Ski showdown: Saalbach's fight for the final

“FRESH SNOW!” At the top of Saalbach’s homepage yesterday, in bright red, was the cheering announcement about a supposed increase in new snow of five centimeters. The reality check shows a different picture. Before the last races of the World Cup winter, the organizers are fighting valiantly to hold them. After switching to the “Schneekristall piste”, both the Super-G (Friday) and the women’s (Saturday) and men’s (Sunday) downhill runs will be held there. Things are looking good for today’s training, but then the big tremors begin.

“Fortunately we were able to rely on a lot of snow depots, the situation is currently okay. But we will have to look from day to day,” says FIS man Hannes Trinkl, whose days on the slopes are once again dragging on. This is almost “business as usual” this winter, in which a total of 18 races (10 men’s, 8 women’s) have been canceled or abandoned. “There were great races in January, but we had a lot of work there too. It was also very good in Kvitfjell in mid-February, but no one can remember it,” says Trinkl. Keyword Kvitfjell: The last time the speed men were in action on the Norwegian Olympic slopes was almost four weeks ago. It was Vincent Kriechmayr who said goodbye to the involuntary break of the season on February 18th with his victory in the Super-G. Trinkl: “Four weeks in the winter without a race is a big problem, you completely lose your rhythm. Hopefully something like that won’t happen again in the next calendar planning.”

In wait

Will Kriechmayr and Co. find their rhythm again in the season finale? Two weeks ago in Saalbach they used the home advantage to train on the World Cup slopes, and most recently they warmed up for the World Cup showdown in Schladming. Kriechmayr could theoretically win a small crystal ball in the Super-G. The Mühlviertler is in second place, 69 points behind season dominator Marco Odermatt. The Swiss overall World Cup winner also has his hand on the small ball in the downhill: Here Odermatt is 42 points ahead of Kitzbühel winner Cyprien Sarrazin. In fourth place, Kriechmayr is already out of the race for the discipline World Cup.

In the women’s race, overall World Cup winner Lara Gut-Behrami is in pole position in both the Super-G and the downhill. Like Odermatt, the Swiss woman would probably have little objection if today’s training day ended the ski winter. It would suit this season well.

FIS Games: ÖSV against Johan Eliasch’s plans

In 2028, the International Ski Federation FIS wants to organize its own winter games for the first time. These FIS Games, which are to be held regularly in years without Olympic Games or World Championships, would include all “snow sports” that are practiced under the FIS umbrella (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, snowboarding, freestyle). The Austrian Ski Association ÖSV, which has been at loggerheads with FIS President Johan Eliasch for months, is not a fan of this innovation. “We do not believe that it is necessary to establish another major event because it will become too inflationary and devalue or devalue the existing FIS World Championships, the Olympic Games and possibly even the World Cup,” said ÖSV General Secretary Christian Scherer World Cup finals in Saalbach.