ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. Kitzbuhel, Austria, Jan 19 - Today’s scheduled first downill training run in Kitzbühel, Austria had been moved up to 10:15 am last night from originally scheduled 11:30am but was eventually canceled early this morning due to mild conditions and light rainfall, resulting in less than ideal course conditions. 

Fog partially covers the Streiff course in Kitzbuehel, Austria, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011, as the men's alpine ski world cup downhill training has been canceled due to weather and snow conditions. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

With temperatures at the bottom of the Streif course at 4 degrees Celsius/39 Fahrenheit, snow conditions from the Hausberg Bump down were just too soft. At the top of the piste, five-to-ten-centimeters of snowfall fell on the overnight, with additional accumulation expected throughout the day.

As snow conditions on the piste are crucial over the upcoming days leading up to Friday’s super-G and Saturday’s 71st Hahnenkamm downhill, organizers did not want the track to further deteriorate.

Organizers had considered allowing a course inspection, which would be beneficial for the racers, however once again would contribute to further deteriorating the course.

Temperatures are likely to drop in the upcoming days with light snowfall expected to continue throughout the week leading to Saturday’s downhill.

A decision regarding a scheduled time for the first training run tomorrow will be made at this evening’s team captain’s meeting at 5pm local time.

FISalpine.com
Wednesday 19 January 2011

Riesch fastest in foggy Cortina training

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy – The famous Cortina sun was not shining on the first women’s World Cup downhill run on Wednesday and instead a very light snow was spitting at the top of the Olympia della Tofane course and visibility posed the biggest challenge for racers throughout the morning.

“It didn’t feel that great, visibility is not that great and the slope is kind of bumpy but obviously I kept my skis running and probably they were fast, too,” said Maria Riesch, who posted the fastest time by more than half a second, finishing in 1 minute, 41.67 seconds. The weather, which had been sunny with temperatures soaring up to 14 degrees Celsius during the previous week, took a turn for the colder and drearier for Wednesday’s training. Due to the very slippery corn snow that had covered the slope earlier this week, officials set a slightly turnier course than in years past in an effort to keep speeds down and racers safe.

“There are lots of turns this year, I like it better when there’s a little bit more speed,” Riesch said. “Especially because of the bad visibility, I think the girls are having a hard time to finish the turns early enough. I don’t like it as much [as] the last years, but it’s the same for everybody and you have to handle that. I don’t think the snow was so fast today. I think for the race it will be [faster] and everybody will take a deeper tuck.”

Only three other racers came within a second of Riesch’s lead time. Julia Mancuso was next, finishing 0.51 seconds after Riesch. She described her run as “scary” and said she was thankful for the blue paint on the course for guidance. Taking the opposite standpoint of Riesch, Mancuso said she thought the snow was very fast and that she couldn’t conceive of the course having fewer turns with such conditions.

“It’s definitely fast, I don’t think it could be less turny, because if you nailed the turns, you could generate so much speed. It’s not icy. There’s so much grip so that makes it even faster,” she said. “I think this year is really quick, the snow is faster and the turns swing a tiny bit more. You have to make quick switches. I felt when I was cruising, OK, I gotta snap out of it … get more into GS mode.”

Italy’s Daniela Merighetti, delighted to once again be racing at home on her favorite World Cup course, was third in Wednesday’s training, 0.62 seconds off Riesch’s time.

“All the years I’m racing I prefer this slope,” said Merighetti, who is nursing a sore right knee following a crash before the Zauchensee races. “It’s my favorite overall. I like the steeps, I like the jumps at the middle – it’s always different, not always flat or steep – I’m very happy to be here.”

France’s Marie Marchand-Arvier finished fourth in training, 0.79 seconds back, and said the flat light made things difficult on Wednesday, but having landed her first World Cup podium (third in downhill in 2007), her first World Cup points and embarking on her first World Cup races here, Cortina has a special place in her heart.

“Of the girls’ races, I think it is the best,” she said. “When I arrive in Cortina, I love it. The mountains, the town … when we’re going to Cortina we know it’s maybe the best downhill all winter.”

The conditions threw off a few racers. Austria’s Nicole Schmidhofer crashed about halfway down the course Wednesday and Spain’s Carolina Castillo Ruiz also veered off-course.

Three-time Cortina champion (DH and super G last year and DH in 2008) Lindsey Vonn picked up so much speed during her run that she came into a gate too straight and too fast and had to slam on the brakes to make the turn. She ended up 29th.

Thursday’s training begins at 10 a.m. Races kick off Friday with super G (replacing the canceled race in St. Moritz and in Val d’Isere), followed by the downhill Saturday and another SG on Sunday.

By Shauna Farnell
FISalpine.com
Wednesday 19 January 2011