SAAB Crossmax World Open

Les Deux Alpes, France (Ski Press)-Salomon kicked off the skiercross season last week with the Saab Crossmax World Open. More than 8,000 Europeans flocked to Les Deux Alpes for a day of free ski demos from everyone from Atomic to Volkl--more than 2,000 stopping to ring their cowbells and watch a race where skiers were reaching Super-G speeds and launching as much as 150-feet of air.

"When I saw the last kicker, I thought, 'Holy cow is this going to be intimidating,'" said former Canadian downhiller Daron McBeath, who took third in the race. However, the jump was so well thought out that despite launching skiers uphill over a knoll and then an average of 100-feet down the mountain, the extended runout provided all of the racers a smooth landing transition. "There was no impact when they landed," said Jean-Marc Blais, publisher of Ski Press Media, Inc. "It was indicative of how well the whole race was set-up. It was a 50-second course, but all of the skiers wanted it to be 80-seconds.

Saab Crossmax Pro Team leader Enak Gavaggio (FRA) took first place before Lars Lewen (SWE) and not less than three others of his teammates: Daron McBeath (former World Cup racer), Sean Clark and Xavier Kuhn. New Salomon team member Aleisha Cline of Canada won the women's division.

The next Saab Crossmax International Series takes place in Are Sweden, the 4th and 5th of January.

Results:

Women:
1. Aleisha Cline
2. Magdalena Jonsson
3. Edith Rozsa
4. Valentine Scuoto
5. Annick Demers
6. Ophelie David
7. Maud Giraud
8. Ladina Casura


Men:
1. Enak Gavaggio
2. Lars Lewen
3. Darin McBeath
4. Sean Clark
5. Xavier Kuhn
6. Andreas Steffen
7. Davy Barr
8. Yuuta Ueno