Lodwick, US teammates combined for a big weekend

Todd Lodwick's return to World Cup competition after a two-year retirement proved successful with a pair of second-place finishes in the Nordic combined in Oberhof, Germany, last weekend.

The feat was accented by having three Americans in the top 10 with Bill Demong (Vermontville, N.Y.) coming in eighth and Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) 10th. The US hadn't placed three in the top 10 at a Nordic combined competition since 2001.

"This is really a historic weekend for the US team. It's a big step," Lodwick told usskiteam.com. "It's kind of hard not to feel good. It's a fairy tale come true."

Lodwick placed second in the jumping portion of the competition and was in the lead midway through the cross-country race before Norway's Magnus Moan surged ahead in the boot-deep sugary snow.

"We're happy and we're vindicated," Nordic combined coach Chris Gilbertson said. "The jumping is getting better and it's nice to know that the confidence for those guys is there."

Lodwick, also from Steamboat Springs, has competed in four Olympics and has six World Cup wins.

World Cup competition resumes this weekend in Schonach, Germany.

Killington recently unveiled a new half-mile jib-filled run called The Stash. Teaming up with Burton Snowboards, the trail uses dirt, the woods, and rocks and stones to create an all-mountain terrain park off the new Skye Peak Express.

"What we try to do is enhance the current natural terrain and bring some freestyle terrain into it," said Burton's global resort director Jeff Boliba.

Skiers and riders can negotiate banked turns, logs, and even the railings on a deck outside a cabin-style sugar shack. Look for carvings called "shreddies" scattered through the run.

"We're just trying to get back to our roots," said Boliba.

Despite the fact that she began her ski racing on a pretty short mountain - Minnesota's Buck's Hill - Lindsey Vonn became a speed merchant who won both downhill and overall World Cup titles last year.

But she hasn't forgotten how to make those quick, jamming turns used in slalom races, as Monday in Semmering, Austria, she placed third in the slalom, giving her finishes of 1-4-2-3 this season, allowing her to retain her lead in the overall World Cup standings.

Vonn's podium came just a day after her eighth-place finish in giant slalom, giving her the overall lead with 530 points. However, the competition from Maria Riesch has been intense, as the German has 507 points, with Finland's Tanja Poutiainen (498) also in the hunt.

On the men's side, Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal continues his duel with Austria's Benjamin Raich as the rivals try to wrest the overall title away from last year's winner, Bode Miller.

Svindal currently has 444 points, distributed fairly evenly over three disciplines - downhill (150), giant slalom (162) and super-G (132). Raich has 393 points, 186 scored in GS. Miller stands 10th (290) and fellow American Ted Ligety 11th (279).

After his triumphant return from a World Cup win in Switzerland earlier this month, Olympic gold medal snowboarder, Seth Wescott is back at Sugarloaf where he will unveil the new Sidewinder Snowboard Course Saturday.

Wescott, who attended Carrabassett Valley Academy at Sugarloaf, and who is now a resident and business owner there, has been heavily involved with the development of the new course from the beginning.

"Having a permanent course likes this puts Sugarloaf in the forefront of snowboardcross training and competition," said Wescott, who will lead opening ceremonies at 10 a.m., followed by an autograph session.

The Sidewinder Snowboardcross course is located underneath the Superquad, and is part of a refurbished terrain park scene at Sugarloaf this year. The Superpipe has been redesigned, and the resort has added a new advanced terrain park and one for beginners in the sport.

Don't tell the kids, but there's a way to combine history, geography and even some art while skiing. The Ski Vermont Nordic Quest is a scavenger hunt aimed at families who cross-country ski or snowshoe. Pick up a log book through skivermont.com to begin the adventure and then visit a participating center like Trapp Family Lodge, Mountain Top Inn, and Woodstock Ski Touring Center to look for the clues and riddles peppered throughout the snowy landscape . . . Mount Snow plans its second Youth Pay Their Age Day Sunday for children 6 to 18. Winter Trails Day is slated for Jan. 10. The nationwide event is a way to introduce the masses to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing with free or deeply discounted novice lessons. Twenty-three touring centers in New England are participating, including Weston Ski Track outside Boston, Vermont's Craftsbury Outdoor Center, and Gunstock in Gilford, N.H. Get the rundown at wintertrails.org.