World Cup in Telluride: Meeting Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott

14 Dec World Cup in Telluride: Meeting Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott

[click “Play” to listen to Seth Wescott’s conversation with Susan]

There’s gold in Telluride’s Victorian past. And a very special group of prospectors returns this week with plans to dig deep for more, hoping to get lucky. One of the men is two-time Olympic gold medalist, 34-year-old Seth Wescott of Carrabassett Valley, Maine, arguably the most influential man in the sport of snowboardcross.

Watch for Wescott and his team, December 16 – December 18, when the Telluride region hosts the VISA US Snowboardcross Cup for the second year in a row. Teams from around the world were drawn back to the region by the world-class snowboardcross venue created by Olympic builder Jeff Ihaksi, the cold winter weather offset by warmth of the towns of Telluride and Mountain Village.

Last year, was up and down for Wescott. Part of the down was Telluride, where the snowboardcross superstar experienced multiple crashes. But Wescott came back in the X Games, winning second place. He topped that performance big time in Vancouver, successfully defending the gold he won in Torino, Italy, in 2006, when Wecott became the first Olympic champion ever in his event.

Seth & Peter Foley
with Plum TV’s Jeb Berrier

The schedule for the Snowboardcross Cup in Telluride is as follows: Qualifications are Wednesday, Dec. 15, followed by the men’s and women’s PGS World Cup on Thursday. Finals are set to start on Friday, Dec. 17. The Paul Mitchell Progression Session Snowboardcross Team event, the event closer, is Saturday, Dec. 18.

Snowboardcross is the official name for the competitive downhill event more commonly known by boarders and fans of extreme sports as boardercross. The sport involves a group of four snowboarders racing simultaneously along a course designed to test the athletes’ board control. The winner is the first to cross the finish line, but unlike most other classic snowboard events, style and technique are not rated. In addition to the sharp turns, moguls, drops, jumps, peaks, and flats of the course itself, snowboardcross competitors also have to contend with each other: racers frequently bump as they speed down the narrow track fighting for position and balance. A fast pace, gnarly jumps, and regular wipeouts make snowboardcross a great sport for spectators.

To learn more about Seth Wescott and his team, click the “play” button and listen to his interview.

(And a big thanks from Telluride Inside… and Out to Elizabeth Howe, Vice President of Resort Operations, Telluride Ski Resort, for making it all possible.)