FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Bormio

Di Claudio Pea

The comments were enthusiastic on the new Santa Caterina Valfurva track, on its debut in a World Cup race – The fastest of the first training was the German Ferstl – Third  place for Innerhofer, who’s now in bed with flu – Jansrud was in the shadow during the training – The race will be on Sunday

These are the translations of the first impressions from the parterre of the Deborah Compagnoni slope at the end of the first training session of the Santa Caterina DH which will take place on Sunday, half an hour before noon. The fastest of all was a surprise, the German Josef Ferstl who will turn 26 on Monday. His best World Cup result is the 9th DH place in Garmisch in February 2013. He probably hadn’t bombproof skis on his feet.

CHRISTOF INNERHOFER, third overall time with +0,34 from Ferstl, and the best of the “Azzurri”. “It ‘a difficult track to face, there is little light and it never ends. But I love it to pieces. Perhaps because my back didn’t bother me, even the cold left me in peace and I was very comfortable especially in the first part of the track, which is very well prepared and quite frozen.” The problem is that in the early afternoon the fever got back, actually only a few lines, but enough to keep him in bed and maybe skip tomorrow’s training. Read the rest of this entry »

By Claudio Pea

The first training run on the Deborah Compagnoni is planned for tomorrow at 11.30am – The track is amazing, hard and icy, just what the “Azzurri” like – Christof Innerhofer: he’s been suffering from flu for the last three days

At least here you don’t have to look at the sky and “feel” the air so often to understand if sooner or later snow will come. There’s plenty of snow on the track named after Deborah Compagnoni: the Santa Caterina Valfurva snow guns have been working hard at the bottom of the pist and in the woods. Day and night. While on the top part, among the rocks of Mount Sobretta, snow has always been there. What an amazing track. Icy and hard, just what the Italians like and what Hannes Trinkl liked too. The former Austrian champion is now the FIS director for fast World Cup races and he was the one who created the race track on Wednesady – with very good taste and great satisfaction. In short, the organizers couldn’t do better. Read the rest of this entry »

See the starting list of the first training taking place in Santa Caterina Valfurva on December 27, 2014.

Here we are with a little recap (for journalists, in particular) of the events and timetable related to the DH race taking place in Santa Caterina Valfurva on December 28, 2014

Thursday, December 25

• Press room is open from 2 pm to 8 pm
• Accreditation area is open from 2 pm to 8 pm

Friday, December 26

• 11.30 am – First official training, Deborah Compagnoni slope
• Press room is open from 8 am to 8 pm
• Accreditation area is open from 8 am to 8 pm

Saturday, December 27 

• 11.30 am – Second official training, Deborah Compagnoni slope
• 6.30 pm – Official bib draw at Piazza Magliavaca, Santa Caterina Valfurva
• Press room is open from 8 am to 8 pm
• Accreditation area is open from 8 am to 8 pm

Sunday, December 28

• 11.30 am – Men’s Downhill AUDI FIS World Cup,  Deborah Compagnoni slope
• Award ceremony at finish area
• Press room is open from 8 am to 8 pm
• Accreditation area is open from 7.30 am to 10.30 am

Credits: Marco Andreola - flashphoto.it

This time the talented German won the World Cup duel with Marcel Hirscher – Stelvio brings back luck to Manny Moelgg who is third on the slalom podium - Amazing second run of the Japanese Naoki Yuasa, fourth place ahead of Swedish Hargin

Everyone brings grist to their mill: Hannes Wallner, coach of the German team, created the Bormio slalom second run’s track  and his jewel, Felix Neureuther, rewarded him with his fifth victory in World Cup slalom and another duel with his eternal rival Marcel Hirscher. At the end of the first run on the Stelvio the Austrian was faster than the German – who is the son of Christian Neureuther and Rosi Mittermaier, two amazing champions – with just 0.01. It looked like last year at the World Championships in Schladming, when Hirscher won the gold medal and Neureuther the silver one. Okay, Wallner created a quick and tailored track, but no one – apart from the amazing Japanese Naoki Yuasa – was as fast as him in the top and steeper part of the course. It’s a well-deserved success that once more emphasizes  the qualities of one of the most amazing slalom racers. Read the rest of this entry »

