SuperTour Sprint Showdown Course Preview

FasterSkier · November 24, 2010

The SuperTour Sprint Showdown in West Yellowstone kicks off the North American Continental Cup racing season on Thanksgiving day.

Two separate races, classic and freestyle sprint “qualifiers”, use nearly identical courses, starting in the biathlon stadium, and finishing out on the Deja View loop, for a point-to-point route.

Men and women will race the same newly homologated courses, with the classic sprint clocking in at a hair over 1.6km and the skate a bit shorter at just under 1.6km.

The only real difference comes in the last 200 meters when the courses diverge and the skate track takes a more direct, and steeper route to the finish.

The classic race will feature a single best-line track that athletes will be required to stick to unless tracked from behind. Due to the setup of the finish, and the final climb of the portion, racers will be required to remove their skis and walk 100 meters back down the course before skiing to the stadium to switch gear and prepare for their second run.

Course profiles are below.

Full race preview