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TESTING CONDITIONS FOR INAUGURAL LG CONTINENTAL CUP SLOPESTYLE

Wednesday, 3 September 2008

Bad weather and high winds challenged the competitors at today’s LG FIS Continental Cup Slopestyle at Cardrona Alpine Resort. The first event of its kind in Australasia, the competition attracted a broad field from 10 countries to Cardrona’s restructured slopestyle course.

Norwegian national snowboard team member, Roger Kleivdal was the top men’s qualifier just ahead of local rider, Nick Hyne from Queenstown. Kleivdal won silver in the Big Air at the Junior World Championships earlier this year and impressed judges with his consistent riding, despite the conditions, in a run that included a front 7 tail grab and a solid cab 9.

In the women’s event, current Big Air Junior World Champion, Sarka Pancochova (CZE) qualified first with a unique variety of tricks and huge air that included a switch backside 1080, providing her with two consistently high scoring runs.

In the end, the poor weather resulted in the finals being postponed the finals until tomorrow (Thursday) at 1.30pm when the overall winners will be decided.

Following the LG Continental Cup, the week of world-class snowboard action continues this weekend with the biggest LG FIS World Cup Halfpipe event since the 2006 Winter Olympics. Over 100 athletes from 19 countries will take on the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest halfpipe at Cardrona Alpine Resort as they start their quest for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The qualifying rounds will start at 8am on Saturday September 6 with semi finals and finals taking place on Sunday 7 from 10.00am.