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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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It seems that lately, Peter Fischer, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Alpine skiing World Cup has started to lose his nerves. On top of his already busy schedule, he had to answer at a press conference some pretty embarrassing questions concerning some race timing errors in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

It is absolutely ridiculous, that in 2011, and on a big stage such as the Alpine skiing world championship, that the timing of competitors cannot be effected without flaws. Errors can be seen on TV, and even more so in the finish arena. Split times are inaccurate or completely off the mark, with some of the lapses just being down right comical. This is taking some of the gloss away from a sport that has millions of TV viewers who are now stripped of the overwhelming emotion that the hundredth usually arouses during the races. This time around, ALGE, the Austrian company in charge of race timing, has come out as the guilty part, although it is Swiss timing that is usually in charge of timing the World cup races.

The organizers saved up by signing a “better deal”, effectively putting their trust in a less experienced timing company. They are now of course very sorry about the decision taken, not only because it totally ridicules the other strong sponsor, the reputed watch maker HUBLOT, that sees its brand name being displayed under each timed result, albeit the race being timed by the Austrian outfit.

Hublot coughed out the money to give its brand more exposure, but had almost no say in the selection of the timer to be used at the competition. This has turned out to be a nightmare for Hublot, whose hope of generating good publicity in Garmisch-Partnekirchen ends up piling embarrassment instead. The company is now directing all its efforts towards informing the public that the time is being measured by someone else.

The damage has now been repaired by the International Ski Federation, which has now amended all the results. The FIS manager Francesco Cattaneo gave assurances that all the times are absolutely correct; an assurance not shared by the journalist and some of the TV broadcasters.

The most blatant example was that of the Slovene athlete Tina Maze in the Super Slalom, who had her first time cancelled, then later reinstated. She was eventually granted the official time of 1:25:06. Slovenian and Swiss television replayed, second by second, Tina Maze’s run over and over again on their computer. At 1:25:06 Tina is at least ten meters past the finish line. Following a detailed video-analysis, it was actually considered that the excellent Slovene skier would have clocked a time half a second faster. This would have in effect meant a progression from 11th to 5th place, had that time been taken into account.

The Slovenian Ski Association is now preparing a formal complaint that must first comply with all the legal provisions. However the FIS has a rule that prevents television images being taken into account in the timing of races, rendering the chances of getting an appeal pretty slim.

The biggest problem with this farce is that each timed run falls now under severe scrutiny. When it comes to Alpine skiing, only one thing matters, and it is the race time. A single error and the whole process comes immediately under the microscope, along with the integrity of the championship.
ALGE blames high temperatures and a very loud sound system being used, which at certain frequencies can affect the time measurement. Absolute nonsense if you ask me, as some of the world championship races are held in some more extreme weather conditions without a hitch.

As far as things stand, it appears that they cannot put their finger on the error, and therefore one can now expect chaos right until the end of the championship. Nothing will change at this championship.
It is only when we will reminisce of this year’s Garmisch-Partnekirchen medal winners that we as reporters, we will mention the farce in which times where all put under scrutiny.

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

1978 was the last time Bavaria saw a huge sporting event such as this year’s Alpine skiing world championship. Garmisch-Partenkirchen has repeatedly bided for the past 33 years to become the host of the competition, but in vain, and it was only in May 2006 that it finally saw its wish granted. Below is the chronological account of the events that led up to the championship official opening on Monday:

June 2004
Garmisch-Partenkirchn City Council unanimously votes in favour of bidding to become the host to the 2011 world championship competition. A success that could be attributed to the support that emanated from the Garmisch Ski Club, led by the Peter Fischer.

May 2005
Mighty Schladming, Austria, becomes the only other candidate still in contention to host the championship.
September 2005
The International Ski Federation Commission arrives in Gap to assess the city’s readiness to organise the event. The main topic of discussion at the time is the long awaited reconstruction of the Kandahar racetrack.

