Red Bull race challenges World Cup stars in Lenzerheide
Four skiing disciplines on a single slope constituting one race: Red Bull SKiLLS combines super G, slalom, downhill and giant slalom – in this order and without a break or a change of skis. Two weeks after the last World Cup weekend, this exciting challenge marks the end of a long and eventful winter for the best ski racers in the world. At the third edition of this unique race on March 29 and 30, 2014, top-notch skiers will once again start at Lenzerheide’s Silvano Beltrametti piste. SKiLLS looks for the all-rounders who are able to shine in all four classical disciplines to determine the queen and king of skiing.
Experienced pro riders as well as rookies and amateur skiers from Switzerland and its neighboring countries are set to accept the challenge. Some of the favorites including Olympic downhill gold medalist Matthias Mayer (AUT), two-time 2014 Olympic medalist Christof Innerhofer (ITA), the winner of this year’s Lauberhorn race Patrick Kueng (SUI), skiing legend Marco Buechel (LIE), as well as ski-cross specialists Stefan Thanei (ITA) and Alex Fiva (SUI). The women’s field includes giant slalom World Cup winner Denise Karbon (ITA), Irene Curtoni (ITA) and ski crosser Fanny Smith (SUI).
The innovative and thrilling skiing competition will be held on the Silvano Beltrametti World Cup course on Lenzerheide’s Rothorn mountain, covering a difference in altitude of 400 meters, starting at 1,934 meters and finishing at 1,535 meters above sea level. The combination of four skiing disciplines will make the race easy to understand, but also unpredictable: it will begin with the super G at the “Heimberg-Kante”, followed by the slalom on the steep “Abendweide” slope. Coming from the technically demanding slalom gates, the riders have to directly switch to the fast downhill on the “Aelpli-S”. Finally, they have to get through the giant slalom on the “Wanner” part of the slope.
For the pro riders and their challengers alike, SKiLLS is an exciting task, not only due to the difficult choice of the right pair of skis. The qualifications on March 29 and the finals on March 30 will show who can with the changing radiuses best. The 10 fastest women and 30 best men from the qualifications will meet the seeded pros in the finals. And the experienced World Cup riders shouldn’t have a false sense of security: Last year, newcomer Urs Kryenbuel of Switzerland won the race.