The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Louise Lintilhac returns to big mountain competition
Two years ago, Louise Lintilhac was standing in the starting gate on the qualifying day of the 2008 Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Championships here in Crested Butte a bundle of nerves.
So much so, that when she started skiing she opted out of her line and fell short of qualifying for the next day.
“I freaked out on the first run,” says Lintilhac. “That really upset me.”
Last weekend, Lintilhac, who is now one of the big mountain ski coaches for the Crested Butte Mountain Sports Team, jumped back into the fray with a vengeance skiing to a second place finish at the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour Qualifier in Telluride February 4-6.
She admits that the podium was not on her mind but that she did, at least, want to advance to the second day.
“I wasn’t really looking to place, I was just looking to qualify,” says Lintilhac.
Day one of the competition was held in an area called Review, a venue Lintilhac compares to Morning Glory in Teocalli Bowl on Crested Butte Mountain.
She worked the variety of features available connecting a series of drops ranging from 10-feet down to five feet in one fluid motion to post the third best score of the day and advance to the finals.
Day two took skiers on a hike to a ridgeline above Review called Mount Quail. Skiers had to negotiate Mount Quail before dropping once again back into Review.
Lintilhac kept her fluidity strategy and threw in some speed to flash her run.
“I straight lined the top of Mount Quail to a 12-foot drop and then skied as fast as I could GS turns,” explains Lintilhac.
Her run on day two pushed her up one more spot to finish the weekend in second place overall.
The big difference for her between this year and two years ago was the music of Gnarls Barkley in her ears.
“The music helped,” she says. “It was the first time I ever skied with music. It was great.”
Lintilhac is now back in Crested Butte and preparing for a return to the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Championships to be held at Crested Butte Mountain Resort February 17-21.
“I’m confident with the terrain and confident with my ability to ski it,” says Lintilhac. “What makes me nervous about this event is line choice. But I have very big skis so I have faith in my skis to keep me standing.”
