OWI Head Moguls skiing Coach Steve Desovich reports from Switzerland at the conclusion of a two week training camp for the World Cup moguls team:

"The OWI mogul skiing team enjoyed some vigorous and quality training in Zermatt. Zermatt features a competition style course at over 3000 metres altitude, and most of the international teams attend at one time or another during the month of October."

"The team skied a total of 12 ski days and, despite numerous weather day closures, benefitted from the intense environment provided by a host of international teams all training the same course."

"Dale Begg-Smith continues to progress nicely from knee surgery. Dale is skiing and jumping with confidence and continues to gain physical strength by the week."

"Ramone Cooper is mostly healthy now and therefore made gains in all areas. Ramone has showed great promise in turns, speed and his jumping. In Ruka later this month he will look to put all these aspects together in a whole run package."

Sam Hall adapted nicely to the altitude and intensity of training and by the second half of the camp was faring very well on an overall basis."

The team heads to Finland later this month to resume training, and will then compete in the opening two events of the season in Suomo, Finland, on December 12 and Meribel, France, on December 16.

Dale Begg-Smith has continued his remarkable Vancouver preparation, winning a third straight moguls skiing World Cup event.

Competing in the first of two events scheduled on the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic course in Deer Valley, Begg-Smith lifted his performance level once again, scoring 26.42 points from the judges, 0.64 ahead of silver medallist Guilbaut Colas of France on 25.48 points.

Dmitry Reiherd of Kazakhstan collected the bronze medal with 25.10 points.

Begg-Smith was in awesome form, collecting the highest turns score, the second best jump points and recording the second fastest time down the Utah course that put him out of last season's World Cup with a leg injury.

"Dale is really solid at the moment," said OWI team physiotherapist Peter Hogg.

"And he's doing a good job of maintaining his health in the process."

"As of right now, everything is going really well."

On the World Cup standings, Begg-Smith has now amassed 395 points from his five events, 69 points clear of his nearest rival, Swedish skier Jesper Bjoernlund, gold medallist in the opening two events of the season.

Defending World Cup champion Alexandre Bilodeau is in third place on 205 points, after finishing in 39th place.

Missing from the Deer Valley action was Australia's number two mogul skier Ramone Cooper, ruled out of the event and out of the Vancouver 2010 Games following a major knee injury sustained in training the previous day.

The Perisher Blue 21-year-old had started the season with a ninth placing, the second top ten of his career, and was looking forward to a strong performance at the Games.

"I was holding onto a glimmer of hope that it was not as bad as first thought," Cooper said.

"But the MRI results show a torn PCL (posterior cruciate ligament), partial MCL (medial collateral ligament) tear, a partial lateral meniscus tear, another tear on something I'm not sure of, and bone bruising."

"I'm extremely devastated."

Fellow AIS skier Sam Hall finished in 40th place on 19.68 points, while NSWIS athletes Matt Graham, David Graham and Hugh Norton filled 41st, 48th and 56th place respectively.

NSWIS female mogul skiers were also in the Deer Valley line-up, with Nicole Parks producing the best result, a 31st placing, one spot ahead of Sarah Melville.

Britteny Cox was in 34th position, Taylah O'Neill 38th and Roanna Humphries 41st.

Dale Begg-Smith has successfully completed the first step in his comeback from injury, finishing in fourth place in the opening mogul skiing World Cup event of the season in Soumu, then backing up for fifth place in the second event on the Finnish course.

Competing for the first time since January 2009, the Torino Olympics gold medallist earned 24.13 points from the judges in the opening event to finish just 0.06 off the podium and 0.28 points away from a gold medal.

He also demonstrated that he was back near his best by leading the points score for turns, his strongest suit.

AIS/OWI team-mate Ramone Cooper finished in ninth position on 23.48 points, claiming the second top ten result of his career, while Australia's third competitor, Sam Hall, had a disappointing day, finishing in 55th place on 12.39 points.

Begg-Smith started the second day even more impressively, qualifying in second place behind defending World Cup champion Alexandre Bilodeau before taking fifth place in the final with 24.47 points, once again less than 0.5 off the gold

Cooper could not repeat his top ten placing of the opening event, finishing in 26th position on 21.90 points, while Sam Hall was back in 44th place with 17.30 points.

Sweden's Jesper Bjornlund, never higher than fifth in a World Cup before, was the star of the weekend, collecting back-to-back gold medals.

Almost as impressively, US skier Bryon Wilson also made his first podium, taking silver in the opening event then repeating the effort on the second day.

The third and fourth events of the season will be held in Calgary, Canada, from January 8-10.

Dale Begg-Smith has successfully completed the first step in his comeback from injury, finishing in fourth place in the opening mogul skiing World Cup event of the season in Soumu, Finland.

Competing for the first time since January 2010, the Torino Olympics gold medallist earned 24.13 points from the judges to finish just 0.28 points off the gold medal and 0.06 out of bronze.

AIS/OWI team-mate Ramone Cooper finished in ninth position on 23.48 points, claiming the second top ten result of his career.

Sweden's Jesper Bjornlund collected the gold medal, and his first podium, with 24.42 points.

US skier Bryon Wilson also made his first podium, taking silver on 24.34 points, while defending World Cup champion Alexandre Bilodeau of Canada rounded out the top three on 24.19 points.

Begg-Smith showed he was back near his best by leading the points score for turns, but Australia's third competitor, Sam Hall, had a disappointing day, finishing in 55th place on 12.39 points.

A second World Cup will be held tonight at the Finnish resort.