Winter Games: Good start crucial in skier cross

Mitchey Greig
Mitchey Greig
Queenstown skier Mitchey Greig's start will be vital against the world's top racers in the crash, bash, and tumble of the skier cross event at Cardrona Alpine Resort today.

Competitors need to get out of the blocks quickly as they jockey for the best position and unimpeded lines down a race course with all the hurly-burly features of a BMX track.

Greig (20) is the only woman in New Zealand racing competitively at World Cup level in the discipline and has earned herself enough qualification criteria points to make the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in February.

Greig's appearance at the Winter Games will be one of the few times she has had the opportunity to race in her specialist event in New Zealand.

She is also a top-ranked alpine ski racer and recently won the Wanaka Tech Series FIS giant slalom at Treble Cone.

The Queenstown born and bred woman will be up against world No 1 Ashleigh McIvor, of Canada, at Cardrona today.

Her chance to match herself against McIvor will depend on where the pair are ranked after the morning time trials.

The fastest 16 qualify for the event and the quickest also get to choose pole position for the race start.

Speed out of the gate is vital.

"If you're not in front at the start, then you need to get past everyone else. Everyone pre-loads the start and gets a lot of pressure forward on the gate," Greig said.

She will try to avoid "going big" off the numerous jumps and rollers in the course.

"The less air-time you've got, the faster you go," she said.

Greig's brother, Andy Greig (23), will line up in the men's skier cross race.

He and Queenstown's Sam Hazledine are the only New Zealand males to contest the event.

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