Women’s downhill run on the Matterhorn canceled due to wind

The two men’s downhill runs had not been possible the previous week due to weather conditions. Last year there were also cancellations for the races between Zermatt and Cervinia, and after the second total cancellation it is up for discussion whether the station will be included in the next World Cup calendar. Things continue for women in the USA.

All the waiting on Sunday was of no use, the gusts of wind did not allow the descent, which also included some long jumps, to be carried out for safety reasons. As the racers confirmed. “It’s a brutal wind up there, it’s changing, there are gusts. Safety was the priority,” said Miriam Puchner. “The athlete’s heart is bleeding, but it was definitely the right decision,” explained Cornelia Hütter. Downhill skiing is dangerous, and if you can’t control the external conditions at all, it’s not a good combination, she added.

Of the three training sessions and two downhill runs scheduled for women and men this year, only one training session was possible. FIS women’s racing director Peter Gerdol explained on ORF that nature was simply stronger. It’s too early to say how the races will continue in the future; now everyone needs to get together and put everything on the table. “All good things come in threes. They deserve another try,” said ÖSV women’s head coach Roland Assinger.

The runners wanted the organizers to have a race. “They’ve really put a lot into this. They would have been lucky enough to. It’s a shame for the organizers, but also for us,” said Puchner. Hütter got to the point. “We’re here on the glacier, so you’re exposed. This isn’t a gym where you can close. If he whistles, he whistles.” Assinger also supported the cancellation for safety reasons, but of course regretted the cancellation of the races. Because you could definitely have figured something out.

It continues in the USA

So far, the women have held three of the five scheduled races in the 2023/24 World Cup winter, and the men have held one of the four. The technicians will continue next weekend with giant slalom and slalom in Killington (USA) and on the first weekend in December with two giant slaloms in Tremblant (Canada). Then the speed riders in St. Moritz are in demand.

In order to optimally prepare for the Swiss races, the Austrians are taking a training block in the USA. “In Copper Mountain we currently have the only piste in the world where we have a 1:50 (minutes/note) training piste suitable for the World Cup. We have to use that. Then the journey goes back to St. Moritz,” said Assinger.