Olympic medalists set to wrap up summer training at Treble Cone

Olympic medalists set to wrap up summer training at Treble ConeTREBLE CONE, New Zealand — The world’s top alpine ski teams descend on Treble Cone ski area for on-snow training in New Zealand beginning Aug. 5.

National ski teams from Austria, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom will be based at Treble Cone for the duration of their Southern Hemisphere training. Athletes training at Treble Cone this year include 15 Olympic medal winners from the 2006 Games in Torino, Italy.

Such was the demand for training slots at Treble Cone this season that the ski area was unable to accommodate all those who expressed interest.

“This international exposure is fantastic for the mountain,” said Treble Cone Area Manager Jackie van der Voort. “We’ve got teams returning every year to Treble Cone and the work they put in here has really paid off — this is evident in the number of Olympic medal winners we’ve got training here this year. It also raises our profile as the top Southern Hemisphere training ground for international ski teams. We’ve been forced to turn teams away because there were so many wanting to come. But we must limit the amount of terrain we give over to race training so that the public have full access to the mountain.”

“Summer earth works have yielded an amazing trail on which the racers will train,” added Treble Cone Snowsports Manager Guenther Birgmann. “The Big Skite trail is both super-wide and immaculately groomed, giving the optimum training conditions for the teams early in the morning.”

The arrival of the Northern Hemisphere teams is a highlight in what has already been a fantastic year for Treble Cone. The ski field is enjoying record visitor numbers as well as some of the best early winter conditions in the past decade.

The first of the international teams to arrive next week is the Austrian men’s World Cup slalom and giant slalom team. Double Olympic gold medalist at Torino 2006, Benjamin Raich, and double Olympic medalist Hermann Maier are among the athletes lined up to train at Treble Cone.

Training schedule

Austrian men’s World Cup slalom and giant slalom – arriving Aug. 5
Austrian men’s World Cup Team 3 – arriving Aug. 8
Austrian men’s World Cup Team 4 – arriving Aug. 11
Norwegian men’s team – arriving Aug. 15
Austrian women’s World Cup slalom and giant slalom team – arriving Aug. 22
Austrian women’s World Cup Team 3 – arriving Aug. 22
British men’s ski team – arriving Aug. 25
Swedish men’s team – arriving Sept. 1
Swedish women’s team – arriving Sept. 1