Val Gardena: Plenty of airtime on the Saslong

The downhill course at Val Gardena, the Saslong, is one of the first “modern” courses. Now 40 years old, it was built for the 1970 World Championships and first used for World Cup the previous season when Swiss Jean-Daniel Daetwyler got the first win.

As with most downhill courses, it presents it’s own special challenges. The one course element that most stands out is the Camel bumps, a series of jumps. But the key to winning may well be the Ciaslat, the lower section of the course just crammed with terrain and bumps of its own. There is plenty of airtime over a course that measures a shade longer than two miles and takes about two minutes to complete.

The downhill course at Val Gardena, the Saslong, is one of the first “modern” courses. Now 40 years old, it was built for the 1970 World Championships and first used for World Cup the previous season when Swiss Jean-Daniel Daetwyler got the first win.

As with most downhill courses, it presents it’s own special challenges. The one course element that most stands out is the Camel bumps, a series of jumps. But the key to winning may well be the Ciaslat, the lower section of the course just crammed with terrain and bumps of its own. There is plenty of airtime over a course that measures a shade longer than two miles and takes about two minutes to complete.

The course starts steep and doesn’t provide much chance for rest. It transitions from very fast to very technical and back in a heartbeat demanding all the concentration a racer can muster.

Franz Klammer and Italian Kristian Ghedina hold the victory mark with four wins each, but Klammer, in particular has very special memories of Val Gardena.

“It was my first World Cup race,” he reflected. “And a very special memory. … I was 19 years old and skis were still built out of metal.”

“The jump at the Sochers Wall was not to be underestimated but it was the Camel Humps who did not agree with me at all. I never jumped over them – too afraid – and once during a qualification run I bit my tongue so hard it bled. I placed fifth the next day.”

The course, and “The Camels” specifically, have caused many an athlete to bleed. A double jump on paper, some competitors elect to try and carry the second jump in the air. It takes precision and guts. Failure to clear the second bump generally results in more than a bit tongue.

There is an interesting side story this season as well. Austrian Michael Walchhofer won on the course last season. Since then the team has not won a men’s World Cup downhill; That was a year and two days ago making the Austrian natives restless.

Since then the wins, instead, have gone to two Americans, a Swiss and an Italian. Bode Miller, Dider Cuche, Marco Sullivan and Italian Peter Fill. So far this season, Fill and Norway’s Aksel Svindal have gotten wins.

“It’s not that easy anymore,” said Walchhofer, noting that his downhill group needs to build depth with Klaus Kroell, Hans Grugger, Andreas Buder or Mario Scheiber stepping to the plate. Hermann Maier notched fourth in the first training run with Walchhofer second.

The U.S. team presents an uneasy challenge. Although World Cup overall defending champion Bode Miller is always a major threat to win, the American group has also seen some of its best individual results on the Saslong.

Nyman’s only win came here in December of 2006. Scott Macartney’s last podium came here in December of 2007. And Marco Sullivan was fourth in 2006.

By all reports the course is in superb condition. Heel said he could not believe how well the course was prepared and TJ Lanning, third in the first training run, described the run as “buttery.”

“There is so much focus required,” says Nyman. He points specifically to the Ciaslat, noting, “it’s all terrain in bumps, and you gotta be ready to move because you’re coming in there with heat.”