Levi course right on track

Organizers of the Levi, Finland World Cup slalom event, scheduled for Nov. 15 and 16, are confident their hill will be ready in time for the mountain’s big show.
Organizers of the Levi, Finland World Cup slalom event, scheduled for Nov. 15 and 16, are confident their hill will be ready in time for the mountain’s big show.
    Snowmaking on the main course was completed Monday, shifting the prep crew’s focus to the training slopes, according to Chief of Race, Tapio Kokko. The Levi Black course now boasts enough snow to extinguish any concerns due to a long stretch of warm weather that’s been risking the World Cup event.
    “I don’t think that we would have any problems with the racing slope. There’s enough snow on the whole competition area and we’ll be injecting the course at the latest on Wednesday,” Kokko says.
    A crew of 20 workers will inject the 24 meter-wide course with additional water to make it harder and more durable and the final word of approval will come on Thursday, when FIS Race Director Hans Pieren will inspect the course. Mountain officials then plan to open the front piste to the public a week before the competition.     
    Record breaking attendance is expected with full hotels come race day, according to Ari Kurula, who is in charge of accommodations. Media coverage is also predicted to increase from last year’s press.