Several Olympic medalists and a host of top contenders will jostle for position in snowboard cross when the Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix makes its first stop ever at Canyons Resort Feb. 11-12.
The Park City, Utah, mountain now has a world-class snowboard cross venue at the plaza near the base of Canyons. The event, which became an Olympic sport in 2006, puts four snowboarders in a race down a course of banked turns and jumps. The goal is simple: First to the finish wins.
The Canyons event is one of three stops on the tour, which includes competition in halfpipe and slopestyle disciplines. Expected to compete in Canyons will be two-time Olympic champion Seth Wescott and silver medalist Lindsey Jacobellis. Others include Jonathan Cheever, who trains at Canyons, and JJ Tomlinson, who hails from Park City.
The two-day event begins Friday, Feb. 11, with the men's and women's qualification rounds. The finals go on Saturday, Feb. 12, and a live music concert follows.
The tour stop at The Canyons is the second on the three-stop Grand Prix tour in the United States. Other competitions on the tour include a Dec. 9-11 stop at Copper Mountain, Colo., and a March 4-6 final event at Mammoth Mountain, Calif.
The Grand Prix tour is the top-level domestic competition in snowboarding. The best snowboarders on the U.S. tour typically the World Cup tour for international competition.
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