The Nissan Russian Adventure has come to an end, with season wild card Samuel Anthamatten (SUI) taking the win in the mens ski, and Flo Orley (AUS) finishing in first for the mens snowboard. The resort of Krasnaya-Polyana, which will host the alpine and nordic events in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, was the venue for two days of competition.
Day one took place on Friday, with an abundance of fresh snow and blue skies overhead. Scandinavians dominated, taking the top three spots in the ski division. The results however, did not carry over to day two, per an agreement among competitors and organizers, before the competition began. Most of the athletes had taken part in the 3rd stop of the Freeride World Tour in Kirkwood last week, and a number of them had luggage misplaced during their travel half way around the world to Russia. With a number of competitors using rental boots, and borrowed clothing and skis, it was agreed that if a second day of competition did in fact take place, day one results would not carryover.
After a weather day Saturday, the second run of the event was held Sunday morning, once again under sunny skies at the Gorki Gorod ski area. Snowboard runs were combined with the scores from day one, while the skiers started with a clean slate and all athletes using their own gear. Snowboard favorite, Xavier De Le Rue, broke a binding mid way through his run, leaving the door wide open for Austrian Flo Orley to win the event and catapult himself to the top of the tour standings.
Zermatt Mountain Guide, and tour wild card Samuel Anthamatten, used the terrain creatively to take the win for the skiers, with Frenchman Aurelien Ducroz and Austrian Stefan Hausl rounding out the top three.
Notably missing from the event was Team America, JT Holmes and Timmy Dutton, who were spotted shredding pow at Squaw. Good luck to both of them in Austria next week at the Big Mountain Fiberbrunn, and Switzerland later in this month for the Verbier Extreme.
Final Results
Ski Men (Day 2 scores. Day 1 doesn’t count.)
#1Â Samuel Anthamatten (SUI)
#2Â Aurelien Ducroz (FRA)
#3Â Stefan Hausl (AUT)
#4Â Reine Barkered (SWE)
#5Â Seb Michaud (FRA)
#6Â Henrik Windstedt (SWE)
#7Â Sebastian Hannemann (GER)
#8 Aasmund Thorsen (NOR) – Wildcard
#9Â Mathieu Imbert (FRA)
#10 Tom Leitner (GER) – Wildcard
#11Â Matthias Haunholder (AUT)
#11Â Erik Sunnerheim (SWE) – Season Wildcard
#13Â Sam Smoothy (NZL)
#14 Idris Uzdenov (RUS) – Wildcard
#15Â Julien Lopez (FRA)
#16 Torgrim Vole (NOR)
NS Adrien Coirier (FRA)
NS Jérémy Prévost (FRA)
NS Egor Sorokin (RUS) – Wildcard
DNSÂ Jeremie Heitz (SUI) – Season Wildcard
(NS = No Score; DNS = Did Not Start)
Snowboard Men (Scores Average of Day 1 and Day 2)
#1Â Flo Orley (AUT)
#2Â Mitch Toelderer (AUT)
#3Â Jonathan Charlet (FRA)
#4Â James Stentiford (UK)
#5 Emilien Badoux (SUI) – Wildcard
#6Â Max Zipser (AUT)
#7Â Raphael Bullet (SUI)
#8Â Aurelien Routens (FRA)
#9Â Xavier De Le Rue (FRA)
#10 Igor Ilyinyh (RUS) – Wildcard
#11Â Gennady Khryachkov (RUS)
#12Â Matt Annetts (USA)