Freeskier Simon Dumont has put his crash in Winter X Games superpipe practice behind him and is preparing for the debut of Winter X Games Europe.
“I think I’m skiing pretty well,’’ the 23-year-old native of Bethel, Maine, said in a phone interview from Silverton, Colo., where he is shooting a movie. “I put a lot of pressure on myself and got knocked out at the X Games. I probably shouldn’t have competed, but I’d like to see the podium before the year is over.’’
Dumont crashed in a practice superpipe run Jan. 26, rendering him unconscious for several minutes. For the first time since 2003, Dumont didn’t make the podium at the Winter X Games.
“I thought I had a good chance to win, but it didn’t work out,’’ he said.
Dumont rebounded to win the freeski superpipe finals in the Winter Dew Tour Feb. 6 at Vermont’s Mount Snow; he placed second in the overall standings.
The Winter X Games Europe are March 10-12 in Tignes, France. Dumont might first compete in the European Freeski Open in Laax, Switzerland.
When he returns, he’ll oversee the second annual Dumont Cup March 26-27 at Sunday River in Newry, Maine, with $20,000 in cash and prizes. Dumont will design the slopestyle course in the Rocking Chair Terrain Park.
“We had a pretty good showing our first year and that’s tough to do,’’ he said. “We want to do things better with a better course, better tricks, and better venue. We might be doing big air this year, too.’’
Dumont is also taking an active role in the future of slopestyle, big air, and pipe skiing by serving on the board of directors of the Association of Freeskiing Professionals. He’s hoping the organization can help put superpipe skiing in the 2014 Olympics.
“That’s the only thing I haven’t done, bring gold home for my country in an Olympic venue,’’ he says. “I would love to do that. Hopefully they [the International Olympic Committee] will understand by 2014 that we can throw down some big things.’’
Hero’s welcome for Kearney
Let the hometown Olympic parades begin. Hannah Kearney brought home the Olympic gold in women’s moguls and will ride a tractor during a procession in her honor tomorrow at 1 p.m. that spans both sides of the Connecticut River in New Hampshire and Vermont.
The 23-year-old bump skier was born in Hanover, N.H., graduated from Hanover High School, and lives in Norwich, Vt. The parade begins from the high school and wraps up in Norwich.
Snowboard on big screen
Pat Moore
