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Ivica Kostelič’s wish to reach the world cup finals in Lenzerheide, having won the prized Crytsal Globe, finally came true in Kvitfjell. He is, now, so far ahead of his competitors that the prospect of any of them finishing close is next to nothing. Besides, if one must be honest, then it is fair to say that not did offer a challenge one this season. Svindal was out of tune, while Janka fell ill and Cuche didn’t compete in 2 disciplines. This turn of events eventually allowed the Croat to deservedly achieve one of his sporting goals. These results should not make the competition any less interesting though, as many more questions are still left unanswered.

The Downhill (M): Two veterans, who have led the discipline for the past 6 years, will be fighting it for the small Crystall Globes. Before Kvitfjell, Didier Cuche came as favourite to dispose of Michael Walchhofer, however the Austrian managed a win ensued by a third place that catapulted him in top position in the rankings. Before the last competition, Cuche had a 14 points lead over the Swiss, with Klaus Kroell still in with a theoretical chance to win a globe. However, the track in Lenzerheide should suit Cuche best.
SUPER G (M): With his victory in Kvitfjell Didier Cuche made a big step towards an overall win in the discipline. Second came the Austrian Streitberger, and in third place came Ivica Kostelič who was already lagging 68 points behind. Cuche is so much in control that finishing anywhere amongst the first eight will guarantee him an overall victory in the discipline.

Giant Slalom: With already three wins this season, the American Ted Ligety is well ahead his closest competitor. The world champion holds a 77 points lead over the Norwegian Svindal, who is yet to hit top form. Provided that Ligety finishes in the top eleven, he will successfully defend last year’s title owned by himself. In an incredible twist of faith, the French skier Cyprien Richard could still be in with a chance to grab gold.
The best 2 slalom competitors dropped out of the Kranjksa Gora championship. This leaves Lenzerheide to decide who the overall slalom will champion. Kostelič is 36 points ahead of the Frenchman Jean Baptiste Grange, who is currently in top form. The French skier can still win it, only if the Croat falls in a heap of trouble. The Swede will also be hoping for mistake from the first two as he will be fighting for a top finish place.
SUPERKOMBINACIJA (M): Ivica Kostelič has already won the small crystal globe.

As for the women, the situation is theopposite. The winners in individual disciplines are almost all already decided, but the battle to decide the winner in the team discipline promises to be a tough one . Friends Maria Riesch and Lindsey Vonn will be fighting it out. The German has a 23 points advantage with 4 competitions left, although the American skier appears to be mentally stronger. In the end, small will decide the faith of the race.
Downhill (W): Lindsey Vonn is already Crystal Globe winner.
SUPER G (Z): Lindsey Vonn is also already a Crystal Globe winner in this discipline.
GS (F): Young Victoria Rebensburg is presently in the best position to win the discipline.
And just as for Ligety, the German skier finds herself 77 points ahead of second placed French Tessa Worley. In order to win, the latter will be hoping for a top finish in the final competition or a second place, with Rebensburg making a mistake.
SLALOM (W): Marlies Schield already the winner of the Crystal Globe.
SUPERG (W): Lindsey Vonn is already the winner of the Crystal Globe.

Original text by Urban Lavrenčič translated from the Slovene by Christian Ngalikpima.

The times ensuing the 2006 Garmisch-Partenkirchen World Cup showed german skiing as a whole, in a dire position. The aim therefore in creating this competition was to promote skiing in a land where football and biathlon rule.
The Games on the Snow were created in that perspective, emulating the championship’s slogan in the process. However nature had a different conception of fun as it overwhelmed the games first, with ice and then with slush.This turned out in the to severely sap the overall quality of the competition. Damaged tracks and tons of snow salt covered with PTX was the principal source of troubles to the competitors.

Just take a look at the barren hills, where only a few white spots could be found. Those actually made the racing tracks and it wasn’t to impress neither. To add misery to all these weather complications, we also got to witness during the first part of the championship some very messy timings indeed. A fact that stands utterly unacceptable for a competition of such level, to say the least. The second part of the championship somehow saw those issues resolved, although doubts are still raised about some of the results. The International Ski Federation (FIS) can now expect to receive quite a few complaints from the other national ski federations.

