Ski stars prepare for the slalom winter in Wittenburg: Holdener and Meillard toil in the northern German freezer

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What separates summer from winter? In the city of Wittenburg, an hour’s drive from Hamburg, it is a glass door. It is over 20 degrees and sunny in front of the enormous ski hall, while inside Wendy Holdener (30) and Mélanie Meillard (25) leave their marks in the snow at minus 1.5 degrees and artificial light. The word snow is an exaggeration: the Swiss technical duo zoom through the slalom gates over bare ice.

“When I was in the C-selection here for the first time, the ice definitely bothered me more than today,” says Holdener. Meillard says: “Last year, children went skiing on the slopes after our training. They all slipped and fell over – like bowling pins. But they still had fun with it.”

Blick meets the Swiss slalom duo at the end of September at the Alpincenter, which it describes as the largest snow and recreation park in Europe. 6,500 tons of steel and 30,000 tons of concrete were installed here 17 years ago. Holdener and Meillard occupy two of the 124 rooms of the hotel integrated into the complex. There is also a fitness center, a bowling alley, a children’s paradise and outside, under the ski slope, a go-kart track. Neither Holdener nor Meillard have time for that during the three-day training camp; their domain is the 330 meter long ski slope, which is covered with spray bars. “On the glacier, however, we ski on natural snow, which changes quickly. That is not the case here, the conditions are always the same – that is extremely valuable. I think the training is useful because the surface is similar during the World Cup,” says Holdener.

The Greek ski hero is also there

Your training day starts early in the morning at 7:00 am. After getting up, go to the reception, from where a 50-meter-long corridor leads to the breakfast room. There are countless photos of ski racers who have already trained here on the walls – superstar Mikaela Shiffrin (28, USA) also thanks her for their hospitality. In fact, the demand from ski clubs is so high that the ski hall is fully booked for weeks in the summer – recreational athletes are then denied access.

Once again, the Swiss slalom team is not alone, Czechs and Cypriots are also there. Austria’s young drivers have also arrived. It gives the impression that the epicenter of the ski racing on this September day is actually only 50 kilometers from the beach on the Baltic Sea.

«I don’t want to ski on the glaciers too much in the summer, but I like to use the indoor ski facilities. Here I can do a lot of reps and work on my technique and consistency. This training is very important to me,” says AJ Ginnis (28). The vice world champion in slalom from Greece has been toiling for a week in Wittenburg. “Every now and then I have to remind myself to go outside. And to be honest, I will be happy when this time is over, because it is completely different from the mountains.” Meillard sees it the same way – even if a huge banner with a mountain panorama was stretched on the side of the slope “It is certainly less beautiful than in the mountains of Valais,” she says.

You also have to be fast on flat surfaces

Before their training begins, the Swiss women strengthen themselves in the breakfast room with the charm of the alpine hut. The hit version of “Country Roads” blares from the loudspeaker. After breakfast, Holdener and Meillard warm up in front of the winter door. In the ski freezer, head of technology Alois Prenn and discipline trainer Christian Brill have long since disconnected the training run. “We will have our own, smaller drilling machine to attach the poles. With a normal drill we would damage the cooling system under the ice,” says Brill.

The training starts at 9:00 am. The 330 meter long route starts with a flat section, then becomes 31 percent steep before the slope becomes fairly flat again. For Holdener and Meillard, it’s not a challenge – at least not on paper. But Prenn and Brill opted for large target differences – that makes it difficult for the athletes to get up to speed. Brill Meillard promptly gives the order after the 4th run: “You have to drive more actively and precisely at the top, Mélanie. Otherwise you don’t feel the rebound of the skis.” She quickly carries out the instructions. Meillard knows: In Levi (Fi), the first slalom station of the winter, the starting slope is also very flat.

There are virtually no breaks during the day

Each run of the two Swiss women lasts about 26 seconds. At the finish it is analyzed directly on the mobile phone by the trainer and driver. This is followed by an agreement with the service person. How was the skiing? Were the edges too aggressive? Did you have too little grip? One pair of skis is tested after another. “The coordination of the equipment is the most important thing in indoor training,” says Holdener on the four-person chairlift that takes her back up. Their old servant Silvio Hafele receives important information if the snow conditions remain the same – the duo benefits from this all winter long.

This goes on, run after run – there are ten per training session. That sucks, Holdener and Meillard start to gasp. Because skiing takes place at sea level, riders get tired less quickly than in the mountains – that is another advantage of the indoor ski area. The next session will follow lunch, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Physiotherapy and fitness training continue to fill the day. But what about bowling? Or a go-kart ride? Or a walk in the sun? No time, Holdener waves. “It doesn’t matter, that’s what we’re here for – it’s our job. And honestly, I love him here too.”

Source : Blick