Because the lack of snow and crevasses currently make training in Austria or Switzerland impossible, almost all ÖSV World Cup ski racers fly to South America – sometimes contrary to the original plans. “We need a lot of speed kilometers, because the prospects for autumn are mixed in this country,” said Alpine boss Herbert Mandl in the “Tiroler Tageszeitung”.
In Zermatt and Saas Fee in Switzerland there are currently no sensible conditions for summer training. In Zermatt, the mountain railways have even temporarily suspended summer skiing. “The status quo is that we found an snowfall at the end of June, which is normal at the end of August or beginning of September. That’s very dramatic, especially since the danger of new crevasses is increasing. And how are you supposed to close them when the snow missing”, Mandl asked himself.
The men’s and women’s speed teams take off for Chile in early August. However, the plan that the technicians should remain in Europe has now also been rejected. Here, too, one deviates from South America. This is accompanied by additional costs in the six-digit range, since flight prices and transport costs have increased many times over, as the “Kurier” reported on Wednesday. Mandl replied: “We have to afford it, the snow training is important to stay competitive.”
Source: Nachrichten