TV production during the championship didn’t shine too bright either. The direction too managed their fair share of mistakes, partly due to the no optimal positioning of the track cameras.

In competitive terms, Austria, despite having its team ravaged by injuries still managed to maintain its status as the best ski nation. The credit for this, however, goes primarily to the girls, who took as many as four gold medals.
The biggest disappointment in term of results was the German team. The German organisers wanted to make a serial champion out of their favourite competitor, Maria Riesch. Instead, they ended up dragging her from one “dog show “ to another. Yet, despite feeling sick and exhausted, the First Lady of the World Cup still managed to take home two bronze medals, which is still less than the tally the Germans were hoping for as well as in stark contarst with the world Alpine skiing audience’s expectations.

With this prestation,it can be said that the Germans didn’t exactly demonstrate to be the perfect candidate to host the 2018 Munich Winter Games. However, we all know that other factors come in contention when it will be time to decide the championships’s host. The curtains has now been drawn in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It now remains to be seen if Schladming will see any significant improvement.

Original text by Urban Lavrenčič translated from the Slovene by Christian Ngalikpima.

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This season Alpine World cup has now reached fever pitch. The male contingent will, after the Swiss tour, stop in Kitzbühel, Austria, for the 71st Hahnenkamm Cup, while its female counterpart will be visiting the cosmopolitan Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy. These races attract each year millions of television viewers, but also bring a huge number of spectators to the tracks themselves. This year would be no exception if it wasn’t for the weather that has been disrupting the competition for the 3rd week in a row.

For my part, I have noticed for the past few years that New Year is often followed by a sharp rise in temperature. The Föhn, a warm wind as it is called in the ski world has of late regularly threatened to disrupt the races taking place in the Bernese Alps, in Switzerland. Adelboden, and Wengen, have had huge problems in recent seasons, and managed only with strenuous effort to bring the competition to completion. This year, the Swiss have been lucky to get enough snow and consequently had ample snow cover to proceed with the races, despite the spring-like temperatures.
Of course, the preparation of the competitive tracks in these conditions becomes a much bigger challenge. The organisers resorted in this instance to salt and artificial PTX. First, a layer of snow is removed from the track, by a snow groomer, which is then covered with a synthetic material that is sprayed with water before being covered again with the final layer of snow. This operation is repeated just before the race, albeit without the use of the snow groomer. Thus not spelling the best prospects for the competition or competitors for that matter! A bleaker prospect awaits the skiers placed higher up in the starting line-up. They will find it much harder to achieve any kind of good results. In the past, the Swiss have also had troubles with environmentalists who would not allow the use the PTX. But that threat has been removed as the State implemented a law that empowers ski race officials to do whatever they see fit in order to salvage a race.
It all seemed that the matter would be settled before the week end, and that winter temperatures would be greeting racers. But as it happened, the drop has failed to materialise on time and not all downhill trainings could be completed on the famous Streif track as it was still raining in the lower segment of the track only last Wednesday.
Workers were toiling day and night, trying to consolidate the snow on time for the first race. Later, on Wednesday night, the rain turned to snow. However, bad weather has now been forecast for the week end. Fog should also join the party. Let us not forget that, in the past, fog has already forced a few races to be cancelled at the foot of the Hahnenkamm Mountain.
No matter what, Günther Hujara, one of the judges in the men’s world cup competition, will be working overtime. Everyone is piling up pressure on him; the organizers, the media, the athletes and the coaches. Ultimately, he will be the one switching the red or green lights on to competitors at the starting line. Meteorologists too will be trying their very best to provide “to the minute” predictions about the changes in the Kitzbühel skies. Incidently, some world cup organisers have in recent years invested a lot of money towards state of the art meteorological equipment. However nature once again shows that it transcends man.
Kitzbühel is now faced with a tough ordeal, since the rules state that at least one downhill training session must take place before the actual race. If that fails, then the prospect of having to sacrifice Friday’s super G is well and truly alive. Downhill in Kitzbühel is the alpha and omega. The Super-G race can be moved to another location, but the downhill in Streif is irreplaceable. It is already clear that the race cannot be moved to the Monday and Sunday has specifically been scheduled to host the Slalom race. In the end, it seems that the weather will be the one to decide the next course of events.

