Competition is generally based on cross-country soaring, although a trial of a new championship for short-course downhill racing occurred at Mount Olympus, Greece, in 1999.
That was an obstacle course: uphill, downhill, through a stream, through the woods.
On a mountainside that overlooks Deep Creek, the Wisp Resort has a golf course and downhill skiing in season.
Kostelic suspected that it could be a meniscus injury, while his father, Ante, blamed an icy slalom course and downhill piste with too many jumps.
The course goes downhill for the final six miles, the equivalent of descending eight stories a mile, a tough test for quadriceps.
In the event, skiers go down the Downhill course once, and the Slalom course twice.
The Whistler downhill course is seen as neither a true speed course, which favors those who glide on their skis efficiently, nor a more technical course, which favors those with more expertise on courses with many difficult turns.
A wild lynx has been spotted on the downhill course and near the luge track in recent days.
Going from a World Cup downhill course, where he raced alone, to skiercross, where he shares a course with four to six competitors while negotiating bumps, jumps, berms and rollers, has required some adjustment.
One event, the combined, is a mix of both disciplines as racers make one timed run on the downhill course and combine it with the times for two runs on the slalom course.
Lemoncello's times at shorter distances (27min 57.23sec for 10,000m on the track and an unofficial 61min 52sec for the half-marathon on a slightly downhill course in Austin, Texas) point towards a performance in the 2 10 region.
