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Finals: Palmer and Pilavakis Podium
Audio: Hear What They Got to Say

The Swatch World Boardercross Tour has dropped in on Southern Cal. The Palmer Team is in rare form with its fearless leader back in winning form straight from the World Championships in Italy.

[liftoff]

There the Team, in all its finery of furs and pinky rings picked up it's newest member, France's speed demon Philippe Conte. Although he's a GS and duel specialist, everyone agrees he will learn to suck up the bumps and start challenging for the podium any minute now.

The World has turned out here in Bear Mountain with a nice serving of European hard booters and Cali local freestylers looking for an opening, a mistake, that could slide them into the finals.

[Euros Are In]

Sweden's Henrik Jannson just followed Palmer and placed third at the Worlds and thinks he sees a better chance here in Bear. Whistler has sent representatives from all angles to remind everyone whose continent we're on. My money is on Maelle Ricker who has been using her youth to prevail against the hard booters of the world. The Playahs Team from Whistler is also in the house with their red hockey jerseys blazing down the course.

Their leader, Omar Lundie, knows this is the Playahs chance to step into the World Boardercross spotlight and was seen mixing potions in the lodge and force feeding his teammates and yodeling in some native Canadian tongue.

Then there is the local lunatics who are inspired by the international rock star riders who have taken over their little Bear. They have emptied their piggy banks and put on their bike helmets for a chance to race against the world's best. This is where it could get ugly. The rules allow for unintentional contact, but these Cali kids are looking pumped to be part of the action. Let's just hope they're bodies don't become part of the course. Either way we'll be here to give you the goods from the biggest, badass boarder event on the planet this weekend. Stand clear and stay tuned.

The training is over, timed trials and qualifiers continue through Saturday and the heats begin here Sunday morning. We'll keep sending you updates daily to show you who is looking strong under the Cali sun.

—Hans Prosl, bedazzling his Burtons for The Mountain Zone

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