2010 OLYMPIC MENS SNOWBOARD CROSS LATEST BETTING ODDS

William Hill has just released the latest odds for the 2010 Olympic Men’s Snowboard Cross event which kicks off on February 14th in Vancouver, Canada. The heavy betting favourite and the clear one to beat is Frechman Pierre Vaultier who is listed by William Hill as a very heavy 11/10 favourite.
Austrian snowboarder Markus Schairer trades at 8/1 as the second choice favourite- that’s a very big gulf in between the top two and I actually think that Schairer is a solid bet at 8/1. Too much can happen in these types of competitions and there is too little margin for error. However, it’s hard to argue with Vaultier’s record this season- boasting 5 wins from 6 starts.
American Nick Baumgartner is solidly-priced at 10/1 and he’s had a handful of second and third-place finished this season on the FIS circuit. Frenchman Xavier De Le Rue is sitting at 12/1 and he has worked well in tandem with Vaultier before. I think he’s definitely a threat here and is also well-priced. American Graham Watanabe is available at 14/1 and he’s finished 3rd once this year in Argentina. American Seth Wescott is definitely a contender and you’ll find him at 16/1.
Mario Fuchs, the Austrian, sits at 20/1 ahead of America’s best hope, in my opinion, Nate Holland. Holland is the only competitor on the FIS tour to defeat Pierre Vaultier in snowboard cross this year- besting him in Bad Gastein, Austria back on January 10. Fuchs was the third-place finisher that day. You’ll find Holland at 22/1. German David Speiser trades at 25/1 while Francois Boivin can be backed at a 28/1 price.
Canada will be looking to their all-star Robert Fagan, who finished second to Vaultier in Colorado last December. The other Canadian is Mike Robertson, who took 3rd place (along with fellow Canuck Drew Neilson) in the teams SBX at Telluride. Robertson trades at 50/1 while Neilson can be backed at 33/1.
Vaultier is a distinct favourite here, but I think that he faces an unfamiliar course with a lot of top-class riders. I’m confident that there will be plenty of performances to give him a run for his money, so backing him at such slim odds may not be advisable.
The real money in the Men’s Snowboard Cross Betting is on the each-way markets. William Hill is offering up 1/4 odds on places 1, 2, and 3 so you can make some solid coin off the long-distance challengers like David Speiser, Nate Holland and Robert Fagan.