National Alpine Championships – Day 3!

All photos by Hotshots

Day 3 of the National Alpine Championships was all about fast tight turns and smashing gates, yep it’s the Slalom. How much this event has changed over the recent years. Morphing from a graceful and elegant looping turn into a high speed power carve where armored gladiators do there best to snap of every pole at the base, a fantastic display of modern skiing at its best.

Thredbo’s World cup race course is perfectly positions for spectators as it runs directly under the Kosciusko express chair, it’s a birds eye view every ride up the mountain so you can ski and spectate.

With the weather holding up and a decent freeze overnight the race track was pretty firm, perfect for racing on. 110+ men and women did battle for the right to call them self Australia National slalom Champion. On a tight and technical course the war of attrition was on as many skiers pushing to hard came unstuck, Slalom being an unforgiving sport just the slightest mistake will see you out of the course and out of the event.

Managing to stay on her feet over the two run race was Australia’s Lavinia CHRYSTAL who ran with bib Nr 1 and finished the same. Young up and comer Elyse Timoshenko, skied into 2nd with Elizabeth Pilat in 3rd.

Dutch man Joery VAN took it to the field adding an Australian National slalom title to his name. Joery is showing some good form in this Australian FIS series winning the Tom Mathias Memorial FIS Slalom at Mt Buller last week. 2nd was Niklas RAINER (SWE), 3rd was Aussie Michael RISHWORTH again boosting his world ranking points significantly again.

One more day of racing remains, another Slalom tomorrow, so if you are in the neighbourhood swing on by and check out the racing, you can give the racers a cheer from the chair and pick up a few tips at the same time.

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