Parallel A Dud

The competition in the new World Cup parallel ski event descended from high drama to no drama when Hilde Gerg’s fellow German Martina Ertl missed a gate in their final race.

Ertl, the Olympic silver medalist in the giant slalom at Lillehammer in 1994, was forced out when she hit some soft snow that slowed her down to the point where she couldn’t make the necessary turn 50 yards from the finish.

The parallel race, which has returned to World Cup on an experimental basis for the first time since it was tried once in 1975, pits racers side-by-side in the skiing equivalent of match play.