Adelboden: Swiss slalom riders don’t use the big stage

He’s there after all, Marco Odermatt, and he stands in the midst of the spectators. A group of St. Gallen fans brought a cardboard cutout of him to Adelboden; it is their response to the program postponement, which is causing a lot of dissatisfaction.

For once on Saturday the big stage belongs not to the giant slalom skiers but to the slalom skiers. Anyone who wanted to be served an Odermatt gala will now be served Swiss slalom mediocrity. If the French Olympic champion Clément Noël wins, Tanguy Nef will be eighth, Marc Rochat and Daniel Yule will be in 10th and 12th place. The spark may not really fly. Big stage? Not used.

The organizers did the right thing by making the swap; the giant slalom would not have been possible due to snowfall and fog. But after the many complaints during the week, which the organizer even set up a call center to answer, various spectators also expressed their dissatisfaction on race day. There is swearing at the entrances, some people are shaking their fists in their bags.

Managing Director Christian Haueter says: “They always say that the fans only come to Adelboden on Saturday because of the alcohol and the party. Apparently that’s not the case, otherwise they wouldn’t be so upset.”

Financially it could hurt

24,000 spectators are there, around 1,500 fewer than expected, certainly because of the lack of Odermatt, or perhaps also because of the weather. On Sunday there will be around half as many fans, a larger capacity is not justifiable, if only because of the return traffic, which would otherwise stop. Although more will certainly want to come – some fear that there will be chaos because spectators who have bought a giant slalom ticket for Saturday will demand entry.

The organizers have dealt with various scenarios, for example down in Reichenbach and Frutigen, tickets are checked when boarding the buses and people without valid tickets are informed that they cannot get into the arena. Awareness of the security measures is also raised on site.

The terms and conditions state that the tickets are valid for the respective racing discipline, although the passage for certain options is worded vaguely. The fact is: a grandstand ticket for the giant slalom costs around 50 francs more than for the slalom; in the fan zones the difference is smaller at around 15 francs. If the people of Adelboden have to pay all price differences, an impressive six-figure amount could accumulate. Especially since those staying at home may demand the entire ticket cost back. Tickets can be uploaded to the organizer and requests will be checked. Not every lawyer has the same opinion on this matter. Some, for example, think that a program adjustment is a typical risk that a customer has to expect.

Be that as it may, it certainly helps the Bernese Oberland that they have been in the black in recent years. Even before the pandemic, they were fighting for survival.

Meillard’s failure was a bitter setback

Meanwhile, it’s all about sporting survival for Ramon Zenhäuser, who fell out of the top 30 on the starting list and is eliminated. Even the day before the race, the Valais native seemed at a loss and, above all, resigned, saying at one point that his joy in life should not be influenced by his poor performances. It will probably be an even more difficult task than qualifying for the second round again.

Loïc Meillard is also out, but he is the first Swiss to ever drive the Adelboden Slalom with the red start number of the discipline leader. His threader is the big setback from a Swiss perspective, especially since he has been doing excellently up to that point. Due to back problems, Meillard has only been able to train to a reduced extent for months, and he would have to take a break for several weeks. Slalom runs better than giant slalom, not least because the posture is more upright.

Marco Odermatt has to take care of the big ski festival and stays in the hotel on Saturday – except for the cardboard cutout.

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Philipp Rindlisbacher has been working for Tamedia since 2008. He is chairman of the Bern sports team and deputy head of the department. He mainly reports on alpine skiing, wrestling and ice hockey. More info

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