Original text by Urban Lavrenčič translated from the Slovene by Christian Ngalikpima.

Swiss Alpine skiing finds itself troubled waters. Last season’s results were extremely successful, however, this turn around, the Swiss team didn’t come close to their past achievements. The biggest loser so far, being Carlo Janka. Indeed, last World Cup’s aggregate winner is exhausted. This could be the result from the lack of training this summer, as a mysterious virus cut short the preparations. Furthermore, he also missed the traditional pre New Year’s downhill race in Bormio.
The next issue is Silvan Zurbriggen. The Swiss champion is currently giving his coach Martin Rufener some serious headaches. In Lake Louise, he was thrown out of the hotel he was staying in for harassing the cleaning lady. He reportedly walked about his room wearing nothing but his birthday suit. A horrified maid filed a complaint; and out of the luxurious premises was Zurbriggen thrown.
For as long as they could, the Swiss team tried to keep the lid on the “scandal”, and they did for some time. But then Silvan won the race in Val Gardena and tongues unleashed. Not a rosy prospect for Zurbriggen, who is in a serious relationship, especially when one considers the fact that he found himself into similar waters a few years back in Alta Badia. That time, he allegedly exposed his manhood to an old lady, who resorted to denounce him to the local authorities. His line of defence then was that he was just responding to nature’s call.
To cap it all up, there’s Lara Gut. She will undoubtedly drive the Swiss team coach Mauro Pini off the wall. Let us remind ourselves that Pini was in Gut’s team only a while ago, and that their subsequent separation didn’t happen in the friendliest of manners. Lara, on several occasions, criticised in public the work of the Swiss A team. She did not agree with the team’s training methods. That’s not all! In the summer, she opted to join the Swedish team rather than her own. It all went too far that time, and the ski federation decided to ban her from the Semmering events. To miss an event in Alpine skiing represents a severe penalty, as competition seasons are pretty short.
Lara Gut has threatened to compete for another country. Should she do so, then the Swiss team could render her life a real misery. Lawyers have been brought in to resolve the matter so as to satisfy both parties. On top of all this, her own sponsors are now also suing the Swiss champion for conflict of interest.
Regardless, the Swiss have this year accumulated so many problems off the track that it could easily make for a repeat of last year’s results. Heads are simply not cool enough and thoughts are erring in the wrong direction. The season is now in full swing and the other teams are already rubbing their hands in expectation.

Original text by Urban Lavrenčič translated from the Slovene by Christian Ngalikpima.

I remember how Matjaž Vrhovnik and I traveled to report the World Championship in 2009. In Garmisch - Partenkirchen, we commentated on the slalom races, which came to an end at around the fourteenth hour and thirtieth minutes. We then hastily slurped down a soup in the press room and off we were on our journey. A journey that took us through Austria and Switzerland. Soon enough, it began to snow and although we both love snowflakes, they actually made the task a little harder for our old Toyota. We drove for almost twelve hours. And if my memory serves me well, I was always behind the wheel, for I couldn’t catch a minute’s sleep. I kept a vigilant eye on the slippery road surface, followed other vehicles, at times battling with bands of fog and counting the miles left to our destination, deep in the heart of the Savoy Alps.

I love traveling with Matjaž. Through our cooperation, we have woven a solid friendship, which goes now beyond the usual levels of business and courtesy. Our acquaintance back in 2004 began quite timidly as we were still figuring each other out. Five years later, we were on our way to our third World Cup together and acted like an old married couple. In France we took along on our trip some readymade meals and cans that we heated up in our apartment, saving ourselves a few Euros in the process. Food prices in Val d’Isère are indeed several times higher than those we are used to in our grocery stores.

