European ski and snowboard resorts have really suffered a lot from the weather conditions this year and it looks like winter has turned into spring today at Berchtesgaden as beautiful sunshine was accompanied by temperatures of 18 to 20 degrees. While most of the people on, and off, the slopes enjoyed the conditions, the organizers of the fifth halfpipe contest of the 2000/2001 Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup feared that the pipe would not hold up for them all day long. However, they managed to pull it together and the conditions for the finals under the floodlights were not too bad.
Finnish rider Markku Koski had taken the lead after the first run and although he landed his last jump in the second run on the side of the pipe, he was safe for the win.
"I had a lot of fun riding today," he stated. "It was pretty strange to have spring in February but I did not care too much about it. It was too bad I slammed the straight air but I am glad I made it."
ISF Junior World Champion Giacomo Kratter did well in the first run but crashed on his head when doing his last flip right before the finish line. In the second run he made it up from 6th to 2nd place.
"I prefer the bigger pipes," he said, "but it was fun anyway. My head felt terrible - it was like being completely drunk but I worked it out."
Jon Odden from Norway had been in 2nd place after the first run but landed on the deck in the second run and finally had to leave it with Kratter.
"I lost all my speed after this crash and although I tried hard to pick it up again I just could not," he said. "The pipe was a bit bumpy in some sections on the walls but it was fun and I liked riding it."
Sweden's Magnus Sterner got to the finish with a lot of speed after his first run and he seemed to have overestimated the length of the pipe. With a crash in the second run he could not pull it together again this time and finished 8th. However, he still keeps the lead in the standings with his teammate Stefan Karlsson, who got 5th today, still chasing him. Canadian Brett Carpentier missed the finals today and took 11th place but moved up to 3rd place overall.
Similar to last year at the same place, Sabine Wehr-Hasler from Germany won the women's contest. She has not done that good so far this season but proved her strength with two solid runs today and was obviously relieved.
"I like this pipe a lot," she said, "it really is my pipe. I was suffering a bit over the past weeks but it was so much fun riding today and the organizers proved that they are able to make it a good pipe even with those difficult conditions... In the qualification this morning I had some problems with keeping my hands from the walls so I really tried to get them up in the finals and it was fine."
Italy's Alessandra Pescosta was 3rd after the first run and felt like she had nothing to lose when she dropped in for the second. Finally she was the only woman in the finals who could improve her result with the second run and took 2nd place.
"I have been a bit nervous," she said, "but I am glad I added those two points finally to make it there."
Yuri Yoshikawa took 3rd place. "I had a good run first and then changed my plan for the second but I could not get the McTwist done anymore," she explained, "maybe that is why I lost it but third place all right."
Norwegian rider Stine Brun Kjeldaas did not check in for the Berchtesgaden World Cup but keeps the lead in the World Cup ahead of Michiyo Hashimoto from Japan. Wehr-Hasler moved up from 5th to 3rd.
While the halfpipe riders take a break now before the second contest Saturday, the alpine riders will compete in the parallel slalom tomorrow.
— Britta Semmler, MountainZone.com Correspondent
