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Shaun White Says Sochi Halfpipe Course Is ‘Crappy, Dangerous’, Leads Qualifiers

By Patricia Didelot
Published on: 03:53 PST, Feb 11, 2014

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White is not the only one complaining about the condition of the haflpipe course at Sochi. However, this didn’t prevent him from scoring a 95.75 to become the leader in the qualifiers Tuesday.

Many are blaming the milder than usual weather conditions for the slushy snow on the course, which makes it difficult to slide easily in order to make the tricks needed to complete a run.

One of those who thinks the weather is to blame is Rosa Khutor Extreme Park pipe builder John Melville, who also added that the time limits put on him by the Olympic Broadcasting Service (OBS) contributed to the less than ideal conditons.

After Melville’s comments, a back-and-forth ensued as the OBS said it was unaware of any such restrictions and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said earlier Monday that the maintenance of the course was the responsibility of the International Ski Federation (FIS), which manages the competition.

No matter who is to blame, most competitors taking on the halfpipe at Sochi are still concerned with the conditions they will face when they tackle the biggest run of their athletic career.

Shaun White — who last week withdrew from the slopestyle competition over course safety concerns — has been vocal about the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park:

“I’m hoping they can do whatever they can to make it a better pipe.”

“It’s hard to get here and see this and feel the pressure. Not so much myself, I won’t name who it was, but there was a girl in front of me very distraught to be all the way here to Russia with the Olympics and really having a hard time with this pipe. But I’m hoping for the best.”

Shaun White is in Sochi to make history. He has the chance of becoming the most decorated Olympian in his sport and winning a third Olympic gold, if he manages to beat his competitors and the course conditions.

Many of his critics think he has become something different than what made him famous at the Turin Olympics in 2006 and is not the carefree person he was back then.

For the 27-year-old it all comes down to age and seeing things differently. After suffering his own set-backs with injuries and black eyes, this is definitely not the same Shaun White we met in Italy. But don’t discount the “old man”; he is showing the youngsters he is still a force to be reckoned with.

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