Rahlves Preps for Ski Cross Season

Daron Rahlves retired from Alpine skiing after the 2006 season, but the break was short-lived. He returned to competition last season and won the X Games ski cross competition.

Now he's gearing up for another season of ski cross, which will be contested at the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

Rahlves, of Sugar Bowl, Calif., recently returned from a promotional trip in Dubai, where he skiied at the world's largest indoor ski facility.

"Walking into Ski Dubai and stepping onto the snow blew me away," said Rahlves, who won the alpine world championship in 2001. "It's huge for an indoor ski hill. The snow is as close to natural as you could get in this climate-controlled facility."

The native Californian is back home in Tahoe preparing for the upcoming season. He will focus on five key events this season: a 48 Straight event in Telluride, Colo., Dec. 12-14; a ski cross World Cup Jan. 19 in Lake Placid, N.Y., which will count toward Olympic qualifying; the X Games in Aspen; and a 48 Straight event in Squaw Valley, Calif., Jan. 30-Feb. 1; and an Olympic test event Feb. 6 at Cypress Mountain, British Columbia, just north of Vancouver.