Olympic Snowboardcross provides first glimpse of Cypress

I'm proud to announce that Monday I became the first of our seven group members to venture beyond the roofed Olympic events of Vancouver proper and into the mountains.

It was Cypress Mountain, in fact, that was site of the fast and furious Snowboardcross tournament. There I learned that the event's collection of four-man heats that brackets its way to three medalists can be wildly complicated by the slightest of margins and smallest of slip-ups.

U.S. hopeful Graham Watanabe came across the finish line in his quarterfinal heat inches, perhaps centimeters, behind the second-place racer--a disappointing finish for the Pegasus-talking wordsmith that John brought to light.

Then in the final, U.S. rider Seth Wescott came back big on Canadian Mike Robertson after what the latter called a small, unexpected shortcoming after the course's triple jump. The lack of air, according to Robertson, cost him the speed he needed to finish strong. At final jump, below, the two racers were neck and neck. (Wescott is on the right.)

Special mention has to go to the fans at Cypress. The very pro-Canadian crowd was very enthusiastic and snapshot-worthy. Check them out.

Photos by Joe O'Donnell.