A raptor’s slope is like a cozy rug: suddenly a slope alarm sounds in Beaver Creek

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Marco Odermatt’s successful coach Helmut Krug was in a particularly good mood last Friday after a conversation with FIS Speed ​​Director Hannes Trinkl (downhill world champion in 2001). “Trinkl told me Beaver Creek was going to be really tough.” Krug liked this announcement so much because Odermatt feels particularly comfortable on fresh, heavily icy slopes. But the first training on the “Birds of Prey” was anything but fresh – the birds of prey track looked much more like a cozy carpet.

Clear words from Austria’s departure boss

But how is it possible that a top expert like Trinkl makes such a wrong prediction? “The track team even used much more water during preparation than last year; the route was really frozen at the end of last week. But because there was thirty centimeters of fresh snow, the slope was relatively gentle during the first training,” explains Trinkl’s assistant Raimund Plancker.

For Austrian speed boss Sepp Brunner, one thing is clear: “Under these conditions, this descent is far too easy. Even weaker athletes can get down there without any problems. And that’s a shame, because we want to offer the viewers a real spectacle.”

FIS race director Markus Waldner sees it the same way: “During a descent it should rattle very much and unfortunately not at all on this route, which in terms of topography is one of the most brilliant in the World Cup, given the current conditions.”

Ideal conditions for Kilde

Stefan Rogentin from Graubünden has a completely different opinion. “Why would it rumble so violently on every descent? This happens every year in Bormio and Kitzbühel. That’s why I think it’s good that we get a race where we downhill skiers can ski beautifully. The slope is not gentle, but rather compact. These are conditions under which all brands function well.”

The Atomic slats seem to perform particularly well under these conditions. In the long gliding section immediately after the start, three Atomic pilots, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, his compatriot Adrian Smiseth Sejersted and the German Andi Sander, set the fastest times. Kilde was clearly the fastest at the finish. “If the conditions remain like this, Kilde will be difficult to beat in the three races on this slope,” says Helmut Krug.

And because the weather forecasters predict fresh snow again on Thursday, there will hardly be any rumbling to be heard during the weekend’s races.

Source : Blick