Austrian alpine team's New Zealand training was hampered by snowfall

Austrian alpine team’s New Zealand training was hampered by snowfall{mosimage}The stars of the Austrian men’s alpine World Cup team have returned to their homes in the Alps after a training camp in New Zealand that was hampered by massive snowfall. Much of the work the Austrians need to do became impossible because of storms and the soft snow the storms left behind.

‘Much is still to be done’ said Austrian coach Andy Evers, quoted at the website for ORF, Austria’s primary television station. Evers, who coaches the potent “WC4” team, said several Austrians are still trying to test new ski boot setups, but didn’t get the opportunity because of soft snow conditions. “We tried to test the new shoe in all disciplines and with all conditions’ said Evers on ORF. ‘Thus we keep the risk as small as possible … both shoes has advantages, we must much analyze and the golden center find.’

The Austrian men’s WC4 team consisted, in New Zealand, of Hermann Maier, Benni Raich, Michael Walchhofer and future-star Mario Scheiber. The squad (a sort of ‘team within the team’) was designed last summer to streamline training for those athletes in contention for the overall World Cup. Its final member, Stephan Eberharter, was not present in New Zealand.

The Austrian team’s snow-related problems were at their worst on August 13, when an avalanche hit Treble Cone, the ski area where many teams train. The Associated Press reported that day that no members of the Austrian team were caught in the slide, but that three other skiers were partially buried by it.

The U.S. Ski Team’s men’s alpine World Cup team is now in New Zealand, training giant slalom and slalom. Their head coach reports that there are great conditions at the team’s camp there. With them is speed specialist Marco Sullivan, who got his first days on snow since a serious knee injury last December at Beaver Creek. Sullivan arrived early in New Zealand, accompanied by his uncle, ski coach Mark Sullivan.

Sullivan’s friend and teammate Daron Rahlves, America’s top downhiller, sat out the New Zealand tech camp. He will leave next week for a 24-day camp in Chile. (The downhillers plan to train alongside some of the French skiers there.) Rahlves and his wife went surfing in Baja, California last week, where Rahlves rode some waves that were double-overhead and taller.