The World Cup According to Grande: Men's GS Coming up tomorrow!
Whistler Olympic Men’s GS
In February, 2008 I was lucky enough to set the first run on of GS on the Whistler Olympic hill for a World Cup race. The great thing about setting run 1 of a World Cup or Olympics is that you normally do it the afternoon prior to the race. So you have a few runs to adjust and look at it, there is not real time constraint. You want to set at your normal rhythm but you can take 2 runs to have a look. Whistler is an interesting GS hill in that it only covers 400 meters of vertical drop. By comparison, Alta Badia is 448 and Kranjska is 442. Those hills normally run about 1:13-15 in time and Whistler ran 1:21 when I set. So the conclusion might be that it is very flat. It is not. It is also not very steep. But it traverses the mountain twice.
When you push out of the start you drop down the Fall-Away Pitch for a few turns and bend to the left onto Fall Away Flats. There is a very sharp compression there and if the course-setter does not move with the direction of the hill through the compression, it can be nasty. Then 4 turns or so on a dead flat before it breaks over into the Sewer. At this point you are traversing, going down a very narrow pitch but not covering any vertical toward the finish. After 8 turns or so it bends to the right in Coaches Corner and then another moderate pitch for about 5 turns. The trail bends back to the right, traversing again toward the slalom start. It is very rolling and fun through this section with the opportunity for the course setter to allow a lot of speed. Then the trail bends to the left at the slalom start and hits a number of rolls. At Mull’s Bump it is an opportunity for one or two more big turns before leading them to the finish. It is a very fun hill to set on with all of the twists and turns and big and small terrain.
David Chastan(FRA) has the first set and Mateo Guadanini has run 2. Both are experienced course setters who will do a good job. David set run 2 here in 2008 and was very open in distance at 28-32 meters and set very straight. But the temps were very warm and the snow was slushy by the afternoon so he really had to let it go. That is a possible scenario for tomorrow too. Carlo Janka won the run he set. Mateo’s plan has always wanted to be in the 27-28 meter range but he will have to open it up here. It is just too log of a hill and he will be in danger of hitting maximum turns if he stays in 27-28 meters. Anyway, Mateo has had a lot of different guys win runs when he set, including Ted Ligety.
I just got off the phone with Wenatchee, Washington native and Mission Ridge Ski Team alum, Pete Korfiatis who is a World Cup Tech Coach for the USST in Whistler at the moment. He said the hill is injected, well prepared and looked very good at the free ski today. It could get wet in the afternoon tomorrow as per the weather forecast but the morning should be very good, hard snow. He thought it would hold up well.
The last race here was dominated by guys who make cleans turns. Hannes Reichelt (AUT) who is a Super-G skier won the race. Cuche was 2nd, obviously good in speed events. And Benni Raich was 3rd who is very versatile and can definitely lay down clean arcs if need be. Ted was 4th. The high-energy, hit and skid type guys will have trouble unless they can adapt. I think you will see Svindal and Jansrud compete from Norway. Jansrud is especially interesting to me. So is Leif Haugen, who made the team out of Denver University earlier this year. This hill will play right into his strength. The Swedes don’t really have a competitor who can go that well on this hill. Austria will have Benni Raich out there with serious National pressure and pride on his shoulders. Do you feel the weight, Benni? Hans Pum and Toni G. might be feeling it more? Marcel Hirscher is a long shot even with the number 1 bib. He is an excellent skier but I think he is too young to really get the job done on the big stage in a situation that is a little out of his comfort zone. Benni starts 5. I think the Austrian team should be looking to Romed Baumann starting 8 and Philip Shoerghofer who goes 15th. Both are younger, with speed back grounds who love to make clean, smooth turns. I think the Austrians are done until the slalom. The Swiss bring Cuche and Janka at the top-end. Then Marc Berthod who is still coming back from injury starting 12 and the Sandro Viletta who goes 18. I think Berthod is one of those guys who brings a ton of intensity but will be hurt by this hill. Cuche has a good chance, as does Janka. Italy? Not Simoncelli…Maybe Blardone can bring back his arcing from the days on Atomic? Moelgg was strong on this last time they raced, finishing 6th. France is pretty much left to Cyprien Richard to fly the flag for them. But Cyp was 14th here last time. And while that seems like not that great of a placing, he was really just making his way up the standings then for the first time. So he could do well. A good dark-horse from France with an open course is Steve Missillier. He has a ton of speed but is prone to tactical and anticipation errors.
