The upcoming events will take skiing fans to the most classical racing slopes, the venues where all downhill racers dream of winning—Cortina d’Ampezzo and Wengen.
Lauberhornrennen in Wengen
Wengen is a lovely town that honors the typical Swiss love of nature. The racers usually use a train to get to the start, the famous traditional Wengernalpbahn. Lauberhornrennen belongs to the classical races and has occurred since 1930. It got its name after the 2472-meter-high summit, Lauberhorn. Since the introduction of super-G into the World Cup circuit in 1981, it has been a fixed part of the calendar and takes place on Friday. On Saturday, there is the longest downhill, the coveted trophy, and on Sunday, the technical specialists compare their skills in a classical, steep, and demanding slalom.
The Lauberhorn downhill is one of the longest and fastest tracks on the tour. At around 4.5 km long and with race times of around 2:30 minutes, it is the longest of all World Cup downhill races and has the highest maximum speed at almost 160 km/h. It features demanding passages, like the Kerner-S, a narrow S-turn that the racers enter at high speed, and they had to develop various strategies to cope with that. Seeing the speed aces performing a high-speed snow plow is really something.
For both the downhill and the super-G, Marco Odermatt is a clear favorite. Two downhills took place the previous year on one weekend, and he won them both, having won the super-G the year before. But his Swiss teammates, who are also in fantastic form, Franjo Von Allmen and Alexis Monney, will want to shine in front of the home crowd, too. Apart from the Swiss, odds favor the Norwegian youngster, Moeller Fredrik, who could remind us of when the Vikings dominated the super-G and downhills in Wengen.
Alexander Cameron (CAN) and Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA) won the training sessions. On the other hand, Stefan Rogentin (SUI) survived a horrific crash and laughed about it after the first training run, so maybe his luck will bring him confidence in the actual race. Both trainings have shown that the piste is in perfect conditions, if a little soft, because the temperatures are only slightly above zero.
As for the slalom on Sunday, Clement Noel (FRA) is back in his top form and will want to win again. So will Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA) and Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR). Both know how to win here. Many racers, including the season favorites, will want to chase away the demon of DNF that reigned in the last slalom and giant slalom races.
Cortina d’Ampezzo
This classical venue hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics and many vital events afterward. The next Winter Olympics will take place here next year. The downhill and super-G will occur on the iconic Olympia Delle Tofane slope. It is 2560 meters long and offers tricky passages like the “Schuss” with a maximum gradient of 65 percent, where the racer’s top speed is 140 km/h.
As for the favorites, the last races showed that anything is possible. Sofia Goggia (ITA) remains a favorite despite her crash in St. Anton. So does Cornelia Hütter (AUT), even though she did not win any of the last races. But Lauren Macuga (USA) showed excellent form, and let us not forget the Swiss miracle Malorie Blank, who spoiled the podium party last week with bib number 47, or Ester Ledecka, the amphibian from the Czech Republic, who ranked third in St. Anton. In her stellar form, Federica Brignone (ITA) is a favorite for all the races she participates in.
Kronplatz
The female alpine skiers will remain in the Italian Dolomites to race in giant slalom, which occurs on Tuesday, on Kronplatz. This venue is very popular with tourists, as its location allows for very convenient skiing. All lifts and all slopes begin and end in roughly one place, at the “crown” of the hill. Kronplatz is a relatively new addition to the World Cup and marks the endeavor of the FIS to please as many venues as possible, sometimes at the expense of the rest time for the athletes.
In the upcoming giant slalom, Federica Brignone remains a favorite, along with the last winner, Sara Hector (SWE), the Albanian miracle Lara Colturi, or Alice Robinson from New Zealand. However, it is tough to name the favorites of the giant slalom female races, as the season is very unpredictable, the racers’ skills are pretty even, and anything can happen.
And that is a good thing. This season, I often named some favorites in my previews, and other racers proved me wrong. I delight in that, don’t you?