Our discussions in the car were pretty relaxed, even though we struggled to stick to the ski topic. As it was, we often also switched to regular everyday topics. Hours go by so quickly.As we started off on our journey from Geneva towards the south, the snow abated and I could now press a tad more on the gas. I must say that I’m not afraid to set the speed radar detector, since the registration plate on Slovenian RTV business car were very dirty anyway, as well as snowed and iced up. Although I got flashed once, I never actually received the penalty.

As we arrived in Albertville we knew that much of the road was already behind us. The only thing that was left for us to do was to reach 1850 from where Val d’Isere dominates the surrounding peaks. I was thinking about this road trip the previous Sunday on my way home from work. Earlier that day, the Austrian Marcel Hirscher won his first slalom race in a World Cup. On that same day, I commentated in the national TV’s studios in Ljubljana and then wandered home. Taking a walk after commentating always reinvigorates me. I get to sort my thoughts together, clear my mind, and I actually exercise.

This Championship has not been one that I have reported with pleasure. First we mostly had bad weather, then, the race schedule was constantly altered and the temperatures were extremely low. But what will, above all, remain in my memory is when I first stepped at the foot of the Bellevarde track. I had never seen such high and steep walls at any of the previous championships.

On top of it all, the organisers had put a large amount of water into the snow, a technique used to give the ice plates some semblance of ominous glittering through a blend of scarce sun rays and artificial lights.
It just happened that there is a particular type of terrain apt for all, and not only the favourites. There are skiers, who, because of their special techniques, are more adapted than others to a steeper type of slopes.

Marcel Hirscher was 19 years old then. In the giant slalom, he ended up fourth and only just missed the medals. Two years later, the doubt was cast away. Bellevarde now belongs to him.

Original text by Urban Lavrenčič translated from the Slovene by Christian Ngalikpima.

Members of the Executive Committee of the International Ski Federation decided during the summer congress in Antalya to make Vail the host of the 2015 World Cup. This fancy little Colorado village from the U.S. has twice already entertained this kind of competition . The first such occasion dates back in 1989 while the second one took place a decade later. Skiers previously underwent the speed disciplines in the nearby Beaver Creek back in 1999. Indeed Bernhard Russi has already downed the famous Bird of Preys track. As a matter of fact, this spectacular terrain was first tested with two downhill races a while ago, at the December 1997 World Cup.
While the Italian Kristian Ghedina won the first race, the Austrian Andreas Schifferer imposed himself a day later on a very demanding track. The most extraordinary story that got to me while watching this World Cup was fortuitously also the most interesting. Ever since he retired from racing in March 2006, Schifferer no longer tops the headlines. Although, one could go as far as saying that he has totally disappeared from the public eye!
Until this year in Sölden, the venue where in October, this year’s World Cup season kicked off, the news that Andreas Schifferer had to leave this little cosmopolitan Austrian village prematurely resounded as a huge surprise. The boy had arrived at the weekend, but that seemingly didn’t work out as that same boy stole the snowboard he had used to compete. Obviously he didn’t have his stealing skills well honed, as the stealth bore all the marks of the amateur thief. A shortcoming that landed him straight into the hands of the Austrian constabulary force, which is known to be pretty unforgiving in this type of instances. Even with eight times world cup Champions.
What in the world went through Andy’s head that day? He probably doesn’t have a clue himself. But according to some insiders, his erratic behaviour began showing when he started collaborating with Martin Weber, a man known for practicing esoteric, hypnosis as well as other disputable techniques.
At some point, it got him so confused that he left his wife and kids, and asked his sponsor Atomic to devise a pair of skis for him that would slide on the nose, stating proper energy flow as the reason behind the request. Upon this, Atomic immediately terminated the contract with the now suspicious skier, who resumed his antics at team Rossignol, claiming a use of “negative” colours. As a result, his career suddenly grinded to a halt.
Incidentally, the infamous German newspaper Bild had recently sent a journalist to interview Weber in order to investigate his genuinity, but he quickly gave up fearing for his own mental well being, as he commented to the editor upon his return. Still the real motive for Shifferer’s action is yet to come to light. Why he stole the snowboard remains to this day a mystery, especially when one considers that his financial situation at the time appeared to be in the positive? He could easily have purchased one. Or could it be that the colour was so damn positive that the esoteric/hypnotic state he was in left him with no other choice but to acquire it there and then? Although not on his credit Card…

Original text by Urban Lavrenčič translated from the Slovene by Christian Ngalikpima.

