NEWS: Zangerl and Rauter Take Duel Slalom by Lee Crane Karl-Heins Zangerl of Austria didn't let a little rain and fog get him down as he motored past Martin Freinadametz and 1997 US Open Slalom Champ Chris Klug to take first place in the Duel Slalom Thursday, March 19, 1998. Karl-Heinz Zangerl The slalom course was one of the shortest in modern US Open history. Featuring only 21 gates, the course ran parallel to the halfpipe, and was set on an extremely odd snow mixture. In the past four days Stratton endured a blizzard, two days of blue bird skies, and an ice storm. This left the conditions less than idea. Fortunately for Zangerl the conditions were perfect for his style of riding. "I am very consistent and with a course like this one consistency pays off," Zangerl said. It wasn't all smooth sailing for the Austrian, however. On his way to the podium Zangerl had some pretty close calls. He edged Huet by .38 of a second and squeaked by Chris Klug by only .27 of a second. "I was worried all day with the guys I had to race," Zangerl said. "I had two very close races." Nicolas Conte of France finished in second followed by fellow Frenchman Mathieu Bozzetto and American Chris Klug. "I was so close," Klug said. "I guess I must be saving a little for the Super G." Christine Rauter On the women's side, Christine Rauter of Austria slipped by Doris Krings, Steffi Von Siebenthal of Switzerland, and Austrian Heidi Jaufenthaler on her way to a win. "I feel great," Rauter said. "It's so nice to ride here at the US Open and not have to be under all that pressure. This is a fun race. I love it." With falls in both runs again Heidi Jaufenthaler, American Rosie Fletcher just couldn't muster the energy to make the jump into third and ended up in fourth place. The Duel Slalom finals almost didn't go off at all thanks to a rider protest. After the qualifying rounds riders decided that they would not ride until the weekend's prize money was more evenly distributed. Apparently, the Alpine competitors were not happy that they would only win $5000 for first place while the halfpipe riders would get $25,000. This delayed the start of the finals by nearly 30 minutes. According to Burton Marketing Director Dave Schriber the situation was fixed. "We worked things out," he said. The 16th Annual US Open continues tomorrow with the Super G. OTHER NEWS The 16th Annual US Open Snowboarding Championships - Schedule of Events Thu. (Mar. 19 @ 8:42:AM est) US OPEN PHOTO SPECIAL: Check out the latest and finest US Open Snapshots in the all new Photo Gallery Special US OPEN MESSAGE BOARDS: Got news or info about the US Open. Let us hear about it. US OPEN NAVIGATION: News | Results | Photos | Audios | US Open Index SOL NAVIGATION: SOL | Scoop | Hardware | Industry | Circleplus | Push | Travel | Interact | School | Weather | Terrain | Compete | Mediator