ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. CHAMONIX, FRANCE – Michael Walchhofer was fastest Friday on the 3.37-kilometer La Verte des Houches piste clocking 2:02.65. The Austrian veteran’s time in the second training run preceding Saturday’s Kandahar downhill was just 0.01 seconds better than Canada’s Erik Guay.

Walchhofer, who currently ranks third in the World Cup downhill standings behind Swiss racers Silvan Zurbriggen and leader Didier Cuche, has never won in Chamonix during his 13-year career. The tall Austrian was third in both 2004 and 2005.

Guay, who missed races this season in Bormio and Wengen due to injuries, is seeking to become the first Canadian to win in Chamonix since Ken Read in 1978, at a site which has held World Cup races sporadically since 1968.

Winner of yesterday’s first training run – Klaus Kroell of Austria – was third, 0.25 off Walchhofer’s pace.

Cuche, who only leads Walchhofer by 10-points in the downhill standings was fourth, 0.41 back, while France’s Yannick Bertrand was quick for the second consecutive day, finishing tied-for-fifth with overall World Cup leader, Ivica Kostelic, 0.47 off the pace.

The defending Chamonix downhill champion – Marco Sullivan of the United States – who won here in 2008, is not competing this weekend, spending time at home in California recovering from a crash suffered at Val Gardena in December.

Tomorrow’s Kandahar downhill is scheduled for noon.

Brian Pinelli
FISalpine.com
Friday 28 January 2011

Winter weather arrives in Sestriere - 2nd DH training canceled

ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. SESTRIERE, Italy – Although it had been a few weeks since Sestriere, Italy had seen a significant snowfall, it blew in Friday morning and the second women’s World Cup downhill training run was subsequently canceled.

On Thursday morning, a light fog settled in delaying the first downhill training, but then the sun burst through, the training ran smoothly and racers said conditions were ideal and the visibility clear. Anja Paerson put down the fastest run by more than a second, followed by Tina Maze and Lindsey Vonn. (Read the story here).

The clouds rolled in overnight however, and by the time Friday’s second training run was slated to kick off (10:30 a.m.), about 10 centimeters of snow had fallen on top of the mountain and there was zero visibility on the Kandahar Banchetta racecourse. Large flakes of snow were still falling and blowing Friday afternoon and the forecast indicated such weather would continue through early Saturday morning.

The FIS Audi World Cup women’s World Cup downhill is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Sestriere. Check back for any changes and developments.

FISalpine.com
Friday 28 January 2011

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