My first X Games experience has started off great. So far we have had one day on the track and heading up today for a second. The course is so long that it took three inspections to have any sort of idea of what is to come next. It is easy to see that a lot of planning and hard work went into the course preparation because so far it seems to be flawless. The track is smooth and flowing with multiple sets of rollers, jumps which provide the possibility of doubling or tripling the landings, and relatively high speeds to keep the action fast. I can’t wait till race day!!

A few days have passed now and I am sad to say that I have caught the flu along my travels. Having missed qualification day due to spending time in the hospital being hooked up to I.V’s, the race organization has agreed to let me race as if I qualified in 12th position. Unfortunately this means that I will have last lane choice. Lucky for me, this does not have much affect because out of the gate, the course remains straight with a few features to separate the racers.

My first heat went well. Slow out of the gate due to some loose snow in my lane, I patiently waited for my opportunity to pass. I spent 90% of the race battling in first and second position, which in turn advanced me into the final round of Skier Cross X.

Ready for the finals I entered the gate clear headed with one goal in mind: make it to the bottom faster than the other five competitors whom I was racing against. All was going well as I saw myself in second position half way down the course and ready to make a move on the current leader, Magdalena Johnson. Cutting to the inside off a gap jump, I realized that I had way too much direction and that I was heading off course. By that time I was well in the air and had nothing to do except brace myself for a hard landing. I went down face first and tumble a few times before reaching a stop. Luckily, I walked away relatively unscathed and finished the day in 6th position. Although bummed I didn’t get the win, I know I’m there and have the confidence to go for it next time.