Olympic Halfpipe Is "Garbage" On Eve Of The Big Event

No vert? Loose snow in the flat bottom? It's seems like it's the olympic halfpipe's turn to get slammed, although this time there seems to be little time, nor ability, left to do anything about it. Warming temps and possibly a less-than-ideal build crew have combined to make the pipe all but unrideable. What will this mean for El Blanco and the rest of the halfpipe contigent? We'll just have to wait and see. One thing I will say though is that a day before the pipe comp in Vancouver four years ago there was water running down the middle of the pipe, and they managed to pull it off. Hope the ruskies can do the same!

via Yahoo:

"The halfpipe at the Sochi Games "is garbage," one prominent snowboarder told Yahoo Sports, and the across-the-board backlash against it from riders continued to build as the IOC postponed snowboarding practice Monday morning and tried to salvage the pipe's integrity amid warming temperatures.

American Danny Davis, one of the sport's most respected figures, said the pipe's flat bottom – the area that serves as a transition between the 22-foot-tall walls on each side – is bumpy and full of sugary snow, causing significant problems for riders. Two other sources confirmed Davis' concerns, with one calling the halfpipe "unsalvageable."

"It's the Olympics. It should be flawless," Davis told Yahoo Sports. "What a lame showcase of snowboarding, and what a lame way to treat the athletes."

Temperatures in the Sochi area climbed into the mid-50s on Monday, complicating efforts to reshape the pipe and address riders' concerns. Morning halfpipe practice was canceled and postponed until 7:20 p.m. local time, allowing cutters time to address the issues that are more related to performance – the bad flat bottoms slows down riders and throws off their lines – than safety.
Even before the Olympics began, riders expressed disappointment that the IOC and FIS contracted out with Development Snowparks rather than the company widely considered the best at building halfpipes, Verdi, Nev.-based Snow Park Technologies. Snowboarders long have been skeptical of the motivations of the IOC and FIS, and the issues with the pipe at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park only validate such feelings.

"The IOC probably didn't want to pay the right guys to do it," Davis said. "I'm pretty sure what they're focused on is keeping as much money in their hands as possible. That's the shame of it all. All these kids, myself included, worked very hard to get here. And then the pipe is just no fun and boring and [expletive]. Halfpipe is super fun. But riding a crappy pipe and having to perform in it is the worst.""

We'll see what happens I guess but I have a feeling they'll manage to clean up their act at the last second, much as it seems everything does in Russia!