FIS Speed chief Trinkle appears concerned about the Matterhorn’s descent
“…then there will be no World Cup races at the end of the month.”
The first official training session on the descent of the all-new Matterhorn is scheduled to take place in three weeks. But the stunning premiere is in jeopardy.
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Didier Devago of the Lower Valais built a unique slope at the foot of the Matterhorn.
A world upside down in the Matterhorn: the current forecasts of meteorologists, which predict a warm and golden October, completely spoil the mood of some citizens of Zermatt and Cervinia. In this case, the explanation lies in the four-kilometer “Gran Beca” route, built by downhill champion Didier Devago (2010 Olympic champion).
The first men’s downhill races of the Winter World Cup are scheduled there on October 29-30. But this will only work if the weather changes very quickly. “If we don’t get the necessary support from nature in the next few weeks, there won’t be any World Cup races at the end of the month,” says FIS Speed chief Hannes Trinkl.
Blick tests the path: The descent of the new Matterhorn is very beautiful(02:04)
Swiss ski marketing director Diego Zuger details the critical condition of the descent, which begins on Swiss soil and ends in Italy. “Everything looks very good in the first section. We can already run the race there. But in the last third of the piste, we rely on low temperatures so that enough artificial snow can be produced. And in the glacier in the middle section, a portion of the snow is needed. natural.”
Ban artificial snow in the middle section
But why can’t snow cannons be used in this midsection? Zuger: “For environmental reasons, we agreed from the start that the icy passes on this slope may not snow artificially.”
Graubünden still believes in a happy ending: “We still have enough time before the FIS conducts the official inspection of the snow on October 17.”
The head of Swiss alpine skiing, Walter Rosser, also expressed optimism, saying: “The crew in Zermatt and Cervinia have done a great job so far, for example, filling the cracks of the glacier at record speed. These people will prepare the track for the race at the same speed as soon as the support arrives. necessary from nature.”
The organizers of the World Cup giant slalom in Sölden seem to have already won the battle against the weather. There is already enough snow on the Rettenbach glacier two and a half weeks before the giant occurs for women and men.
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