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Berthod begins
The two-time Adelboden triumphant Marc Berthod (39) will be the first to ski down the Gran Becca (translation from the Aosta Valley dialect: big mountain) on Wednesday before the men’s downhill training in the role of SRF cameraman. The first race, which starts in Switzerland and ends in Italy, starts at 11.30am on Saturday, while the second men’s downhill race is scheduled 24 hours later. The women’s downhills are scheduled for November 18 and 19.
The prize money
The makers of the Matterhorn descent will not miss their World Cup premiere. The international ski association FIS sets a prize money of at least 144,000 francs for its World Cup organizers. A total of 200,000 francs will be distributed in Zermatt-Cervinia. The winner will receive 60,000 francs and a voucher for climbing the Matterhorn. The downhillers will also receive a double bonus next weekend: if an athlete wins both races, he will be rewarded with an extra bonus of 50,000 francs. These totals also apply to the ladies’ flights next weekend. This means that the two-country descent is in second place in the FIS Money Ranking. Only in Kitzbühel (Austria) can the stars earn more (100,000 euros for the win).
The trophies
The three fastest athletes can look forward to monumental trophies. Italian artist Giangiuseppe Barmasse has created wooden sculptures in three different sizes that represent both sides of the Matterhorn.
The route length
Also in this category, the Gran Becca comes second worldwide with 3.7 kilometers. The longest descent is on the Lauberhorn in Wengen BE (4.5 kilometers). If the weather in the Matterhorn region does not allow a start of the race from the original start at 3,720 meters above sea level, the organizers offer two ID options for the men’s downhill: The first reserve start is at the Matterhorn jump at 3,615 meters above sea level . The last starting option is the same as the women’s start at 3505 meters.
The key point
Olympic downhill champion and track builder Didier Défago (46) designed four jumps on the Gran Becca. The most spectacular and at the same time most demanding passage is the Matterhorn jump and the subsequent compression. In September, Swiss European Cup head coach Franz Heinzer (61, downhill world champion in 1991) integrated the Matterhorn jump into the super-G training. “In this unit I have already seen jumps of about 50 meters. Since the speed on the descent will be significantly higher on the ascent, I expect we will see jumps of 70 meters at this point in the World Cup races.
Conditions
50 representatives of the Swiss army are also deployed to prepare the slopes. But the soldiers must limit their range to the Swiss part of the route. Reason: Swiss are not allowed to cross the border on the Gran Becca in the service of their homeland, because the political control centers of Bern and Rome could not agree on a special agreement. “On the one hand, we are grateful for the support of the military. At the same time, we hope that our soldiers will be able to work on the entire route next year,” the OC boss emphasizes. The organizing committee came up with a funny punch line for this border topic. During the races, a customs officer from Switzerland and Italy will be stationed at the border crossing, represented by an arc and a jump based on an idea by Pirmin Zurbriggen (60). “The two border guards will ensure that the riders jump from Switzerland to Italy correctly,” says OC boss Franz Julen (65) with a wink.
Exotic reporting
The very first staging of the Matterhorn descent attracts great interest from the international media. 230 journalists from 14 countries are accredited. Among them is a reporter from Brazil.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
