The 2011 FIS NorAm Cup women's slalom ski races happened Monday and Tuesday at Loveland Ski Resort. On day 1, Christina Geiger of Germany claimed the top spot, and on day 2, favorite Mikaela Shiffrin of the US won.
"This race is a World Cup in disguise," proclaimed Technical Delegate Andy Wolfe from Toronto, referencing the quality of the field.
The skiers on day 1 started out having problems. Icy course conditions didn't help matters, and of the 85 competitors, there were 34 who didn't complete their first run. Of that 34, five were seeded in the top 10. After the first two seeded competitors weren't able to finish, coaches at the start passed the information to others about adverse track conditions. While several before Geiger (bib #21) successfully completed the run, she was able to claim the win after run 1 with a time of 55.30 seconds, and then run 2 with a 51.90 (total of 1:47.20). Marie-Michele Gagnon of Canada was a close second with a final combined time of 1:47.54.
Day 2 was a new day, and a brand new race. While Geiger didn't even start, Shiffrin ended up finishing first, in a very close race. Shiffrin's combined time was 1:47.55, while second place finisher Lena Duerr (who finished third on day 1) of Germany had 1:47.56.
The FIS is the International Ski Federation (Fédération Internationale de Ski), and was founded in 1924. There are 107 National Ski Associations in the FIS.
FIS information taken from http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/insidefis.html
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