SBX riders ready to rock Argentina World Cup

While the Aussie freestyle snowboarders are currently in NZ for their first slopestyle and halfpipe World Cup events, Australia’s snowboard cross athletes have headed to Argentina to kick off their World Cup season.

OWIA Aussie athletes Alex Pullin, Cam Bolton, Jarryd Hughes, Adam Lambert and NSWIS athletes Adam Dickson, Matt Thomas and Josh Miller have travelled the distance to start their 2017-18 World Cup season ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games and selection in January.

Aussie rider Adam Dickson will be looking to qualify for his first Olympic Games and spoke highly of the course this week.

“The course out here looks really good, really well built with a great mix of technical and big features mixed in with some really big berms that will give all the riders a bunch of options for potential passing opportunities. I’m really excited to ride it over the next couple of days” he said.

Cerro Catedral is the location of the hotly contested event, which will host back-to-back races from 8 to 10 September 2017 on a 1000m long technical course designed and built by Todd Main and the local shaper crew led by Philou Gillot.

The Patagonian resort is the second ever in Argentina to organise a FIS Snowboard World Cup event since SBX races were staged in Bariloche back in 2008 and 2009.

As the Olympic winter gets underway in South America, almost every national team has set up camp in Argentina and Chile in the weeks before to get back into contest mode.

But as there haven't been that many real form tests yet, the number of riders on the to-watch-list is pretty big as many athletes have the skills to give it a shot for the podium.

“All the big names are here from all of the countries, Pierre Vaultire (FRA), Lucas Eguibar (SPA) and a few riders to look out for are the Americans as this is the beginning of their Olympic qualification period.” Dickson said. 

In just his 11th World Cup, Dickson has regularly graced the podium in North American Cup races, and achieved a silver medal behind team mate and two-time world champion, Alex Pullin, in last year’s Australia NZ Cup at Mt Hotham.  This year he’s stepping up his game on the World Cup circuit, aiming for consistent qualification in finals and top 12 results.

“I have a very competitive nature and I always want to be pushing myself to the limit, even past it” Dickson said of racing.

The Australian team were the last riders to jump on a plane to Argentina after starting their season at home with the 2017 Australian NZ Cup tour at Mt Hotham in August in which Dickson came fifth and fourth in the two final races.

Olympic champion and defending World Cup title winner Vaultier who won both World Cup races staged in Argentina so far, Omar Visintin (ITA) and Hagen Kearney (USA), are also riders with the right skill-set to contest such a technical course.

In the women's event, Belle Brockhoff is back on snow though continues to recover from knee surgery, and Georgia Baff will return to snow in the coming weeks after sustaining a back injury during training.

This leaves the field open to international riders to battle for the win, with five-time world champion Lindsey Jacobellis (USA), 2014 Soch Gold medallist Eva Samkova (CZE), and Michela Moioli (ITA) as serious podium threats.

In addition, the French armada which includes the likes of Chloe Trespeuch, Nelly Moenne Loccoz and Charlotte Bankes will most certainly play a major role in the hunt for World Cup points, too.

“After this race we are heading back home for a few months of dry land training which includes a bunch of gym training and fitness testing before heading over to Europe for a Europa Cup there, then the beginning of the northern World Cup season” Dickson said.

Check out photos of the course on FIS Snowboard World Cup Facebook page

Alexandra Rouse, Ski & Snowboard Australia | FIS Snowboard World Cup