Next rejection for men
The weather defends itself against the Alpine racing circus
December 2, 2023, 8:46 a.m
It’s like magic: the next race for alpine ski racers has been canceled. Again the weather was the trigger. At least there is good news from Canadian Broderick Thompson, who suffered a serious fall and was taken to hospital with head injuries on Wednesday.
Alpine ski racers are still plagued by bad weather this season. The first run in Beaver Creek had to be canceled on Friday evening. Too much fresh snow and poor visibility made the race in the USA impossible, the organizers decided. The start had previously been postponed several times to try to clear the track of the fresh snow that had fallen during the night. Ultimately, however, the efforts were in vain.
The safety of the athletes is a priority, said the World Ski Federation FIS. The race was scheduled to start at 6:45 p.m. CET. The start was initially postponed indefinitely, then it was canceled. Now the ski aces are hoping for an improvement in the weather so that the second run on the “Birds of Prey” slope can take place this Saturday and the Super-G on Sunday (every 6.45 p.m. CET) can take place. “We keep our fingers crossed for this weekend,” wrote the FIS on X.
Meanwhile, Canadian Broderick Thompson, who fell during training on Wednesday, remains in hospital with head injuries. The 29-year-old was flown by helicopter to the Denver Health Center after his fall and is said to be on the mend, according to Canadian media.
Negative headlines have dominated so far
Of the men’s first five races of the season, only one has been counted so far. The opening giant slalom in Sölden was canceled due to strong gusts of wind, and the two descents planned on the Matterhorn could not even start due to fresh snow and storms. Only the slalom in Gurgl has so far gone ahead as planned.
However, the only classified run so far this winter was overshadowed by climate protests on the route. On November 18th, climate activists caused a longer interruption shortly before the decision. Several people had rushed into the run and smeared the snow with orange paint. The group “Last Generation” had published a video on X in which eight activists could be seen smearing the paint and holding up banners. “Today we are taking our protest to the World Cup slopes,” it said.
The fans along the route responded to the protest with boos. Top driver Henrik Kristoffersen from Norway, two-time world champion and 30-time World Cup winner, cursed wildly at the activists and had to be held back by supervisors, as could be seen on TV images.