Point taken about challenging courses, Whistler, and Sochi. The bike park at Whistler is a pleasure every time and still the best in the world IMO, in no small

Point taken about challenging courses, Whistler, and Sochi. The bike park at Whistler is a pleasure every time and still the best in the world IMO, in no small part because Whistler aren't afraid to build big features. I certainly don't think that the snowboard cross course as reported so far is dangerous in a deadly way like an alpine course with flawed fencing design or a skeleton or bobsled course with solid obstacles in proximity, but the reasons that the snowboard cross course are bad are still very worrying. Based on what athletes said for example here: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sochi/safety-concerns-over-sochi-slopestyle-course-intensify-1.1669625 http://www.ctvnews.ca/sochi/safety-concerns-over-sochi-slope... , the snowboard cross isn't huge because the builders wanted to go big by design, but rather to anticipate extreme melting activity. And, like the Whistler courses, the slopestyle course was supposed to have been tested a year ago but was unable to be constructed due to a lack of snow. I certainly don't think it's a good sign.