LINDSEY VONN ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL WITH ILLNESS

Lindsey Vonn, America’s top ski racer, was admitted to a hospital in Vail yesterday with an undisclosed illness, and her representatives released no information about the nature or prognosis of the sickness. Vonn recently skipped a slalom in Finland to train for upcoming World Cups in Aspen, and she canceled an event last Friday in Vail because she was ailing. In recent interview with Eurosport, Vonn vowed that she will continue to fight to race against World Cup men, despite being rejected by FIS, ski racing’s governing body. “You know, I’m consulting with lawyers right now, I’m investing a lot of time and effort into this, and it has nothing to do with the media. I don’t need extra media attention! It has absolutely nothing to do with it. This is a personal goal of mine, and I want to see where I stand against the men. It’s the next level, you know. I have so much respect for the men, for what they are doing, how far they are pushing our sport and how strong they are, and how dynamic they ski. That’s the way I want to ski. I want to push myself to that level, and his is the next step for me.” Via Washington Post.

RESCUERS TRYING TO REACH TWO SNOWBOARDERS TRAPPED ON RAINIER

Two snowboarders, Derek Tyndall and Thomas Dale, both in their early 20s, had been boarding down from Camp Muir Sunday afternoon when an intense storm forced them to abandon their descent and seek shelter, said Kevin Bacher, spokesman for Mount Rainier National Park. They stopped and dug into a snow cave near McClure Rock, and called 911 about 4:30 P.M., but it was too late in the day and conditions were too severe for rescue crews to attempt to reach them. The two men were wearing winter gear but weren’t equipped for bivying on the mountain. The were reached by cell phone again Monday morning as rescuers began making their way up the volcano. “They were in good shape,” Bacher said. “They were cold but in good condition — we had 70 mph winds at Paradise last night, so I’m sure it was very unpleasant.” Since then four teams totaling 28 people had been trying to triangulate a general location for the boarders by tracing pings off of cell towers from their phone. By late Monday afternoon they’d made visual contact from about a half-mile away, but weather was worsening and they had to abandon the search until first light this morning. Via Seattle Times.

QUITSTRONG? ARMSTRONG SEVERS LIVESTRONG BOARD TIES

Just one day after Twit-posting a photo that many found offensive, Lance Armstrong announced his resignation from the board of directors of the Livestrong Foundation, the cancer awareness charity. “Lance decided to resign from the board of the foundation to spare it any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding his cycling career,” Livestrong spokeswoman Katherine McLane said. The move was effective November 4. Certainly, pictures like the one Armstrong shared on Twitter wouldn’t help the charity’s reputation. “Back in Austin and just layin’ around,” Armstrong wrote, as he lounged beneath seven yellow jerseys that now stand as monument to his disgrace. Via Cycling News.

KITEBOARDING, WINDSURFING BUTT HEADS OVER OLYMPICS

In May, the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) seemed to be dumping its old wrinkled spouse for a trophy partner when it punted windsurfing out of the 2016 Olympics in Brazil and dropped in kiteboarding. “Kiteboarding has proven to us that it is…a fantastic addition to the sailing program for the 2016 Olympic Games,” ISAF’s President Göran Petersson enthusiastically said at the time. But windsurfers (all three of them?) fought back with a legal appeal in London. Now suddenly, ISAF has reversed itself, welcoming windsurfing back. But instead of copping to the legal pressure, the organization claims the initial ruling was the result of a bungled translation that left Israeli and Spanish delegates confused about what they were voting on. Lost in translation? Seriously? Via BBC.