The Gurgl slaloms will take place. Despite unreassuring images in recent days, the Kirchenkar slope will be ready in time to welcome the skiing elite in 10 days, according to the FIS.
Gurgl will host a women’s slalom and a men’s slalom on November 23 and 24. The FIS carried out a snow check on Thursday and gave the green light for the World Cup races.
We had been doubting whether these tests would take place for weeks. Temperatures well above the seasonal average made track preparation difficult. Until two days ago, the images of Gurgl, with snow cannons running at full speed to produce only a thin white strip in a mostly brown landscape, did not give much hope. Gurgl was even forced to limit the opening of the ski area this weekend due to the lack of snow.
A plan B was often mentioned, which consisted of moving the slaloms to Sölden, a few kilometers away in the same Ötztal valley. This is where the season-opening giants had already taken place three weeks ago. The FIS ultimately did not deem this necessary thanks to the temperatures which finally dropped, at the last minute, and light snowfall throughout the region during the night. “Thanks to several cold nights and new snow, the conditions are ideal for racing,” assures Raimund Plancker, assistant racing director at the FIS.
SSW
Swiss
