For the Austrians, alpine skiing is the national sport. Alpine skiing gets the broadest coverage in Austrian media and can overshadow major political events. The Austrian skiing stars are like rockstars for their nation, but that comes with the dark side. The fans, the skiing federation, and the journalists expect a series of victories; the more, the better, and the skiers are under immense pressure.
Also, young skiers meet tough competition at the lowest levels, and at the top level, they must fight hard to keep their spot. Performing in such an atmosphere is challenging. However, Austrian skiers get only the best, beginning with every piece of equipment and ending with perfect training conditions and the best physical and mental preparation.
The Slalom and Giant Slalom Specialists Amongst Men – Grace and Grit
The popular guy Manuel Feller is the shining star of slalom and giant slalom alpine skiing male competitions. Last year, he won the small Crystal Globe in slalom, ranking 3rd in the overall World Cup standings. He had been knocking on the door for years, pleasing fans with his dynamic, almost wild, thrilling skiing style. But he secured the desired trophy only after he calmed down his technique and reached more consistency. On the 17th of November, he will start as the defender after the catastrophe in Sölden, where he fell out in the first run.
Another technical skier we look for in the World Cup races is Christian Hirschbühel, who is returning after a long break (1000 days, to be precise). Johannes Strolz, struggling with consistency over last season, also managed to fix a spot within the top 30.
Among the giant slalom specialists, let us not forget Raphael Haaser, who can also race very well in super-G events, or giant slalom aces Patrick Feuerstein and Stephan Brennsteiner. All three have started the season optimistically. Brennsteiner fell out in Sölden after landing a near-perfect first run, and both Feuerstein and Haaser finished in the top 10.
The Austrian Speed Aces
The downhill fans learned to rely on Vincent Kriechmayr, whose smooth, elegant skiing style allows him to manage the most challenging slopes with grace. Kriechmayr ranked second in downhill and fourth in super-G overall standings. These results earned him sixth place in the overall World Cup ranking. Yet, the Austrian skiing fans tend to demand more. This puts enormous pressure on Vincent, as he admitted in an interview last season. Stephan Babinski, who had been climbing steadily up and finished miraculously fourth in the Kitzbühel Hahnenkamm race the previous year, is now a firm part of the speed squad. Otmar Striedinger struggled last year with health issues but still made it into the speed final races.
The Austrian Ladies´ Alpine Skiing Squad
The Austrian speed specialists amongst ladies consistently rank in the top positions in downhill and super-G competitions. Most notably, Cornelia Hutter won the season’s final race in Saalbach, with her colleagues Christine Ager, Stephanie Venier, and Mirjam Puchner all fitting into the top 10. These ladies also have excellent super-G skills and train hard to prepare for the upcoming American races.
In giant slalom competitions this year, the sensation proved to be Julia Scheib, who grabbed her first podium in Sölden after a successful last season. This young lady is steadily climbing the performance ladder, and we can expect great things from her. Katharina Liensberger finished in Sölden in the top 10, significantly boosting confidence as she is much better in slalom. She was once considered the best of the best Austrian female skiers. Still, her form dropped considerably after being paired with a demanding coach, Livio Magoni.
After parting with Magoni last season, Liensberge’s form in slalom improved, and she ranked 8th in the overall slalom World Cup standings. In the slalom competitions, we can also look forward to seeing Katharina Truppe, Natalie Falch, Katharina Gallhuber, Franziska Gritsch, Lisa Hörhager, Katharina Huber, Kathrin Stock and Maja Waroschitz. Austria thus proved once more how large their team is; the competition is very tough within the team itself.
On November 16th—17th, the slalom specialists of both genres will meet in Levi, Finnland, finally setting the World Cup alpine skiing season on course after the slow start and three years of waiting following the Sölden opener.
See related post: The Waiting for Levi: What Do Stars Do During the Autumn Break