The first run of the men’s slalom taking place in Bormio finished with the German and the Austrian with almost the same time – Second run tonight at 6.10pm

Just 0.01  separates the two talented and amazing slalom racers in the first run of the slalom in Bormio: the great Austrian Marcel Hirscher, the winner of the last two World Cups, and the elegant Felix Neureuther from Germany. Behind them two very fast Swedish racers: Mattias Hargin and Andre Myhrer, still fighting for the victory. Between them – with the fourth fastest time – another veteran, the Austrian Reinfried Herbst, the only one – apart from the magnificent seven – with a good time.

Frozen snow and a fast course that privileged giant slalomists as planned by Bernd Bruner, Ted Ligety’s coach; but also the American champion couldn’t do better than a fifteenth place.

Second run will be at 6.10 pm

See the startlist

First run will take place on Stelvio slope at 2.45 pm. This is the top 15 startlist :

1. MATT Mario
2. KOSTELIC Ivicar
3. HIRSCHER Marcel
4. HARGIN Mattias
5. NEUREUTHER Felix
6. MYHRER Andre
7. MOELGG Manfred
8. HERBST Reinfried
9. GROSS Stefano
10. LARSSON Markus
11. RAICH Benjamin
12. THALER Patrick
13. DOPFER Fritz
14. PINTURAULT Alexis
15. MISSILIER Steve

Second run will be at 6.10pm

Credits: Marco Andreola - www.flashphoto.it

Little stories of a very special slalom won by Mikaela Shiffrin, the amazing girl who is afraid of the dark only and is crazy for hot chocolate with cream – A star is back and shiny under the rain in Bormio, that of Nastasia Noens from Nice – Tomorrow World Cup men’s slalom at night
Mikaela Shiffrin is not the same age and hasn’t got the blond curls of Shirley Temple, who at seven was a child prodigy and won the Oscar. But that’s how we like to call the girl from Vail who won the Schladming World Championships’ gold medal at seventeen and two days after her eighteenth birthday won the World Cup slalom in Lenzerheide and made the eager Tina Maze cry for anger. Today, the Shirley Temple of snow let her long blond hair run down on her back and her skis run like no other champion in the world, no matter what snow conditions and course. The young American stars and stripes champion is scared  of nothing but the dark (she recently confessed that) and therefore couldn’t be afraid of loosing the sixth race of her short career during the Bormio sec0nd run,  after being  the fastest in the first one. Read the rest of this entry »

Credits: Marco Andreola - www.flashphoto.it

Mikaela Shiffrin studied her idol on TV in 2005, when she won the slalom in Santa Caterina Valfurva

The stars and stripes anthem for Mikaela Shiffrin fills the Stelvio course’s parterre with enthusiasm while the American from Vail jumps on the podium with Maria Pitilae-Holmner and Nastasia Noens. And it suddenly stops raining and even snowing in Bormio! It looks like the weather too wants to celebrate the triumph of this amazing eighteen years old girl from Colorado. Tomorrow the weather conditions will be good and the men’s World Cup slalom on the Stelvio is going to regularly take place at 14.45pm (1st run) and 6.10pm (2nd run).

The three ladies of today’s slalom spoke during the press conference at the Bormio, via Roma press office. These are the official quotes of the three champions:

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN (Usa) – First place in Bormio

“It ‘s been a battle, but I was ready. I have improved a lot in the past three weeks and today I felt strong, but I think I can still improve during the rest of the season. The skis were so good today and I was ready to go fast. It was an exciting battle with Marlies Schild when in Lienz. The most important thing is to work the hardest possible and ski better and better. I am so happy with my results so far in this season. I had never skied in Bormio before but I remember when I watched my idol Janica Kostelic on TV in 2005. And last night too I watched a few of her performances on You Tube. It was important to race with such soft course conditions and very special weather, also taking Sochi into consideration. It’s important to be confident with all weather conditions, considering that the Olympics are my goal of the season.” Read the rest of this entry »