Rahlves heads field as The Ski Tour set to open

By Published On: January 12th, 2007Comments Off on Rahlves heads field as The Ski Tour set to open

Skiercross training, led by alpine World Cup veteran Daron Rahlves, began in earnest on Dollar Mountain Thursday as The Honda Ski Tour launches its inaugural event at this venerable old resort.
     The turny, narrow track down what Sun Valley bills as its beginner area had plenty of terrain for the 32 racers who are vying for $75,000 in prize money.
    “There is plenty of terrain,” Rahlves said. “The course comes at you, but it is turny, which gives little chance to pass. The start will be important.”
    Skierpipe training starts Friday on Baldy at the Warm Springs area of the main mountain. Some 20 athletes will compete for $75,000 in prize money, making the tour one of the richest events in alpine skiing.
SUN VALLEY, Idaho — Skiercross training, led by alpine World Cup veteran Daron Rahlves, began in earnest on Dollar Mountain Thursday as The Honda Ski Tour launches its inaugural event at this venerable old resort.
    The turny, narrow track down what Sun Valley bills as its beginner area had plenty of terrain for the 32 racers who are vying for $75,000 in prize money.
    “There is plenty of terrain,” Rahlves said. “The course comes at you, but it is turny, which gives little chance to pass. The start will be important.”
    Skierpipe training starts Friday on Baldy at the Warm Springs area of the main mountain. Some 20 athletes will compete for $75,000 in prize money, making the tour one of the richest events in alpine skiing.
    The Ski Tour is founded by Kipp Nelson and Steve Brown, a pair of former University of Colorado alpine racers. Nelson, a trustee of the U.S. Ski Team as well as the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, wants to put the fun back in competition by involving the community.
    “Too many of the winter events are made for TV,” Nelson said. “They don’t reflect the community or the mountain lifestyle.”
    The tour will stage four events featuring skiercross and pipe athletes competing for $500,000 in total. After Sun Valley, the tour moves to Breckenridge, Colorado, then Aspen, with the finals in Squaw Valley.
    The Ski Tour is the first major event to be held in Sun Valley since the resort hosted an alpine World Cup in 1976. When founded, Sun Valley was a hotbed of alpine racing, regularly hosting the Harriman Cup, named after the resort’s founder, Averill Harriman.
    Sun Valley is currently owned by Earl and Carol Holding, who are very familiar with major events, as they hosted both the 2002 Olympic speed and combined events at their Snowbasin resort in Ogden, Utah.

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About the Author: Pete Rugh