The fourth stop of the World Cup was not safe to be held at Mont-Sainte-Anne just a night ago, but some snow has reached the resort just in time. Heavy snowfall on Thursday brought the powder to Mont-Sainte-Anne — the riders liked it for freeriding but it caused terrible problems for the GS slope. "We are not used to powder here," Canadian Jasey Jay Anderson said in a pre-race press conference, "but this is too much — the snow is just too soft. It is a shame, since the top 20 riders in the World are here, so I hope they can make it happen..." — and make it they did: The race organizers worked really hard and decreasing temperatures last night contributed to making the race happen today.
Anderson worked it out with claiming gold in the season's penultimate Giant Slalom. Sitting in fourth position after the first run, he made up time in his second run and was exhausted: "My second run worked way better than the first," he said, "although I made some mistakes, I let the board run and kept the speed so it is just great. I really wanted to win this time and I knew I could do it — I pulled it together for second in Whistler coming from seventh place after the first run, so being in fourth here I knew I could pull it. I had trouble two years ago and finished third, last year it was actually decent riding but I ended up second so this time I got it."
Italy's Walter Feichter was in third after the first run and made it to second place which also saved him the yellow bib as the GS World Cup leader. "There was still this little piece missing today," he said, "but I am glad I worked it out for second place. The slope is a good one for me, which I already proved with third place last year but the World Cup lead was my major focus today."
US rider Chris Klug has recently returned to the tour after a liver transplant and finished third. "It feels great, just exciting to be back and make it to the podium again," he said, "I was pretty strong last year but after the health issues with my liver transplant I had kind an disappointing start into the season. My riding was pretty good, I just could not work it out in the races. I am glad I had two solid runs today and there is probably more room to go faster but to be on the podium for the first time this season is just great."
Slovenia's Dejan Kosir who was leading the field by 42 hundreds of a second after the first run made a big mistake in the second and dropped back to 13th place.
Feichter stays in the lead with Anderson sitting in second place now. Dieter Krassnig from Austria who finished 11th today is in third.
In the womens' race, most were reminded of last year's result with France's Karine Ruby taking the win today ahead of the US' Sondra van Ert and Rosey Fletcher — a complete order reversal compared to 1999. For Ruby it was not only the second consecutive GS win this year but her 50th overall. "This is my first-ever win at Mont-Sainte-Anne and I am so glad I worked that out," she said, "the snow situation has been a bit of a problem but it actually did not turn out to be too bad today. I had a good feeling already in the first run and it went all right so I was quite confident for the second. It is working pretty well right now and I have a lot of confidence but the World Cup is not decided until the last race which still needs to come so I need to keep on."
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Sondra van Ert and Rosey Fletcher were amazed sharing another podium, "We really like that and it looks like we get used to it," van Ert said, "but it is getting scary again with Karine — it is great for her but she is just so well all-over this season." Last year's winner Rosey Fletcher did not judge the race to be different this time. "I was going with the same approach," she said, "flats usually fit me a lot and that might be the reason for my good results on this slope but there was this little piece missing today so I am glad with third place. Sondra and I have a weird way: in Whistler we came third and fourth, last year we were first and second here so we are kind of sticking together."
Ruby took the lead in the GS standings with Carmen Ranigler pulling back to second. Pulling fifth today the Italian just missed keeping the yellow bib by one rank. Van Ert sits in third now.
Halfpipe action is scheduled for tomorrow with also a lot of the US riders showing up for the first time this season.
— Britta Semmler, MountainZone.com Correspondent
