Alexis Pinturault (30) is visibly annoyed after the World Cup opener. After his fifth place in the giant slalom on the Sölden glacier, the overall World Cup title holder complained in an interview with French journalists about the unequal opportunities during the preparation for the season: “It is logical that a Swiss won in Sölden with Odermatt. After all, the Swiss were the only ones who were able to train optimally on their glaciers this summer. “
Marco Odermatt (24) begins to smile when confronted with the testimony of his great adversary and says: “If that’s the case, it’s all the better. And I believe that with our glacier areas in Zermatt, Saas Fee and on the Diavolezza we actually have a small advantage over other nations. “
No training in South America
The local glaciers have become even more valuable for Swiss Ski during this pandemic. Most ski teams usually fly to the snow camps in South America or New Zealand in August and September. But that was not possible in the last two summers due to Corona. And in Europe there are only three areas in late summer that are suitable for ski training at the highest level – the glaciers in Zermatt, Saas Fee and on the Diavolezza.
The problem of foreign departures
And because the Swiss primarily claim the best slopes here, many international ski stars actually had a real problem. Especially the speed drivers. “As a giant and slalom specialist, as a foreigner in Valais you are much more likely to get a training slope than a downhill skier” knows ORF expert Hans Knauss (50).
The former Kitzbühel and Adelboden champion explains: “There is only one suitable training slope for downhill skiers in Europe in summer, and that is in Zermatt. The Austrians were able to ride this piste for a few days, but they did most of the rest of the preparation in Saas Fee on a route that has little to do with a descent. “
That actually speaks for a particularly successful Swiss alpine winter.