Wednesday 21 December 2011
Win of Fischnaller and Calve in Carezza

The World Cup host debut of Carezza, Italy, concluded with a home turf win as well as a first in the history of the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup on the Pra di Tori slope. While Caroline Calve (CAN, photo: Oliver Kraus) celebrated her first ever World Cup win by edging off Amelie Kober (GER) and Marion Kreiner (AUT) to second and third respectively, thus also becoming the first Canadian woman to win a parallel snowboard event in the World Cup, Roland Fischnaller (ITA) locked in his career's fourth win just a few kilometers away from his home town Funes.
Next to the local hero, who celebrated his second ever home turf win, World Cup leader and champion of the last race in Telluride, CO, Benjamin Karl (AUT) as well as Rok Flander (SLO) joined the podium as second and third respectively.
According to her first win ever, Caroline Calve could really believe what happened right there although she always had dreamed of such a result: "It was my goal to be the first Canadian woman in alpine snowboarding to win a World Cup."
In fact, the 33-years-old racer, who will use the price money to adapt the her flat's bathromm, was also the sixth Canadian women ever to win a World Cup. "I haven't been the most consistent person riding out there, but I always felt that I could do this. To do it finally is really good."
The funny part of the story: she did so against Amelie Kober, the person she had her so far only World Cup final in Valmalenco, Italy, at the 2009 season's finals.
However, Calve took advantage of Kober crashing in run two who had to risk a lot in order to catch up a .68 seconds deficit of run one of the finals.
"It was a tough course. It wasn't the kind of course where people having perfect runs. It was always having mistakes and having to recover quickly from them. My strategy today was to survive the pitch and then nail the bottom," Calve summed up.
Her rival Kober was also pleased with the result - although, she lost her chance for victory by going down.
"I'm getting in shape better and better, with every race. I did risk too much in the finals compared to the runs before. Well, this happens. But I'm pleased as this course was more for sliding then for my technique, the carving. However, I guess I proofed that cutting it down also worked out," said Kober.
Second home turf win for Fischnaller
On the men's side, Fischnaller was able to not only bring home his season's second win. It also was the second time he triumphed on home turf after doing so for the first time two years ago in Limone Piemonte.

According to this, the South Tyrolean athlete was all smiles: "I dedicate this win to myself because I never loved steep courses and did so well in it today. I'm happy because it's my first ever parallel giant slalom victory. It was a tough job, a graft."

Results

Thursday 22 December 2011
PSL win for Swiss and Austrian riders

Patrizia Kummer (SUI) and Benjamin Karl (AUT) have won the 2012 LG Snowboard FIS World Cup's last race in 2011, which took place in Carezza, Italy, today. In the women's final of the second parallel slalom, which was flagged out with 29 gates on the Pra di Tori slope, the Swiss rider beat Isabella Laboeck (GER) thus earning her career's second World Cup win. In the battle for third, Anke Karstens (GER) crossed the finish line ahead of Julia Dujmovits (AUT).

On the men's side, it was Benjamin Karl carving to his career's 14th win while facing slight snow fall. Simon Schoch (SUI) came in, closely beaten, as second. Siegfried Grabner (AUT) rounded out the podium as third after he had edged off Jernej Demsar (SLO) to fourth in the small finals.

While on the men's side, all three top guns have had several podium results so far (Karl 25, Schoch 26 and Grabner 32), the ladies haven't been so used to it so far.

It was the second podium appearance for Kummer, who, in fact, did win both times. According to this, the Swiss rider was pretty stoked with her outcome: "I know that I'm fast in the parallel slalom. I didn't felt good in the qualifiers but still was quite fast. In the finals, it turned out to get better and better with every single run."

But although she was getting more and more into race mood, kicking out Amelie Kober (GER), World Cup leader Fraenzi Maegert-Kohli (SUI) and Karstens, she still had some little doubts: "I was quite nervous and was thinking too much. I had to focus a lot to avoid any stupid mistakes. It was a great race. It's awesome to win the last race before Christmas. The shopping in the US was worth it."

Although beaten by the Swiss racer, whoms biggest triumph so far has been a Bronze medal the 2009 Worlds, the two German race board ladies Laboeck and Karstens were both all smiles, no wonder, as it has been ten years since two German ladies made it on a shared podium.

According to this and her runner-up finish, she was waiting for quite long, Laboeck said: "Finally! Yesterday I kind of had a crisis of meaning. And today brings such a result. This is just massive! I'm stoked to be on the podium."

Karl again Charlemagne

On the men's side, it was once again Benjamin Karl taking all the price check and glory home. However, the 2010 Olympic Silver medalist had to survive a moment of shock in his eighth final against Matthew Morison, when the winner of Telluride went down.

"I was going a different line and my coaches said right away I should stick with what I'm good in. And i did," he said. However, he also took advantage by several mistakes of his rival. Nevertheless, the Austrian who looks forward to his home turf race in the Wachau January 13th was back to business thereafter claiming his 14th World Cup win in the end.

"It's the nicest Christmas present you can dream of. Now it's time to go home with my wife and celebrate. It couldn't be any better. I'm really happy!"

And although he was beaten by only 2 tenth in the finals, also Simon Schoch was pretty OK with the result: "In the main, the joy outweighs. I just made it into the finals being the 16th fastest qualifier. However, I did get into it better. According to this, I'm pretty pleased."

Results