Alcott in love with three-bump camel

WHISTLER (Reuters) - The tricky women's Olympic downhill course has one bump too many and not everybody likes it but Briton Chemmy Alcott certainly does.

The Franz's Downhill run, which witnessed a few spectacular crashes in the showpiece Alpine skiing event on Wednesday, features on its top part a section with three bumps in quick succession.

"We call them the Camel Bumps but suddenly they're three and camels don't have three bumps so I really don't know where that third one came from but I certainly hit it," Alcott told reporters after finishing 13th.

"It's a really fun downhill, they've done an immense job and Mother Nature finally did us a favor," she added in reference to a string of weather delays that affected training.

"It's really awesome up there. It's challenging, it's difficult, it's icy, the jumps are big. This is the best downhill I've ever skied."

American Lindsey Vonn, who won in style, loved it too and had no problems mastering the icy course on a gorgeous day at Whistler.

Others struggled, however, notably Anja Paerson.

The seasoned Swede, the Olympic slalom champion and one of the world's most prolific all-round skiers, had the silver medal within her grasp when she literally took off the final jump before landing on her rear and ending up face down.

MILD WEATHER

"You get pretty tired with those bumps all the way so you're legs are hurting and it's also too soft in the landing which is why you have all those crashes," said fellow Swede Jessica Lindell-Vikarby.

Mild weather in Whistler over the past few weeks had softened the surface and made the piste even trickier, she added.

"It's pretty hard underneath but it's like sugar on top so sometimes you get grip and other times you don't," she said. "With other snow conditions it would be easier but with these conditions, it's really difficult."

A total six competitors crashed, some spectacularly, others more embarrassingly like France's Marion Rolland, who fell on a relatively flat stretch immediately after leaving the start hut.

"Unfortunately we had some crashes," women's race director Atle Skaardal told reporters.

"It's a very challenging course and quite a long one. From time to time we can ski challenging courses like this one but not every weekend."

(Editing by Ed Osmond)