For every action, you can expect a reaction. After Head brought in their team the Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal, it left his serviceman at Atomic, Edi Unterberger, without employer. A true a master in his profession, he saw enormous success with Hermann Maier. He later briefly acted as Walchhofer Michael’s serviceman. As Atomic saw a brighter future with Svindal, the team designated Unterberger as serviceman for last year’s two times winner in the aggregate standings at the Norwegian World Cup. Remember, it was with his help that Svindal brought home the full scope of awards in the Vancouver Olympics. He then went on to join Head. For a hefty sum of money, at that!
Michael Walchhofer begins, this year, his final World Cup Season. In the previous season, the 35-year-old hotelier from Altenmarkt came short of bringing home more than a single win. He must have missed his former serviceman. After leaving Svindal, Walchhofer immediately went on to resume his cooperation with the now team-less Unterberger. Atomic welcomed the move, and as history shows, have hit the bull’s eye.
Walchhofer convincingly won the first downhill race of the season in Lake Louise, effectively ending the Austrian team poor string of performances. Indeed the team hadn’t won the main discipline since March 2009. A winning drought for Austria, the most powerful skiing nation in the world that lasted 630 days!
At the finish, the winner of 16th edition of the skiing World Cup looked at his ski and immediately pointed out in his first interview the fact that they were “unusually” fast. Indeed, Walchhofer enjoyed a clear advantage over his competitors in the flatter part of the Lake Louise racecourse, where good gliding is of the essence, and where the skis must be fast.
He thanked his serviceman, sipped ale and then went on to prepare for the super-G, which was on the program the next day. Brimming with self-confidence, he decided to take fairly aggressive skis to the giant slalom, despite conflicting advice from Unterberger. He finished 18th and later admitted that he will in the future listen more to the “man in the background”.
In a week time, men and women competitors will travel to the United States and Canada. The women were moved from Aspen to Lake Louise, where they will compete at the weekend in both speed events. This will be the first opportunity this season for Lindsey Vonn to prove that she still is the alpine skiing champion. Men were flown from the Canadian province of Alberta over to Denver and from there, forward on to Vail, more specifically on to Beaver Creek, where the Birds of Prey racecourse awaits them. This competition will host three races from Friday to Sunday, with the exciting downhill scheduled for the Friday. Walchhofer will again be present and so will his red and white rockets.

Original text by Urban Laurenčič translated from the Slovene by Christian Ngalikpima.

Last year in Beaver Creek, Jean-Baptiste Grange injured himself. The ruptured anterior cruciate ligament he suffered meant that the Vancouver Olympics were to proceed without its star performer. The Frenchman was 25 at the time, and to have to bid farewell to the Olympic season came as a severe blow to him.

The veil overshadowing the men standings in this year’s alpine skiing world cup has now been lifted. The 45^th edition was officially opened in Sölden a month ago with the women’s giant slalom competition. A thick fog greeted the men on the Rettenbach Glacier, forcing the opening of the new season to be moved to the previous week-end in Levi, Finland.

This time around, little comparison has been made between competitors. Instead, after last year’s Olympics, many have decided to concentrate their efforts on the team’s form, and with the arrival of new coaches, hope to outperform their rivals. The southern hemisphere provides during the summer months the scene for professional skiing. Argentina, Chile and New Zealand are the most common stops for world class skiers.

France is at the moment dominating the rankings. They stand one step ahead of the competition in both technical disciplines. The already established skiers have been joined by some younger athletes. To be noted though, is the return of the recently injured stars, such as Thomas Fanara and Jean-Baptiste Grange. The French man having previously won the 08/09 Slalom Crystal Globe top accolade. A discipline he came close to winning the previous year, but that he had to concede to the Italian Manfred Moelgg due to a mistake in the final race of the season in Bormio.

