A stunning blue sky greeted us here in Rosa Khutor, Sochi for the first Sanki 2018 World Qualifier.
The race takes place at the Olympic venue, which hosted the 2014 Winter Games in Russia.
The morning featured the scheduled two warm-up and two qualification runs in an attempt to get in ahead of the rain forecast for the afternoon.
The professional style of the Sanki organization has been much appreciated by the riders. The accommodation is right next to the track, and there are on-track restrooms and change-rooms where riders can securely store their gear, and even leave it overnight to dry. This event is promising to be a fantastic experience.
The 1.5 km track is very technical, with a 17% grade from the midway point to the bottom. But let's hear what the riders have to say about it:
Will Stephenson:
The track is completely unique. Every corner has a different set up to it. The top section is a mixture of steep, tight hairpins, and then the bottom straightens out into high speed sweepers. The surface is "pebbley" so even on a luge I'm getting it to drift. This would be an excellent track to hold a World Cup.
Garret Smith:
The course is very fun. Consistently steep with some weird pavement patches. The top four corners are super technical and then the bottom five are super-wide but scary to grip at full speed. Easily one of the most fun roads I've skated and also one of the best environments as well.
The Russian Borzyev Ivan and Will Stephenson were today’s fastest qualifiers in Skate and Luge respectively. Tomorrow the race will be really interesting.
Check all the complete results and brakets for tomorrow here on the event page.
