location of the course at Red is a good match to what athletes are looking for on the World Cup tour,” says Ihaksi. “The terrain on the lower portion of Granite Mountain is ideal. With long straight-aways and nice, undulating terrain, it will be a pleasure for both athletes and Red’s guests to ski and ride.”
“Snowboard Cross made its Olympic debut at the Torino Winter Olympics in 2006. Viewership of the snowboarding events was second to only figure skating with Snowboard Cross playing a substantial role in this”, continues Ihaksi. “The success of Snowboard Cross has led to the acceptance of Ski Cross into the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.”
Red’s Erik Kalacis has a colorful history with both cross disciplines. Having pioneered Boardercross (the original name for Snowboard Cross) in the mid-ninety’s with the Kokanee Kross competition series, he went on to create and produce of the highly successful Swatch Boardercross World Tour. Boardercross then spawned the evolution of Ski Cross and Kalacis was engaged to produce the Extreme Skiercross and the Saab Salomon Crossmax Ski Cross Series across Canada. The success of these competitions helped advance the popularity of both disciplines and ultimately gain Olympic status.
In addition to the Cross course, a new jump has been added to Red’s terrain park. Thanks to the support and earthworks by local sponsor Selkirk Paving Limited, this new jump is big. This jump is being heralded by local pros and by athletes in Rossland’s Freeski Academy . The design follows FIS safety specifications and will be operated under the supervision of Red’s terrain park staff. Red has also improved the profiles of the existing terrain park jumps, added new rails and a new park sound system.