Injuries in Alpine Skiing highlight the differences that exist between bigger and lesser teams, the same way it does highlight the discrepancies between champions and less performing skiers. The former finding themselves in a really enviable position, as the contrast amplifies at the time of rehabilitation. The bigger teams or athletes, who have earned more, thus have access to treatments that are a far reach from the lesser protagonists who cannot afford the over costly insurances.   This in turn might also lead to a loss of income.

Furthermore, some athletes and teams are totally left to fare for themselves, as trainers and physiotherapists limit themselves to prescribing exercises with absolutely no follow up, leaving In effect, those struggling competitors to bank solely on their determination and willingness to get through the hard times. Too many questions are left unanswered that renders it difficult for the athlete to get back to the team training, where opportunities are very few anyway. Which physiotherapist will they visit? How will they pay for the treatment or how will they train? Which diet will they implement, how much muscle mass will be lost?

This leaves a large number of athletes to forcibly abandon the sport of their dream and find other of objects interest instead.

Grange, on the other hand, did the exact the opposite thanks to the French Skiing Association (FFS), which has to deal with its own financial problems. They realised how the Frenchman aroused, over the past years, the interest of the French people in Alpine Skiing. The FFS consequently gave him all the support that he needed for a speedy recovery. Besides Grange himself, did what he thought was necessary to regain fitness.

First of all, he distanced himself from the media as he did not want his comments to interfere with the team’s work nor create unnecessary agitation before or during the Olympics. He entirely focused his efforts on himself and his speedy recovery. After a successful operation on the cruciate ligament, he visited rehabilitation centres where he was treated by the best experts.

The desired effect was achieved. In June, this year, he started snow training. The feelings of old gradually came back to the French champion. It was as if all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. From one turn to another, Jean Batiste Grange found his way back. After a long break, he was eager to prove himself and to compete once again. The French coaches knew he was fast, but did not want to put additional pressure on him before the season. The first giant slalom ride in Sölden has already shown that his was back at the top. Then came Levi. The slalom race he won back in 2008. The same year he won this discipline. And as if the previous hadn’t existed, he clocked the fastest time. Poetry in motion, straining effortlessly the limits of the possible… Balance and short turns prevailed. In the end, the closest competitor, the Swede Andre Myhrer, grabbed second position, 0.33 sec behind the Frenchman, while the Croat Ivica Kostelič came third, clocking over a second more.

When on skis, Jean Baptiste Grange makes every move look all so simple. And yet they are not! Far from it! This has been vindicated by other athletes struggling to achieve good results. The French skier on the other hand, had no trouble at all. The boss is back! However, one must realise that rare are those who return with a win.

Urban Laurenčič original post translated by Christian Ngalikpima

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It is this time of the year again. The time to book our well earned holidays in the snow for this years skiing season. This time around, the place in question is Zell am See, a hub of activities that has thousands flocking each year onto its pistes and cross country trail. Beginners, proficient as well as professionals have made, throughout the years, of Zell am See Kaprun their place of choice to indulge in snow sports activities, which are aplenty in Zell am (as it is also known by the regulars).

Below are ten indoors as well as outdoors activities, among many others, this great ski destination has to offer:

1. Skiers, snowboarders and free riders will be able to ski until satiated on the 138 km of pistes covering all levels of difficulty. For the mountains and the glaciers surrounding Zell am see provide snow all year round, allowing thus to hit the slopes at any time.

2. If you are not one for the thrills of the down hills, the you will be able to take advantage of the 200 km of x-country trails that can be found in the region.

3. If cross country is still too fast for you, and would like to extract all the pleasures of the incredible pristine nature on offer in Zell am See, then you should take up the Nordic Walking. A sport that will help you to not only keep fit, but that will also have you in awe of the majestic scenery that litter this exceptional alpine region.

4. What about trying the snow under ( or over) a new perspective? Snow kiting offers just that and will have you gliding at speed reaching up to 75km/hr. Not for the faint hearted one might say!

5. This one is special for the whole family, as this activity will enthuse children and adults alike. Tobogganing, will get you to roll back the years to your childhood, while children will discover the pleasure of snow through this fun activity.

Now, you might have taken your family to a nice holiday in the snow, but are not a snow enthusiast yourself! Well, fret not as you will not run short of indoor activities in the ski resort of Zell am.

