Soelden passes snow control, opening World Cup races confirmed

By Published On: October 17th, 2014Comments Off on Soelden passes snow control, opening World Cup races confirmed
A more promising Rettenbach Glacier back on Oct. 4. GEPA

A more promising look at Soelden back on Oct. 4. GEPA

The opening World Cup races of the season on the Rettenbach Glacier in Soelden, Austria were confirmed today despite warm temperatures and rain during the official inspection by FIS Race Directors Markus Waldner and Markus Mayr.

Thanks to the hard work of the organizing committee to preserve the course, which has been closed to training over the past week, the 2014 women’s giant slalom on Oct. 25 and men’s giant slalom on Oct. 26 are confirmed to go off as scheduled.

The glacier race in Soelden is rarely threatened by nature because of a top elevation over 10,000 feet, but the 2006 event had to be canceled even after passing snow control due to unseasonably warm weather and heavy rains in the days immediately preceding the races. This year, warm temperatures have once again made the October race a challenge for the course crew, but snow levels have been deemed sufficient at this time by FIS officials.

Waldner and Mayr had generally positive impressions of the Rettenbach Glacier today, and they gave the green light to organizers to continue preparing for the first giant slalom contests of the season.

The freeze level in Soelden over the next three days is forecast to be well above the top of the Rettenbach, so workers will try to preserve the hill this week, but it doesn’t appear that they will face the same heavy rains as in 2006.

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About the Author: C.J. Feehan

Christine J. Feehan is a USSA Level 300 coach who spent more than a decade training athletes at U.S. ski academies - Burke, Sugar Bowl, and Killington - before serving as Editor in Chief at Ski Racing Media through 2017. She worked for the FIS on the World Cup tour for three years and then settled into her current home in Oslo, Norway.