Blog | MountVacation.com

As soon as I see the first falling leaves, I can always smell snow, which I always find exciting. I think of the days to come with a mix of joy (from watching the world cup alpine skiing races, traveling and discovering new things) and, well, stress (commentating about 40 men’s races is a difficult task that involves long drives on icy and snow-covered roads). This is pretty much my life from the end of October to the middle of March.

It will be my 8th season on the World Cup circuit. I admit that I haven’t really thought of skiing since the end of last season, but that’s normal: my head has to rest and evacuate all the information I gathered last winter. It obviously doesn’t mean that I don’t follow what is happening on the ski scene, but I leave the Sölden commentary preparation for just a few days before the event.

A few days ago, it was finally time for me to think about the upcoming season. While meeting with my boss, we went through some logistic details and confirmed the places I will travel to this year. The main event this season will unquestionably be the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and I expect to work hard to get as much information as possible, hoping to deliver the very best to our audience. Gladly, Matjaž Vrhovnik, our specialist, will join me this year for some races including the ones in Vancouver.

Bode Miller returns on the slopes this year, so skiing hasn’t yet lost its most controversial star. I also hope that the Slovenian team will perform OK, despite its many injured members. While Tina Maze is in good shape and Andrej Jerman is feeling better than last year, Bernard Vajdič’s and Aleš Gorzas’s seasons are threatened (but not lost yet) by back problems. Some of the ladies are also unlucky health-wise, but it’s not an exclusively Slovene problem. Didier Defago, Lara Gut, Markus Sandell, etc. are all injured but are looking at a quick comeback. On the healthy side, the Austrian girls are definitely up for success this year again. Marlies Schild is looking strong again and I’m curious to see how Linday Vonn will respond, since she will be using a new gear. On the men’s side, people are already arguing over who can challenge Aksel Lund Svindal for the overall title, and applauding the return of Daniel Albrecht, who had a horrible crash last year in Kitzbühel and is now training hard.

So, while waiting for the information about the Sölden races, the tension is building up. We will know next week if the World Cup Caravan meets there this year, depending on the snow conditions.
On a more serious note, please let me express my condolences to the family and friends of Toni Sailer, who passed away recently at age 72. The legendary Austrian won all three gold medals in the 1956 Olympics in Cortina and he leaves a great void in the skiing community.