THE CANADIANS:
Robbie Dixon brings excellent basics and smart tactics to a hill he knows very well. Unfortunately, he starts 26th and that could hurt him if the temps warm up quickly. There is a lot of water in the snow and when frozen, that is a great thing. It is even easy to deal with between runs. But as a run is in progress, it can really slow you down on the wrong side of the snow starting to melt. They also start Brad Spence 32, Erik Guay 44 and Patrick Biggs in 51. And as much as I like these guys, all their hope for a medal lies with Robbie. I know Kucera is a speed guy, and a winner in those events, but his injury is felt more in this discipline, on this type of hill, than any of their many injuries.
THE AMERICANS:
Ted Ligety is the season GS leader at the moment and comes in off of a double podium performance in Kranjska Gora. He is our best GS skier, a team leader and the owner of a globe from 2008! Ted was 4th here in 2008 on his way to his GS globe. If the courses are turny enough, he could win. I think he is the favorite. Jake Zamansky starts 28 and Tommy Ford starts 29.
Jake is a long-time veteran of the ski team with his career really hanging in the balance at age 29. I am sure it’s up to him if he moves on or not, but when you are about 30, and your career has been a struggle, you are sure to re-evaluate after an Olympic season. But he is that kind of guy, with nothing to lose, who could make a run at the podium. He could summon his best on the biggest day. We have all seen it in him for years, waiting for it to show on the big stage. He routinely wins training runs with Bode and Ted present.
Tommy Ford is a 20 year old World Cup rookie from Bend, Oregon who starts 29. He is a super-talented skier with years of success ahead of him. He is best in GS but could easily spread out to the other disciplines in the future. I would not be surprised by anything this kid will do. I love his skiing, his basics, his speed and his attitude. If he puts himself in a close enough distance from the podium and things stack up just right, who knows? His best scenario would be sitting between 10 and 15 after run 1 in a very close race.
And then there is Bode. In the discipline that made him a star. He was fast in slalom first, but best in GS first. To me, all of the early and most memorable victories were in GS. Val d’Isere a couple of times, Beaver Creek, Park City, Kranjska and Soelden. Did you know that Bode has 9 World Cup GS wins? But more importantly, did you know the last win was in Beaver Creek in December 2005? 4 + years ago? I was with him all that time, and since then until March 2009. I knew it was a long time ago but I had no idea it was that long ago! Maybe it is time for that to change. And I cannot think of a better, more dramatic time to get that
done. It will be tough from number 31 but he has gotten tougher things done. Good luck, Bode, you are the man. Prove it one more time!
OTHERS:
The only other guy I want to mention is Marcus Sandell(FIN). I think he is a fabulous skier and has been injured all year. He is racing in the Olympics only and then not racing the rest of the year so he can protect his injury status and rank until next October. It is a complicated rule and not worth regurgitating here. But he is a great GS skier, one of the best. He could make a little splash if he can get past the jitters but mark my words, watch him ski if you get the chance. Super smooth and very clean initiations.
I will not make podium predictions at these races as I seem to jinx people and I want our boys to get it done. But I think you can read between the lines above and figure it out. The one prediction I will make is I think Kjeitl Jansrud of Norway will win a medal. I love GS, can’t wait for tomorrow!
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Greg “Grande” Needell grew up ski racing at Stratton Mountain, Vermont. After graduating from SMS he skied for NCAA Division 1 St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY where he was co-captain in 1986. Greg returned to SMS to coach there for five years serving as the Head Women’s Coach as well as the Head J2 Men’s Coach. He then moved to Mission Ridge in Wenatchee, Washington in 1992 to become the Program Director and Head Coach of the Mission Ridge Ski Club. In 1997, Greg became the Head Coach at Mammoth Mountain, California.
In 2002 Needell was asked to join the U.S. Ski Team staff as a World Cup SL and GS coach. From 2002 to 2008 Needell helped lead the U.S. Ski Team Men to 43 wins, 105 podiums and 264 top ten finishes. Now at the helm of Alpine Race Consulting, Needell offers his knowledge and experience to clubs nationwide.
About the Author: Eric Williams
