Ischgl Course

The NOKIA World team scored another double victory at today's Snowboard Cross, as Swiss rider Guillaume Nantermod and Austrian Ursula Fingerlos took the top spots.

The conditions were wonderful, with pure sunshine all day and temperatures around five degrees centigrate. According to Nantermod, the riders faced "a really good course with impressive turns, perfect conditions and nice weather - all you need for a good race." And he certainly made it his race today. After finishing 7th in the qualifications, the Swiss rider took the right line all the way through the finals and into the last heat, where he faced John Fletcher from Down Under, France's Thomas Ligonnet and Mathieu Morency from Canada.

Out of the start gate, Morency was leading the quartet and looked like he could take it, but he crashed, leaving the door open. Nantermod was in place to pick up the lead and kept it all the way down to the finish.

"I had a second place in Whistler," he said, "but the first win is something special. I did not do very well in the alpine races, just snowboard cross. If you win a race I think it kind of gets to a mechanism of victories, so I hope I can make use of it in alpine as well. I had not been in the lead in this final race but I think you need to be patient until you get the chance to pass someone without taking too much risk. With Morency crashing today I did not need to take any. I'm really happy and I want to dedicate this win to my friend Daniel Lötscher, who died two weeks ago."

"The course was not easy, a lot of jumps and turns and it was really narrow, you had to take the lead right at the start."— Ursula Fingerlos (AUT)

"Aussi" John Fletcher took 2nd place and was completely overwhelmed. "Don't ask me how I did it," he said. "This is my first year on the tour and I never made it any further than 23rd." Today's result makes the 18-year-old quite confident for next week's Junior World Championships at Berchtesgaden, Germany.

Today marks Ligonnet's second consecutive 3rd-place finish. "When I saw the crash I paused for a moment," he said. "Next time I will try to take advantage of it." Despite his crash, Morency was happy with 4th place: "That's my best result this season and although I also race the alpine competitions and do a lot of training for those, I'm doing much better in SBX."

Pontus Stahlkloo did not make it any further than to the quarter finals and finished 9th. However, the Swede took the lead in the Snowboard Cross World Cup standings, ahead of Nantermod and Sylvian Duclos from France, who did not compete in Ischgl.

	SBX Air

Fingerlos Fights for Second SBX Win
Winning the women's race the Austrian Ursula Fingerlos now has two SBX wins under her belt, which will help her defend the World Cup title. "The course was not easy," she said, "a lot of jumps and turns and it was really narrow, you had to take the lead right at the start. When Carmen (Ranigler, ITA) passed me halfway down I thought 'this is it,' but then she crashed. Today was just a perfect conclusion for the Austrians, we all did so well over the weekend."

French riders Julie Pomagalski and Aurelie Tible finished 2nd and 3rd. Schönried winner Carmen Ranigler from Italy ended up 4th. "I just took too much risk," she said, "I was pretty safe in the lead so this should not have happened but that's an experience, also."

Marie Laissus from France did not make it to the semi finals today and finished 11th, but she still keeps the lead in the World Cup standings. Fingerlos is currently in 2nd,ahead of Pomagalski.

The World Cup tour now heads to Madonna di Campiglio (ITA), where the next Snowboard Cross is scheduled for this coming Wednesday.

—Britta Semmler, MountainZone.com Correspondent