It’s In – So Who are our Olympic Hopes in Ski Halfpipe?
Charlie Timmins in the Super-Dooper pipe at Mammoth, California, January 2010. Image:: Boen Ferguson
Olympic Ski Halfpipe | Charlie Timmins
As I’m sure most of you have heard, on the 6 April the International Olympic Committee confirmed ski halfpipe will be included in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, for both men and women.
Slopestyle – for ski and snowboard – which is also being considered, is yet to jump through the final hoop. While some argue the inclusion of pipe could be detrimental to our sport I think most agree this is a good thing. There are several Australian skiers I can think of that will do well if they choose to focus on pipe in the next three years and I’m sure new names will pop up before the Olympic date arrives.
Just in case you’re interested as to why someone might oppose the inclusion of ski pipe in the Olympics, read this interview with veteran pro skier Anthony Boronowski in which he talks about the commercial imperatives to the decision and the potential problems of realigning freeskiing with FIS.
As an athlete, it seems pretty cool. If I desired, I could train hard and have a shot at going to the Olympics. I’d have a specific goal to work towards, I’d have a coach I don’t pay for to help me (that’s not lame – thanks government funding) my sponsors would be pleased and most importantly I could tell chicks I went to the Olympics and they’d know what I meant. Or, if I chose not to try, or I don’t make the team, I’d at least have another sport to watch after curling. Finally, as an Australian, I’ll have a sport that I honestly believe we could win, mostly on account of the fact you don’t need a 20km downhill course to train on to get any good. In fact, all we need is for a resort to build an Olympic sized halfpipe and we’ll be set.
(Perisher has a 18ft pipe, not quite the 22 feet of the Olympic halfpipe.)
I guess my point is that from where I’m standing, this is cool. It will merge the sometimes-divided industries of the Southern Hemisphere, Europe and the USA, it adds legitimacy to freesking as a sport (maybe we won’t have to say ‘it’s like snowboarding, but on skis’ anymore) and most importantly an Australian could win this.
I suppose this is all somewhat irrelevant anyway, ski halfpipe is in the Olympics whether you like it or not.
Boen Ferguson in the pipe at Mammoth. Image:: Ben Hansen
So now that I’ve beaten that dead horse, who are the contenders?
Russell Henshaw – Russell has the talent of Brendan Fevola but the work ethic of Kevin Rudd. If he wants to ski pipe well, he will. I think he might wait to see if slope is included (and knowing Russell he probably has a pretty good idea of whether or not it will be) and will then choose the discipline he is skiing best in at the time. I would assume that would be slopestyle, but if slope doesn’t make it in I’d have Russell down as the number one contender for pipe. Come to think of it, he’ll probably do both.
Boen Ferguson – Boen is also amazingly talented and if he decides to focus on pipe he could do really well.
Jordan Houghton – Jordan was a great pipe skier; if he decides to get back into it he will kill it.
Anna Segal – Same again. Anna doesn’t ski much pipe, but I’m sure she has the ability to become the best, if she wants to.
Jesse Houghton – He has skills, again a better slope skier than pipe skier though, so he will have to make the ‘transition’ (hahahahaha) to pipe.
Kris Evans – I really hope Kris trains for this. He is a really technical skier with amazing edge control. This is an indispensable skill for a pipe skier. Kris has all the key foundations to become amazing. He is also the perfect age, turning 19 this year. If you read this Kris, do it. Trust me man.
Charlie in the pipe at Mammoth, January 2010. Image:: Boen Ferguson
That just about covers it. An interesting thought though, no Victorian resorts have ever had a good halfpipe (Falls Creek got close once, but not really). There are probably some talented ladies and fellas from down south that only ski pipe overseas.
I think more contenders will emerge now that there is such a major incentive to get good, especially if Perisher builds a 21ft pipe. However, it is important to remember that while Sochi 2014 seems a long way away, you have to be qualified a while before the actual Winter Games.
If you want in, get good now.
Disclaimer – Chris Booth hasn’t been included. This is not because I don’t think he could do it, it is because I know that he won’t. Chris has the ability to do well, but is focused on other areas of skiing. He won’t dedicate three years of his life to compete in the Olympics.
Mountainwatch disclaimer – Charlie hasn’t included himself in this list so we will. Charlie is freakishly talented and the Mountainwatch office general consensus is he’s one of our best. He has the skills, should he choose to deploy them, to earn the right to tell chicks he went to the Olympics. So we say, back at you Charlie – do it.