6. Grab your rackets, not the snow ones, I must make mention, for you will be able to play indoor tennis in the modern tennis halls available on site.

7. This one is more for the ladies, although their companions are more than welcome to join. Hit the gym and pools for some aqua fitness, aerobics, Tae Bo and many more similar activities…

8. Zell am See has managed something quiet exceptional that will get you to blend the pleasure of nature with art, as you will be able to admire some giant sculptures in an area covering 180hectares and that are part of a project started back in the 50’s called »Gallery on the pistes«.

9. After a hard day skiing the pistes of Zell am See Kaprun, time to relax. And that can be done with some massages, aroma therapies, Turkish baths that can all be found in the Optimum Kaprun spa centre. It will keep you fresh and revitalised throughout your stay.

10. And once the day is done and the children are fast asleep, you will be able to indulge in one of the resorts favourite activity, PARTYING. You will be amazed by the night life in this part of Mozart country. The town at night get vibrant, and you will never run out of options to spend a memorable evening in Zell am See.

So there you are! Ten activities that will keep you and your family busy throughout your stay in Zell am See Kaprun. And believe you me, after your stay, you will really give a thought as to whether to make of Zell am your future regular ski holidays destination.

I think, deep down, I was prepared for what was to come. I just didn’t want to face it until it was right in front of me. From the second our producer gave me the plane tickets to Vancouver and I saw the times of departure and arrival, I knew what it would be like.

I hate long distance flights. I avoid them whenever I can help it, which is why I never go on far away vacations.

I generally like flying, but definitely not for ten hours. I can’t figure out why I can’t sleep on planes, so I have to waste my time reading, watching movies, drinking, stretching. And it’s still annoying as hell.
This was a necessary intro if I want to stress how incredibly relieved I was when I landed in Vancouver after 18 hours. The first thing we had to do was to confirm our press accreditations which, in the last few years, thankfully took place at the airport; an incredibly practical idea. Next we picked up our luggage and were directed to the buses which would take us to Whistler.

This world renowned, up-class resort is the location to where the majority of the competitions will take place. It only made sense for my co-workers and I to find accommodation in the centre of it all.

Glad that everything was going so smoothly, I pushed my trolley towards the parking lot. I knew that I was facing yet another two hours of driving but the thought of a shower and a bed at the end of it all calmed me down considerably. That was the plan at least, before a young man with a fake Olympic smile informed us that the bus wasn’t there yet.

Five minutes, the young man told us. Two and a half hours later, when the bus still wasn’t there, I wasn’t the only one feeling borderline suicidal. All my co-workers from the Slovene National TV, our colleagues from Austria and the ZDF German crew shared our desperation.

Eventually, we did manage to make it to Whistler and this wasn’t to be the end of our problems. The driver wasn’t a local and by this I mean he had never yet set foot in Whistler. He did have a commendable desire to take everyone right to the doorstep of their hotel but since he didn’t know where he was half the time, this got more and more annoying. He typed the coordinates into his Garmin and then struggled with the town’s new driving regime, set up for the Olympics. When we did manage to find a hotel, it was usually located at the end of a series of narrow roads and passages and took forever to get back out again. Long story short, 7 hours after landing in Vancouver I got to my hotel room, too tired to even get upset.

The next morning when I woke up, Whistler was looking better than ever in the morning sunlight. I’ll write about the town itself later, for now I’ll just say that it’s very clean and there are two vast skiing areas on either side of the town. When I manage to find some free time during the day, I’ll definitely try out what the skiing is like here. That is, if the weather will get any better. Rain and overcast weather are coming in from Hawaii, the organisers haven’t managed to set up the men’s downhill training and the forecast is even worse for the upcoming days. It seems that even the backup plans and basic schedules for competitions will have to be altered.

The conditions are similar to Europe’s spring but it isn’t clear how long this bad weather will last. At the speed with which the weather changes around here, it might be that we will complain about excess snow in just a few days. The official opening ceremony is drawing nearer and nearer, the athletes have arrived and the spectators are gathering. The games can begin and we just need  the weather to cooperate.