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Opposition to the Matterhorn descent is growing every day. More and more decision makers at the FIS are speaking out against Zermatt-Cervinia getting a place on the World Cup calendar next year. And even top stars such as the Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (31) and the Frenchman Alexis Pinturault (32) no longer have a good word to say about the speed opening on the Matterhorn.
“We tried for two years, during which time we only completed two training sessions for the women and men and not a single race. That’s why I only have two options when it comes to the Matterhorn descent,” says Downhill World Cup winner Kilde in an interview with Blick. “Either the residents of Zermatt agree to hold the races at the end of the season, when the weather is more stable than in November. Otherwise, in my opinion, the event should be canceled forever.”
French combined world champion Pinturault has a similar sentiment: “I’m not saying World Cup races on the Matterhorn aren’t a good idea, but the start time in November is absolutely wrong. I am also against the teams having to live in Zermatt because the journey from this village to the start takes far too long. If that is the case, the athletes should be billeted in Cervinia.”
Pinturault opted out from the start
Pinturault, who won World Championship gold with the combination in his hometown of Courchevel last winter, would not have ridden on the Matterhorn this year anyway. “Me and my trainers decided in August that we would forego the races in Zermatt, because I would much rather invest my time in good speed preparation in North America.”
Pinturault therefore flew to Copper Mountain (USA) in the second week of November. “For me it was definitely worth it. After not being able to train properly for speed anywhere in the late summer and fall, I found the perfect training conditions in Colorado over the past two weeks.”
For former World Cup winner Kilde, this is the main reason why a descent in Zermatt in November has no future. “It has been the case for years that most teams here at Copper Mountain only find really good conditions for speed training from mid-November onwards. If you plan a descent before this important training block in Zermatt, it can be very dangerous, especially for the young, inexperienced riders.
Skiing as a sport for the whole year?
Alexis Pinturault adds another thought to this discussion: “Why not have a World Cup race on the Matterhorn Glacier in June? I see no reason why we can’t evolve from a seasonal to a year-round sport. After the Matterhorn races at the beginning of the summer, we could compete in South America, New Zealand or Australia in August and September.”
This proposal will not find support in Zermatt. OK chairman Franz Julen has already emphasized several times that the Gran Becca is only available for races in November.
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.
