Babikov (#43) on the lead, battling eventual 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers, Axel Teichmann, Jens Filbrich, and World Cup leader, Tobias Angerer. (Photo: Sharbel Dussault)

Vernon, British Columbia (Saturday December 10, 2005) – FIS World Cup cross-country competition, Men’s Pursuit 15 Classic + 15 Freestyle.

Ivan Babikov, by taking the race lead and ultimately finishing a mere 8.6 seconds out proved two things:

1. Babikov is world class,

2. Salomon Equipe 10 production skis are world class.

Babikov, who is a member of the Subaru Factory Team, competed in his first world cup race as a Russian citizen, in a Canadian uniform. He started the mass start 30 Km Pursuit (15km classic+15km freestyle) in the 43^rd position. From the gun Babikov immediately started to pick off skiers. His Salomon skis provided mule like kick on every uphill, which allowed him to surge past numerous World Cup and Olympic victors. By the end of the 15km classic leg he was in 18^th place, a mere 4 seconds out of 1^st.

In the skate leg Babikov continued his forward march until he and his super fast Salomon Equipe 10 skate skis took the race lead at around the 21km point. Babikov remained in the top 5 until he got tangled up with another racer and spun out. The crash dropped Babikov from the lead pack of 25 with 3.5 km remaining. Still, Babikov kept his composure and battled back to catch the pack, eventually passing 10 skiers to place 14^th, only 8.6 seconds out of 1^st.

Equally as stunning as Babikov's performance is the history of his wicked fast Salomon Equipe 10 skis. He raced the classic leg on a pair of 38 kg (FA), 0.8 (HR), 201cm cold, Salomon Equipe 10 skis that were borrowed by him from the Salomon Event Force demo fleet at the West Yellowstone Fall Camp. These skis, complete with demo scars, were stone-ground by FinnSiSu in St Paul, MN and shipped back to Babikov in Vernon.

Babikov (67kg) skated on a pair of 107 kg Equipe 10 cold skis that were selected in October for their 107 kg flex from the ski wall at Gear West in Minneapolis, MN. (I requested skis from a couple of retailers this fall because I had not requested certain flexes for the Subaru Factory Team from the Salomon France worldwide warehouse this summer) These skis were ground with a Zack Caldwell Z40 grind for Rocky Mountain cold humidity snow and given to Babikov three weeks ago at the West Yellowstone Ski Festival.

What is stunning, is that the skis used by Babikov, the Subaru Factory Team and all Salomon sponsored racers are identical to the skis that are available to every day skiers at their local Salomon retailer. We selected our Subaru Factory Team fleet of skis from the exact same boxes at the warehouse in Lyon France as those that were ultimately delivered to Salomon retailers worldwide. I have full confidence that if I am ever in need of additional skis, I like any skier, can go to a Salomon dealer and get skis that could win a World Cup.

Men's Pursuit 15km C + 15km F Top 20 Results: