Aussie moguls skier Brittenny Cox’s ‘plain vanilla’ field of dreams

For a field of dreams, this one is nothing out of the ordinary, and that’s just the way Britteny Cox likes it.

Britteny Cox wins the women’s final of the World Cup moguls on the Olympic course at Phoenix Park, PyeongChang.

For a field of dreams, this one is nothing out of the ordinary, and that’s just the way world-leading moguls skier Britteny Cox likes it.

The Victorian felt entirely comfortable competing on next year’s Olympic course at PyeongChang in South Korea over the weekend and it showed as she dominated to win the World Cup event that served as an Olympic test event.

Afterwards she described the course as “plain vanilla’’, a flavour that appeals to her.

“It’s just a really nice course to ski and I think all the competitors love that because you don’t have to worry about figuring things out.

“You can just focus on your run and your skiing and it’s so much fun when the course is like that and I’m happy to put down three consistent runs tonight.’’

Cox has never skied in Asia before but like most Australians these days she’s familiar with Asian culture, which will add to the comfort level of the 60-strong Australian team that is expected to return here next February and contend for medals in a range of freestyle skiing and snowboarding disciplines.

Cox is now at the head of that list after winning five of the seven World Cup events held this season and she’s looking forward to coming back next year. “It’s my first time competing in Asia and first time in Korea and it’s just such a cool place,’’ she said.

“I love the people, I love the food and it’s been great to be here and I’m really excited for the next World Cup in Japan. I’ve never been there before and it’s somewhere I’ve wanted to go since I was little and learned Japanese at school and I finally get to go this year so I’m super-excited for the next couple of weeks as well.”

The 22-year-old skier is now in prime position one year out from the Games. This season she has risen from an occasional contender in recent years to the dominant force in women’s moguls. She has won four of the past five World Cup events, and finished third in the other.

Australian officials are comparing her superiority to that of Australia’s first Olympic moguls champion Dale Begg-Smith at his peak.

Cox says she can’t point to one thing that has made the difference for her this season. She believes it is a matter of all the things she has been working on since she made her Olympic debut at 15 in Vancouver seven years ago finally coming together.

“I think this is the kind of skiing I’ve really been trying to do for a long time now,’’ she said.

“To be a successful moguls skier you really need to have those guts and you need to be able to go for it, but to be successful consistently you need to be really good on the fundamentals and the basics and my coaches have drilled that into me for a number of years.

“So I think it’s just been a progression over the years.

“It takes time and it takes patience. It’s not something you learn overnight and I’ve been on the World Cup circuit since 2010 and it has taken that amount of time. Now it’s starting to make sense to me and those basics are starting to pay off.’’

Others point to changes in her diet to ensure she is getting enough fuel for the intense training and competition regimen, an improved strength and conditioning program, and a yoga program that has given her greater body awareness.

All of that has allowed her to let her skis run and make best use of the superb skiing technique that is a hallmark of athletes prepared by Australian head coach Steve Desovich.

Whatever the reason, Cox is an athlete transformed this year.

“Now knowing the skiing that I’m capable of doing, it definitely makes me hungry for more,’’ she said.

“Every day I go out there on the hill and think: ‘What can I do better, what can I fix up’. I’m so happy with my skiing tonight but I know there are a few things in there I’m going to watch the video and go: ‘Oh, I need to get that better’.

“So I have a lot of work to do in the next couple of weeks leading into the world champs that I want to work on in Japan and China and hopefully have a successful couple of weeks and keep the momentum going.’’

Cox is meticulous about her preparation and she knows if her pacesetting trend continues until next month’s world championships in Spain, she will be a marked woman going into the Olympic season at the end of this year. But she’s determined to stay ahead of the hunting pack.

“I think with this sport it’s always progressing so fast and you need to be on top of your game to keep up, and not just to keep up with it but to be that one step ahead,’’ she said.

“You can see out here tonight the level of skiing in the women’s field from the qualifications through to the final lifts and next week it will lift again and I’m sure it will next year as well so everyone will be training hard over the summer, me included, and I just have to stay focused on the skills and what I can do each day when I’m training.’’

Australia’s best male moguls skier Matt Graham will also be a medal contender at the Olympics but he narrowly missed the podium in the test event. In a close contest, an error on the landing of his second jump relegated him to sixth, as Canadian Olympic gold medal favourite Mikael Kingsbury took a narrow win.

Graham also likes the course, although he hopes the moguls will be a bit more challenging next year, which would enable him to take advantage of his superior skiing technique.

“This year it was pretty basic, there was not a lot of technicality to the course so if you made any sort of error you were going to get crucified for it, which is kind of where I came unstuck,’’ he said.

“So I think coming back here next year I’ll just have to make sure I execute everything 100 per cent and then I’ll be happy.

“The moguls this year were just your basic left, right, left, right, there weren’t any rhythm changes or anything so that makes it quite easy. Ideally, you would have a slightly steeper top section but overall it’s a pretty cool course.’’

Australia’s world-beating aer­ial skiers also struggled to come to grips with the new course at PyeongChang, although they had limited opportunities to adjust to the site after they arrived to find their snow ramps (kickers) were crooked just three days before they competed. The ramps had to be demolished and rebuilt overnight.

Swiss coach Michel Roth, who guided Lydia Lassila to Olympic gold in Vancouver in 2010, and American Todd Ossian, who coached Alisa Camplin to gold in Salt Lake City in 2002, pulled an all-nighter to direct the local staff in the reconstruction of the kickers, making sure they were square to the hill.

Two of the strong women’s team went on to reach the six-athlete final, world leader Dani Scott and reigning world champion Laura Peel, but both fell as they tried to land triple-twisting double somersaults on what they described as a flatter than normal landing slope in windy conditions.

The Chinese women swept the podium, underlining the threat they will pose at a Games in their backyard and with a home Games coming in Beijing four years later.

The wind is something all have to contend with next year, as Phoenix Park is renowned for it, but Scott said she was confident she and her teammates would be able to adjust to it next year.

“We know how to work with it and we’re just going to have to be on our game when we come back,’’ she said.

The purpose of attending the series of Olympic test events being held in PyeongChang over the next two weeks is just that, to test out the venues so the athletes know what to expect next year and can be best prepared.

Australia have won aerial skiing medals at the past four Winter Olympics and the current team is determined to continue with that tradition.