Three cancellations in a row – and hardly any space on the calendar: the downhillers are threatened with a huge list of cancellations

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After the weather disaster on the Matterhorn, the organizers of the speed classic in Beaver Creek (USA) now risk the maximum penalty! The descent planned for Friday had to be canceled due to too much fresh snow and poor visibility. And the weather forecast for the coming days gives little hope that the “Birds of Prey” will be able to host a downhill race on Saturday and a Super-G on Sunday.

“The weathermen tell us that there will be strong winds on Saturday and that Sunday will be a complete ‘wild day’ on the track and on the road,” says FIS race director Markus Waldner. And the chance that the weather experts in Colorado are wrong is very small, according to Waldner. “So far this week, every Monday the weather has been exactly as predicted by the meteorologists.”

The World Cup calendar leaves virtually no room for replacement races

And it is also becoming increasingly clear that some runs will be canceled completely this winter. Of the two canceled departures in Zermatt, only one (in Val Gardena) can probably be rescheduled. And there is no replacement location for Beaver Creek in December or January. “We attach great importance to ensuring that athletes, especially all-rounders, do not exceed their limits,” Waldner emphasizes. «And because we already have five races on five days in Val Gardena and Alta Badia scheduled between Val-d’Isère and Bormio in December, it is impossible for us to include any more races in this phase. And in January the program is just as tight with the classics in Adelboden, Wengen, Kitzbühel and Schladming.”

That is why the FIS race director sees only one day this winter on which a descent could be moved. «In Kvitfjell we have so far planned a descent and a Super-G for the weekend of February 17 and 18. It is possible that we will add an extra departure in Norway on Friday.

FIS director demands more flexibility from TV

For the South Tyrolean Waldner it is already clear that new TV contracts will have to be negotiated for the future. «Thursday the weather in Beaver Creek would have been ideal for a descent. But that was not possible because the television contracts are limited to Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That is why we must create more room for ourselves in the future. When it comes to skiing, we should follow the example of sailors: they sail when the wind is strongest.”

Source : Blick