Martha Burley on her telemarks went big and tumbled too. Otherwise her descent was its usual strong, elegant riding, but the fall off the big huck cost her place in the super-final as well.

The six skiers who did qualify combined tough routes, with fluidity and control. Amelie Simon showed her trademark grace and power - beautiful turns, a technical route and a cute chute and drop to finish. Laura Ogden is skiing exceptionally at the moment. She is a full-on aggressive rider, but smart with it and her run, though perhaps not quite her best, still secured her third on the day.

However the top two were a step ahead today. Marte Lise Karlsen just charges on the slopes. Her leg strength and exceptional balance enabled her to ride the sketchy conditions as if she was on a bed of perfect powder. Her run was super smooth, but fast and aggressive as well. She stayed smart as well and as a result rode into a close second.

Top spot went to Jess McMillan. Her approach was in contrast to Marte Lise's. Jess chose the most direct route, an extremely technical descent through a no-fall zone. She took it steadily, but kept on the move, billy-goating brilliantly down the fall line and wowing both the spectators and the judges with her line and control. She took the lead.

Still with only 0.6 separating the top two and the top five within four points, it is still all to play for tomorrow as attention switches to the infamous Mont Gele and the Super Final.

But back to those who actually won through to the Superfinal on Wednesday on Mont Gele. It was a tough job for the judges, not least cos with the conditions as they were, many of the riders had wobbles, backslaps, unplanned hip checks and even falls as the snow grabbed or rocks snagged their skis. This obviously counted against their control score, but, given it was so common, the situation of the fall and the speed and skill of recovery all played a factor in deciding the overall effect of the mistake on the rider's total.

However, it just reiterates the risks these professional athletes expose themselves to and also just how important a sense of personal responsibility and strong protective gear is to rider safety. Still, as Warren Smith, Verbier Ride's organizer, made clear "today's competitive freeskiers have become smart riders. They push themselves to the limits, but they don't overstep them." Luckily, Verbier Ride sponsor Dainese was providing free body protection gear to athletes who didn't already have their own.

This was clear today in the men's competition. Peak Performance rider John Larson was last man down, but still found a very cute new route through the top section. He stayed strong and smooth through the technical middle and then somehow found a new exit route out as well. His run took him through to the Superfinal and will make him a serious contender on Wednesday.

Freeski icon, Guerlain Chicherit (nursing a sore jaw from the previous day), rode a route that showed all his usual imagination and creativity, but was careful and controlled as well. He took himself into 4 th = on the day, but is only 1.2 points behind the leader. Joining him in 4 th was Aaron Estrada. Aaron went big up top, then went neat and quick through the most technical section of the slope and nailed a very challenging exit route.

In 3 rd was Craig Corbeij. His skiing was exceptionally strong and technically good. He kept it exceptionally fluid through the no-fall zone in the mid-section and rode a garly exit supper smoothly.

The top two were very hard to separate. Adrien Corier chose a new start route from start gate two off skiers left. His first move was a huge drop into a seriously exposed area of the mountain. He wobbled on landing, but held on to shoot out of his exit line across to a technical middle section. He took his time, but never stopped moving, billygoating brilliantly through an area that had left other riders side-stepping down. It was an amazing run and, if not for the little wobble in the no-fall area, would have scored even higher than his 32 points.

In the end though, it was Olivier Meynet who got it just right. He rode a challenging line, but also one that he could really let rip on. He burned up the slope linking super smooth, fluid turns with big hucks, finishing up with a very strong double drop near the bottom, before somehow skiing away from what looked like a heavy landing form his final air. As a run it had it all - a tough route, aggression, control, great technique, but above all awesome fluidity. His run just flowed down the mountain. If he rides like that in the Superfinal he'll be tough to beat.

So 19 men and 6 women have made it through to the Superfinal. Some will feel unlucky, some will feel they didn't do themselves justice, but in the end the Verbier Ride 2006 Superfinal on Wednesday will be showcasing the talents of 25 of the world's best freeskiers on the legendary Mont Gele face.

It's a feast of Big Mountain action presented by Peak Performance and the Verbier Ride for your (and their) enjoyment. If you can't be there in person, keep tuned to the Verbier Ride website to hear how it all turns out tomorrow.