Those complaining about turny downhill courses in the past shouldn't have spoken so soon. At least not before arriving at the women's World Cup in Bansko, Bulgaria.

The alpine World Cup has never traveled so far East and Bansko, the largest ski area in the region, has stepped up to host the inaugural women's downhill and super G races this weekend. The course that the International Ski Federation has put down, however, is not going to be easy.

Fabienne Suter of Switzerland speeds down during the women's downhill training session at the Bulgarian ski resort of Bansko February 25, 2009. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov (BULGARIA)

Lindsey Vonn of the U.S speeds down during the women's downhill training session at the Bulgarian ski resort of Bansko February 25, 2009. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh(BULGARIA)

Nadja Kamer of Switzerland falls during the women's downhill training session at the Bulgarian ski resort of Bansko February 25, 2009. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh (BULGARIA)

"The downhill course is bordering on ridiculously turny," said U.S. Women's Head Coach Jim Tracy. "The hill itself is OK. This one middle section has these gigantic turns. It's like a super G with four traverses in it. It's challenging, for sure."

Austrian World Champion bronze medalist Andrea Fischbacher put down the fastest training run on Wednesday (1 minute, 46.44 seconds) - more than a second and a half faster than the next in line, Fabienne Suter.

"Fischbacher was surprisgingly fast, but she did not ski it well," Tracy said. "She had fast skis is all."

A men's Europa Cup was held on the same hill last season and Tracy said someone had determined that the course there was 24 seconds faster than the women's course and he thinks the big turns in the steeps were added specifically to slow it down.

The top of the course winds around above treeline before traversing into the first steep pitch, taking racers straight across the fall line, then down a wide face followed by a long, right-footed traverse into the next steep pitch, with the highest speeds - probably not exceeding 112 kilometers per hour, Tracy said - coming on the bottom quarter of the course, which isn't nearly as bumpy as the top half. Despite the traverses, the pitches are significantly steep - with 30-degree slope angles or more.

"It's all going to be about good body position. You'll have to fight to work to get the downhill skis to turn," Tracy said. "All the turns are icy. It's really icy on all of these pitches. When it's so icy and bumpy, body position is going to be key. It's going to be tough."

Lindsey Vonn was the fastest American in training Wednesday, finishing sixth but nearly 2 seconds off the lead pace.

Though the World Championships course at Val d'Isere was far different than the Bansko course, many athletes and coaches complained that it had too many turns. Vonn was one of few racers to say she liked the challenge of the turny speed course at Val d'Isere, then followed through by winning gold in both the super G and the downhill. Tracy said he didn't press his girls for their opinion of the Bansko course because the main objective was mastering it.

"I didn't ask them today," Tracy said of his team. "There's a lot of people complaining they don't like it that much. I  don't want my team to get thinking like that. I want them to solve the challenge."

As for the ambience of the Eastern European resort, Tracy said Bansko feels more like a city than a village, people are "super-friendly" and more than willing to help. All of the teams are staying in the same hotel and it was a long process to check in late Tuesday night after flying from Munich to Sofia and taking vans and buses to Bansko. Tracy said organization of the event is good, but lacks the know-how that only experience can bring. For example, there were 150 slippers on the course Wednesday morning - far more than necessary - but not enough start lists to go around. Still, he said there are already a lot of TV cameras and curious spectators and a good feel to the event.

Getting to the race course, however, is somewhat of an undertaking.

"You ride the longest gondola on the planet," he said. "It's over 2 miles long. It takes you up to the finish area. Then you ride two chairlifts from there."

Another training run is scheduled for Thursday and racing begins Friday with a downhill, a second DH Saturday making up for the canceled race in St. Moritz, and wrapping up with super G on Sunday.

By Shauna Farnell    
Wednesday, 25 February 2009 
SkiRacing.com

MORE INFO COMING SOON !!!

Place   Bansko (BUL)   Discipline   Downhill
Date   25.02.2009   Category   Training
Race codex   5310   Gender   L
Valid for FIS Points   NO   TD Name   Berthod Martin (SUI)

OFFICIAL RESULTS - FIRST TRAINING 
Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time
 1  19  55750 FISCHBACHER Andrea  1985  AUT   1:46.44
 2  22  515766 SUTER Fabienne  1985  SUI   1:47.98
 3  21  516138 GUT Lara  1991  SUI   1:48.15
 4  2  196573 REVILLET Aurelie  1986  FRA   1:48.17
 5  9  206001 RIESCH Maria  1984  GER   1:48.40
 6  10  537544 VONN Lindsey  1984  USA   1:48.42
 7  18  515170 STYGER Nadia  1978  SUI   1:48.43
 8  7  105997 BRYDON Emily  1980  CAN   1:48.67
 9  35  515849 DETTLING Andrea  1987  SUI   1:49.14
 10  30  495318 RUIZ CASTILLO Carolina  1981  SPA   1:49.19
 11  41  55766 MADER Regina  1985  AUT   1:49.31
 12  15  55576 GOERGL Elisabeth  1981  AUT   1:49.51
 13  43  296427 SCHNARF Johanna  1984  ITA   1:49.52
 14  16  106022 JANYK Britt  1980  CAN   1:49.56
 15  29  515560 SCHILD Martina  1981  SUI   1:49.77
 16  1  195671 JACQUEMOD Ingrid  1978  FRA   1:49.82
 17  23  195983 ROLLAND Marion  1982  FRA   1:49.88
 18  45  225206 ALCOTT Chemmy  1982  GBR   1:50.04
 19  28  515573 AUFDENBLATTEN Fraenzi  1981  SUI   1:50.07
 20  8  55069 GOETSCHL Renate  1975  AUT   1:50.08
 21  13  106402 VANDERBEEK Kelly  1983  CAN   1:50.22
 22  40  55818 KOEHLE Stefanie  1986  AUT   1:50.27
 23  39  537582 COOK Stacey  1984  USA   1:50.35
 24  34  55970 SCHMIDHOFER Nicole  1989  AUT   1:50.40
 25  37  295136 CECCARELLI Daniela  1975  ITA   1:50.46
 26  38  538038 MARSHALL Chelsea  1986  USA   1:50.67
 27  11  505483 PAERSON Anja  1981  SWE   1:50.71
 28  5  206175 STECHERT Gina  1987  GER   1:51.18
 29  24  296431 STUFFER Verena  1984  ITA   1:51.19
 30  27  55588 RUMPFHUBER Ingrid  1981  AUT   1:51.36
 31  33  295533 RECCHIA Lucia  1980  ITA   1:52.02
 32  32  537626 RICHARDSON Kaylin  1984  USA   1:52.38
 33  44  297153 CIPRIANI Enrica  1988  ITA   1:53.31
 34  47  95050 KIRKOVA Maria  1986  BUL   1:55.43
 35  36  505449 BENT Nike  1981  SWE   1:56.83
Disqualified 1st run
   46  505886 KLING Kajsa  1988  SWE   
   42  537565 KELLEHER Keely  1984  USA   
   31  106849 YURKIW Larisa  1988  CAN   
   26  296008 MERIGHETTI Daniela  1981  ITA   
   25  296473 SIORPAES Wendy  1985  ITA   
   20  537545 MANCUSO Julia  1984  USA   
   17  565243 MAZE Tina  1983  SLO   
   12  515747 GISIN Dominique  1985  SUI   
   6  196460 MARCHAND-ARVIER Marie  1985  FRA   
Did not finish 1st run
   14  296729 FANCHINI Nadia  1986  ITA   
   4  515806 KAMER Nadja  1986  SUI   
   3  515429 DUMERMUTH Monika  1977  SUI   

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