Alpine skiing's rebel fringe is becoming its selling point.
Olympic ski-cross gold medalist Ashleigh McIvor captured a World Cup silver medal on Sunday, just behind Fanny Smith of Switzerland in San Candido, Italy.
Formally, it was called a World Cup SX race, but it looked more like full-contact skiing - with racers cutting in front of each other and drafting.
"The race organizers flew four [course designers]over to the X-Games and were taking notes," said McIvor, 27, who posted the 10th podium finish of her career and missed the gold by less than a foot.
"They were definitely on a mission to improve the event … and conditions have improved 500 per cent from last year. There's steps, and doubles and gaps and a roller-coaster feel. It's like being on my mountain bike.
"Every single heat was action-packed. It's the way ski-cross should be. It's an amazing spectator sport."
McIvor, winner of a world championship at Inawashiro, Japan, in 2009, was sitting in third place midway through the final, behind Smith and front-runner Anna Holmlund of Sweden. The win was within her grasp - Holmlund pushed Smith and wound up pushing herself off the course - but McIvor came up just short.
"I know Fanny is a really good skier, she's super dialled in with her technical ability. So, I just stayed right on her the whole way down and waited for an opportunity to get by Anna," said McIvor, who produced a frustrating seventh place a day earlier.
McIvor also said she and the other racers have enjoyed the slightly less stressful post-Olympic atmosphere at the opening World Cup races of a new Olympic cycle.
Marielle Thompson of Whistler, B.C., in the second World Cup race of her career, was eighth; Kelsey Serwa of Kelowna, B.C. was 11th; Danielle Poleschuk of Calgary, 12th; and Julia Murray of Whistler, 14th.
On the men's side, X-Games gold medalist Chris Del Bosco - a Vail, Colo., resident whose Canadian address is Sudbury - was fifth; Nick Zoricic of Toronto, eighth; David Duncan of London, Ont., 12th; Davey Barr of Whistler, 19th; Stan Rey of Whistler, 27th. The men's race was won by Scott Kneller of Australia.
Freestyle aerials
Veteran aerialist Warren Shouldice of Calgary finished fourth in a World Cup event at Lake Beida, China. He is third in the overall men's aerial Grand Prix this season with five events left in the program.
Shouldice, Canada's lone entry, was second after the first run when swirling winds and snow swept in. "I had to break form in the air on because I didn't have enough height," he said. "My big mistake was that I missed my landing by taking a deep squat."
Shouldice scored 219.03 with two triple back-flip jumps. Guangpu Qi of China finished first.
China took the first seven spots in the women's event.
Cross-country skiing
The Canadian men's cross-country squad had a ninth-place finish in the team relay in La Clusaz, France.
Devon Kershaw of Sudbury, Ivan Babikov, of Canmore, Alta., Alex Harvey, of St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., and Len Valjas of Toronto clocked 1 hour 45 minutes 14.2 seconds in the men's 4x10 kilometre relay. The team from Switzerland stomped the field with a winning time of 1:42:14.6. Russia was 30 seconds back.
Alpine skiing
Marie-Michèle Gagnon of Lac-Etchemin, Que., has World Cup points in four disciplines before the holiday break, with a 12th place finish in the women's super combined in Val d'Isère, France.
Gagnon had a two-run combined time of 2:09.95. American Lindsey Vonn continued her dominance of the ladies alpine circuit with her second consecutive win in 2:07.80. Austrians Elisabeth Goergl and Nicole Hosp were second and third. Gagnon, 19th overall in World Cup standings, had the second fastest slalom run of the day.
"I wanted to keep realistic through the season and not be disappointed. So, I kept my goals to being in the top 30 in two disciplines." Gagnon said. "I would say at this point my expectations have changed a little bit, but I still want to be realistic."
In men's World Cup racing at Alta Badia. Italy, American Ted Ligety won his third consecutive race "despite it being crazy, crazy icy" to take the giant slalom and the World Cup event lead. Canadians Jean-Philippe Roy, François Bourque, Jeff Frisch and Brad Spence participated but did not get World Cup points.
Biathlon
Canada's top biathletes placed 13th in mixed relay competition in Pokljuka, Slovenia.
Canada's women were Megan Imrie of Falcon Lake, Man., and Zina Kocher of Red Deer, Alta., and the men were Scott Perras of Regina and Brendan Green of Hay River, Man. They had a time of 1:21:45.6, about four minutes behind the winning Swedes.
The mixed relay is being considered for inclusion in the Winter Olympics. The women ski six kilometres with two rounds of shooting, while the men ski 7.5 kilometres with two stops at the range.