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Index: Cookin' It Up in Copper
Audio: Putz, Neilson and Koeck

Drew Neilson and Mayuki Fukuda demanded Canadian pride atop the podium again here at Copper. Just last month, the two battled the freestylers heavy field here for the Grand Prix Win and today proved it was no coincidence. The other Canadians remained far from the podium in this very international competition. Austrian women Nici Pederzolli, Brigitte Koeck and Catherine Poetzl surrounded Mayuki on the podium with second, third and fourth places, respectively.

Dr. Drew

Mr. Palmer won four out of six heats today but wasn't looking for second place. He blasted his way through the semi-finals looking unbeatable until his final attack where he bumped monkeys in the air with teammate Tor Bruseurd. Palmer was going huge and dropped from the air like a rancid moose burger hittin' your stomach. The pack continued the attacked and Palmer watched as Dr. Drew, Dreadlock Rasta (Harald Putz) and Berti passed his ass toward the finish. Palmer could be seen holding his ribs in disbelief through the finish line in fifth behind teammate Tor.

"I put my arm out, I put it right on his shoulder. We kinda forced each other way outside on the first corner and then I let go a quick as I could and jumped in on the second berm..."

Drew Nielson knew it was his moment under in the sun, but was tempered by Palmer's presence. "This is my third event I've won here now. What can I say, this mountain likes me I guess. There's something in the snow that likes Drew," Nielson said.

Palmer changed things up for the final. After having continually taken the same lane, he chose to mix things up. "He kept taking three and I kept taking two, so to screw me up this time, he took two, so I had to go three. I knew with the start he was going to get out ahead...I was hoping he was going to speed check for the second and third jump because he had in the previous race when I beat him. I went right on the inside of the corner, and then he came in. We almost collided, I put my arm out, I put it right on his shoulder; we kinda forced each other way outside on the first corner and then I let go as quick as I could and jumped in on the second berm. Then Palmer took the next booters big, meeting Tor in the air and pulling Team Palmer off the podium. The best part is knowing that Palmer was either going to win or blow out hard trying. It was a classic comeback huck over the landing," Nielson said from the finish.

"I looked down and there was still like 20 feet to go and I knew I was in trouble," said Palmer.

Drew went and talked to Palmer after the race feeling a bit guilty about the course contact. "He was cool with it. He just said you wanted it more and I pussied out on the jumps. Comming from him, I feel pretty good about that. It was either that or a possible T-bone or collision of bodies. So I did what I had to do and it was a split second decision," Neilson said.

France's Nicolas Conte was involved in one big crash early on that took out several players including American homeboys Dave Dowd and Jason Evans.

"I was coming into the eiger and someone hit me from my backside and took me out. Maybe if I saw him I could have had a chance to react, but I just felt him hit me and out we went," Conte recalled. Whatever happened, it sent the two riders over the berm, through the banners and fencing and into the fresh snow below.

Pontus Ahead

The women's field was all international with only two Americans in the top-ten finishes. Even the speed queen Marguerite Cossettini was kept to eighth. Usual Canadian suspects Maelle Ricker and Alison Clark were absent from this sun soaked fiesta as well as April Lawyer and last week's winner, Palmer princess Nillard Pilavakis. Also absent was an allegedly injured Australian Pamela Bell who has been hanging here in Copper this winter.

Amazonian Austrian Gitte Koeck was in dem Haus with her hard boots and imposing, Olympian presence. Her fellow Austrian, freestyler Nici Pederzolli however pulled in front of her in the finals for second place and secured the Austrian third on the podium.

Gitte Goes Hard

The course remained in shape against the falling snow and melting sun on Sunday. The times just got faster and the locals kept realizing that this is the World Boardercross Tour and some of these people have been racing a long time. The fact that the course followed the similar route as the Grand Prix course had to have an effect on the past/present winners psyches, but I forgot to ask.

Everyone is headed home. The Euros are back to the ISF Tour and Drew and Mayumi are finding the best exchange rate before they get back to Whistler. I'm not going anywhere, despite the small base here, I smell snow.

—Hans Prosl, waiting for the fluff for The Mountain Zone

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