LUDLOW, VT (Dec. 18) - After several lengthy delays, the giant slalom race at the Chevy Truck U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix finally got underway Monday on the Chief trail at Okemo Mountain Resort. Chris Klug (Aspen, CO) and U.S. Snowboard Team rider Sondra Van Ert (Ketchum, ID) took victories on the icy course.

The Okemo Grand Prix will be broadcast by NBC Dec. 30 at 3 p.m. EST.

The race was originally scheduled to go off Sunday, but heavy rain and wind, as well as thunder and lightening, forced organizers to shift the event until Monday. The winds were still blowing Monday morning and the first women's racer didn't get out of the start house until 11:30 a.m.

Klug won with a two-run time of 2:04.71. Canadians took the next two spots with Jasey Jay Anderson in second (2:05.52) and Mark Fawcett in third (2:05.70).

Klug led by over a full second after his first run. He played it safe on his second run and let up a bit to guarantee a clean finish and the $10,000 check.

"I had a really solid first run - I put it up on edge really early and aggressively ," said Klug. "That second run I wussed it a little bit. I probably could've gone a little faster. But it's hard when you've got a good cushion and you don't want to botch it."

Klug has made a miraculous comeback after undergoing a liver transplant in late July. Over five years ago, he was diagnosed with a rare liver disease and was elevated to the top transplant status this June after his condition worsened.

"It took me a couple of months to get my ab (abdominal) strength back," said Klug, who has a scar that reaches from his lower abdomen to the middle of his chest. "I knew I was healthy. I knew that (the transplant) was behind me and maybe I put a little bit more pressure on myself. I felt like, okay, now I'm perfectly healthy, I'm back and I want to prove how strong I am right now."

During inspection prior to the second run, Klug judged the course, set by Scott Palmer from Stratton Mountain's snowboard program, to be too straight down the fall line. He thought it was going to run too fast for the icy conditions. However, he changed his mind after racing it.

"After inspection, I thought 'why'd he set it so straight?'," said Klug. "And then I ran it and it ran beautifully. It was actually pretty turny, a little faster, but the gates didn't seem to come at you too fast. I apologized to Scott, I said 'Great set. I don't know what I was thinking'."

It was the second podium in three days for Klug as he took third at a World Cup giant slalom Saturday at Mt. Ste. Anne, Quebec.

Van Ert, like Klug, was the Grand Prix alpine champion last season. She was in fourth place after the first run with a time of 1:10.67, but stormed back in her second pass to take the win with a combined time of 2:17.94. Canadians again rounded out the podium as Ivana Trudel was second in 2:18.00 and Alexa Loo took third with a time of 2:18.20. U.S. Team rider Lisa Kosglow (Boise, ID) was the leader after the first run with a 1:08.77, but ended up finishing fourth with a two-run time of 2:19.20.

"The conditions were so icy out here," said Van Ert. "This was definitely the hardest snow we've had all season. I think that the second run was a little more consistent. After the first run, I kind of knew what to expect and, even though I wasn't feeling good, I had to keep fighting."

"It's been kind of a slow start (to the season)," said Van Ert. "It just seems par for how I start. I always want to crank it up a little faster. This is a nice way to go home for Christmas."

Van Ert was second Saturday at Mt. Ste. Anne and hauled in $10,000 for Monday's win.

The Chevy Truck Grand Prix rolls into Breckenridge, Colo. Jan. 5-7. Superpipe and parallel slalom will be run, as well as a big air, part of the Yahoo! Sports Big Air & Style exhibition series.

— Courtesy, US Ski and Snowboard Association

Go to: Halfpipe | Preview