Sölden race conditions are good despite thin snow

FIS Technical Race Directors Markus Mayr and Hans Pieren gave a much-anticipated green light for this weekend’s World Cup opening giant slalom races at Sölden, with Mayr conducting the snow control late last week and commenting on the slope preparations on Monday.
    "Overall, the conditions are good regardless of the rather thin snow cover,” Mayr says. “The cold weather in the last several days and freezing temperatures, especially at night, have facilitated the preparations. The organizing team is now working with the injection beam, led by Hans Pieren, on hardening the race piste. This work should be completed today."
    Recent warm temperatures had threatened the races, and the race hill was closed to training last week to help preserve the snow cover. Balmy weather cancelled the opening weekend of racing at Sölden in 2006, and no one in the ski industry wanted to see a repeat of that.
FIS Technical Race Directors Markus Mayr and Hans Pieren gave a much-anticipated green light for this weekend’s World Cup opening giant slalom races at Sölden, with Mayr conducting the snow control late last week and commenting on the slope preparations on Monday.
    "Overall, the conditions are good regardless of the rather thin snow cover,” Mayr says. “The cold weather in the last several days and freezing temperatures, especially at night, have facilitated the preparations. The organizing team is now working with the injection beam, led by Hans Pieren, on hardening the race piste. This work should be completed today."
    Recent warm temperatures had threatened the races, and the race hill was closed to training last week to help preserve the snow cover. Balmy weather cancelled the opening weekend of racing at Sölden in 2006, and no one in the ski industry wanted to see a repeat of that.
    "The organizers are ready and the course will be prepared up to the requirements,” Mayr says. “There might be some new snow on Wednesday and/or Thursday which will require some additional work from us but will not hurt the competition."
    The women will race on Saturday and the men on Sunday. The first run starting time is 9:45 a.m. (3:45 a.m. ET) local time followed by the second run at 12:45 p.m. local time (6:45 a.m. ET).

    — FIS press release