2023-10-26 15:26:37
Discussion regarding climate protection, the threat of a demonstration and the death of ski legend Anderl Molterer are clouding the mood before the start of the glacier.
30 years of the Ski World Cup on the Söldner Glacier, 75 years of the Sölden mountain railways and the Slalom World Cup premiere in three weeks at the end of the valley in Hochgurgl: This weekend in the Ötztal should actually be all regarding celebrations, but for the time being (still ) doesn’t bother anyone. The discussions of the last few days regarding the sense and nonsense of a glacier opening at the end of October, in which Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler also got involved at the beginning of the week, are upsetting to many here. “What does all this have to do with climate protection?” asked Alpine Director Herbert Mandl. “We’re applying old snow from storage facilities here, so that must still be allowed.”
But those aren’t the biggest worries before the 30th start on the Rettenbachferner: The quite exposed and exposed glacier road to the finish area at 2,675 meters above sea level would almost lend itself to political protests. We also know this at Ski Austria. “When it comes to events of this size, we naturally think regarding all activities,” said association spokeswoman Christiane Gasser. Concepts were developed together with the executive, “but we’ve been doing it this way for 30 years.”
However, the start has never been as criticized as it has been in recent weeks. A situation that is viewed with some surprise even within the association. The attempt to take some of the wind out of the critics’ sails by setting up a climate protection task force is going in completely the wrong direction for former President Peter Schröcksnadel. “What should come out of this other than hot air? The ÖSV doesn’t operate any ski areas or lifts, what should it decide?”
If there were actually climate protests, it would be a first in the World Cup in Austria – and might also cause explosive things internally. Because ÖSV downhill skier Julian Schütter is active in the Innsbruck subgroup at Fridays for Future.
For the time being, however, strangely enough, the opposite is causing concern: There was recent snowfall in both Sölden and Zermatt, which prevented the ÖSV’s planned downhill training on the Matterhorn. “There is a brutal amount of snow in Zermatt,” says Kriechmayr, who has now moved to Sölden, will compete in the giant slalom there on Sunday and wants to train downhill here with the speed troupe from Monday.
The Austrian ski legend Anderl Molterer died on Wednesday night. The 92-year-old, who was called the white lightning bolt of Kitz because of his blonde hair, was in the shadow of his more famous Kitzbühel colleague Toni Sailer, but he was the Hahnenkamm winner nine times, more often than any other runner, most recently in 1957. Like so many local ski pioneers, Molterer also ended up in the USA, where he lived in Aspen.
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