The sport of skier cross was approved by the International Olympic Committee for competition in the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games on November 28, 2006. 
Considered the fusion of motorcross and downhill ski racing, it features heats of six racers traveling over jumps, banked turns and gaps. Competitive skier cross racing is assumed to have started in 2004, but little does the skiing world know that skier cross racing actually began in the small town of Nunda, NY in 1978. A small group of skiers including several of my brother's friends and I would race down the slopes all together at one time. Generally, the group would very in size from two to six depending on the particular day. The winner would be determined strictly by the skier who reached to the bottom of the mountain first. We preferred to ski down the slope that had been set aside for ski racing as it generally had the best grooming although not specifically setup for our "friendly" competition.
Considered the fusion of motorcross and downhill ski racing, it features heats of six racers traveling over jumps, banked turns and gaps. Competitive skier cross racing is assumed to have started in 2004, but little does the skiing world know that skier cross racing actually began in the small town of Nunda, NY in 1978. A small group of skiers including several of my brother's friends and I would race down the slopes all together at one time. Generally, the group would very in size from two to six depending on the particular day. The winner would be determined strictly by the skier who reached to the bottom of the mountain first. We preferred to ski down the slope that had been set aside for ski racing as it generally had the best grooming although not specifically setup for our "friendly" competition.Rules: 1. Anything goes; exception intentional pushing the other skier down or pulling the run-a-way strap which would pop the bindings, although many attempts were made to eliminate the other racers. So the competition could be at times brutal with skiers running over the ends of the skis or cutting across your planned path directly ahead of you, yet other times it would be kind of graceful seeing a bunch of skiers traveling at high speeds having split-seconds to determine the line to ski. The wipe-outs were part of the deal. The winner had serious bragging rights. There always was some "official finish line" to be crossed to become the winner of the particular heat. So ESPN, please note that skier cross started as a local New York skiing sport without a formal track, or media coverage, and fans lined along the trail path. There were no trophies or medals to acknowledge the winners. Each time down, the participates would agree to recognize the fastest skier to in the heat. Your King of the Hill status would last only until you reached the top of the mountain to begin the very next run.
This tradition was passed to my son and his friends who I would downhill race against. This new generation of skier cross racers is a mixture of skiers, snow boarders and even kids with twin tip skis. For awhile, I could still claim the unofficial title as King of the Mountain, but now they have improved greatly and pass by me without looking back. On occasion, I will jump the start to recapture the feeling of leading the pack, but before long I'll be watching the lines they had taken to the lift line. Skiing is fun, as kids, we didn't appreciate the danger associated with the reckless behavior, but we would always maintained a level of control and would never interfere with other skiers on the trail while we were racing downhill together.
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