May 2006
On the 25th May 2005, at 06.56pm, at the Congress of the International Ski Federation in Villamoura in Portugal, ithe winner of who is to become the host to the 2011 world championship is announced. GAP took the honour with a 9:6 voting victory over Schladming.

July 2006
The Organising Committee is created with Peter Fischer as its president. The first discussions also take place, and the financial aspects of the organisation are the topic of the day. Furthermore, the provincial government of Bavaria also expressed its willingness to be involved in the organisation of the championship.

February 2009
At the closing ceremony of the World Cup in Val d’Isere, France, representatives of Garmisch-Partenkirchen were handed the world championship flag.

February 2010
The championship mascots “Ga” and “Pa” are presented to a global audience.

March 2010
The federal government contributes a million and a half Euros towards the cultural program taking place throughout the championship. In addition, it is decided to issue a special coin commemorating the world championships.

June 2010
Disaster strikes in Gudiberg. As the Slalom track was being renovating, at the cost of 6 million euros, an unfortunate mudslide caused its collapse. At the same time, the Organising Committee starts the tickets sale.

November 2010
The last problem came from a farmer. The latter refuses to allow his land to be used as part of the finish arena of the Kandahar race track. Despite the numerous negotiations, no agreement is reached. The matter is settled in court later in January.

P. S. Schladming will host the 2013 world championship.

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

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.

The World Cup Finals are a sure sign that spring has arrived and that Alpine Skiing will retreat from the spotlight for half a year.

The best skiers are gathered in Garmisch Partenkirchen and are taking part in the last competitions of the season, but many are already adding up the scores of this season. The season itself is far from over; there are several National Championships taking place in April and some FIS races as well. Some skiers will take time to test new equipments, as all sponsorship deals end after the Olympics.

The Germans are learning how to organise World Championship races. Garmisch Partenkirchen is hosting major skiing events next year as well as they gained some experience by hosting the Junior World Championship in Alpine Skiing last year and this year it was the world cup finale. After what I’ve experienced, they have their work cut out for them if they wish to get any praise in the future.

The press centre in the arena was certainly too small. In fact, it was actually a combination of a canteen, a space for teams and working space for reporters. Chaos ensued. During the first race of women’s grand slalom there was a power outage and many reporters were left without visual contact and race results.

This is unforgivable; every FIS race must have backup generators to prevent such problems. There were also plenty of logistical problems and it is vital they sort out the parking facilities. All in all, there is plenty of work to be done, and the slopes themselves are not as attractive as they could be.

A lot of buzz is surrounding the Austrian team. Once the strongest Alpine Skiing team in the world just had the worst season in history. First, there is the disaster at the Vancouver Olympics: the Austrian male team did not bring home a single medal. Downhill, the most revered discipline and an Austrian speciality, proved to be a disaster. They did not manage a single win in the entire season, which last happened 18 years ago. Things weren’t that great in the Super G and grand slalom either.

The only successful skier this season was Reinfried Herbst in slalom, and this does not suffice for the Austrians. Tony Geiger’s dismissal is now a fact, and it looks like the team is changing its head of the national team after 11 years. The chairman of the Austrian skiing association Peter Schröcksnadel is announcing radical changes, for example hiring Austrian coaches which had success with training other National teams. We have some interesting changes to look forward to as far as the »coach market« is concerned.

We need to mention someone else as well. In the men’s super G, we saw Liechtenstein’s Marco Büchel on the starting line for the last time. He is one of the most well loved alpine skiers. Everyone from his competition, coaches and reporters adored him. When he made it to the finish line in his shorts, half the female world cup contestants were waiting for him there. The winner of 4 world cup races is finally giving up skiing at 38. Now he’ll be able to spend more time with his wife Tania and his dog Jesper. He will surely stay linked with skiing however; he will be the expert correspondent at a German television channel.

Once you’ve got skiing in your blood, there’s no turning back.