SUBARU TELLURIDE FREESKIING OPEN: Semi-finals
Carrie Jo Chernoff and Fred Mooney win semi-finals; 23 men and 9 women advance to finals
Despite challenging snow conditions, 43 men and 16 women charged down Prospect Bowl's Cowboy Chute to kick off the inaugural Subaru Telluride Freeskiing Open. Competitors in today's semi-finals picked through tight, rocky chutes and into small hanging bowls with mandatory 15-plus-foot airs onto hard, precise landings, gunning for a spot in the finals.
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"People quickly realized the limits of the conditions, and had to take it to the next level within those limits," said MSI event organizer and announcer John "Dak" Williams. "This type of snow gives you no cushion. It's very apparent when you're not in control; you go from hero to zero immediately."
The first big mountain competition ever held at Telluride Ski Resort went off without a hitch under bluebird skies, due to strong support from Telluride owners, event staff, ski patrol, and forest service.
"Everyone's really enthusiastic about this first year," said Bobby Murphy, Executive Director of Resort Services. "Telluride has great terrain, and we're excited to feature it in an event like this. Things went very well today-there's a lot of energy going into the finals."
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Competitors were judged in five categories-Line Choice, Control, Fluidity, Technique, and Aggressiveness-with the combined scores from today's two runs determining the 22 men and 8 women who advance to the finals. Carrie Jo Chernoff of Crested Butte, CO, and Fred Mooney of Winter Park, CO, emerged as the top qualifiers with today's highest combined scores.
"Mountain Quail is an area that really hasn't ever been touched by the general public," said Murphy. "The first runs tomorrow will be the first runs in that area all season. It will be exciting to watch athletes of this caliber ski in an area that we've only looked at from a distance."
The four-stop 2006 Subaru U.S. Freeskiing series opened with the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals at Snowbird, UT, and continues on to the Jackson Hole Freeskiing Open presented by Subaru in Jackson Hole, WY, and the Subaru North American Freeskiing Championships in Kirkwood, CA.
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For Telluride schedules, news, photos, videos, and other important event information, visit the new: .: www.usfreeskiing.com/2006/TELLURIDE/telluride_index.html
Special thanks to event sponsors: Subaru of America, Snowbird Ski Resort, Amstel Light, The North Face, Powder Magazine, Nordica, Smith Optics, Sportsinsurance.com