The big ski check: a talent for the jump, big ball dreams and a stupid season ticket

When he was a junior, Semyel Bissig from Nidwalden regularly rode around the ears of Buochser Marco Odermatt. In the World Cup, with the exception of fifth place at the Parallel-Giant 2020 in Lech, the 26-year-old has not been able to utilize his great potential so far. The current season is nothing short of a disaster for the giant slalom specialist: in Bansko, Bissig missed qualifying for the second round for the fifth time in a row. At Swiss Ski there are more and more people who secretly claim that Bissig focuses too much on the golf course and not enough on the ski slopes. The fact that Semyel actually invests a lot of time in golf is evident from his handicap of 0. It is not impossible that Bissig will put his racing skis in the cellar in the spring and become a golf professional instead.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true: in the last four women’s slaloms, a Swiss woman has always finished fourth: twice Camille Rast, twice Michelle Gisin. “That’s starting to happen a little too often,” says Rast, smiling. Gisin in Soldeu is not sad that she missed the podium by 5 hundredths. No wonder she is making a great comeback after her shin sprain.

When asked about Henrik Kristoffersen, Daniel Yule said the following sentence in a Blick interview: “I’m not willing to be an asshole when I win. But there were times with Henrik where he forsook a decent relationship with his competitors in order to be successful.” In Bansko, the Viking took on FIS race director Markus Waldner for quitting the slalom after 31 athletes. ‘Your decision is absolute nonsense! “We have already had races in which the conditions were ten times worse than today,” the Norwegian rages. The race director from South Tyrol remains objective despite the Viking’s frontal attack: “Most drivers told us that they could hardly see anything while driving due to the heavy rain. And because the weather forecast for the second run was even worse, the risk of injuries was too great for me.”

Junior Super G world champion Malorie Blanc (20) would have made her World Cup debut next Sunday. Would have? Precisely. Because: The woman from Valais was seriously injured during the second European Cup descent in Crans-Montana USA. How heavy? “It doesn’t look good,” says her father Alex. An investigation on Monday afternoon should provide clarity. There is a strong suspicion that it is a torn cruciate ligament.

Since Steven Lee’s 14th-place finish at Beaver Creek in 1988, no Australian has ever finished in the top 15 of an Alpine World Cup race. Harry Laidlow from Melbourne will change that in the giant slalom in Bansko. After the first round, the 27-year-old is in 24th place and makes a brilliant start in the final. However, there is no happy ending in this exotic ski fairy tale: Laidlow is eliminated shortly before the finish with a promising split.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s comeback remains postponed and she will also miss the speed triplet in Crans-Montana USA. She thus rolls out the red carpet for Lara Gut-Behrami to win the overall World Cup. “It’s too early to talk about it,” says the Ticino resident. The fact is: Gut-Behrami could score a big win this winter. She is not only at the forefront in the battle for the big crystal ball, but also in the giant slalom and the Super-G World Cup. And with Italian speed queen Sofia Goggia seriously injured, Gut-Behrami could also get the downhill ball – she is currently in third place. So will she end up with four balls? Only Shiffrin has achieved this so far in the 2018-19 season.

Marco Odermatt’s huge victories have long become a habit: the superstar from Lake Lucerne recorded his ninth giant slalom victory in a row in Bulgaria. For the first time this winter, two Swiss, Loïc Meillard (7th) and Thomas Tumler (8th), are among the top 8 in a giant slalom. Without the mega buck of Gino Caviezel (13th final) on the fourth place last gate, the team result would still be better to have failed.

Mélanie Meillard has been struggling for years with the consequences of her cruciate ligament tear in 2018. This winter she is finally back on track. However, there was a setback in the slalom in Soldeu. “I felt my knee during the first run. I had to decide if I wanted to keep driving at all,” she says. Eventually she turns 22. “I need a few days at home,” she says.