Cross-border WC downhill canceled
SÖLDEN, Austria, Oct 22, (AP): Two men’s World Cup downhill races next weekend that start in Switzerland and finish in Italy were called off Saturday due to a lack of snow on the final 300 meters of the course following an unseasonably warm fall.
Added to the calendar this season, the Zermatt-Cervinia downhill against the spectacular backdrop of the Matterhorn was set to become the first cross-border event in Alpine skiing’s World Cup history.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) said the Oct. 29-30 races had to be canceled “due to the lack of snow and the safety situation on last section of the race track” and will not be replaced.
A decision on two women’s races scheduled on the same course for Nov. 5-6 was expected Tuesday.
FIS Secretary General Michel Vion said in a statement on the federation’s website that the cross-border downhill was “a new and unique project that we continue to believe in.”
“There is a possibility of a change in weather,” Vion said. “We are therefore giving the organizers until Tuesday to make a final decision about the women’s races.”
Earlier Saturday, the season-opening giant slalom of the women’s World Cup also had to be called off because of unfavorable weather conditions on the glacier in Austria.
The 4-kilometer Gran Becca course starts in Zermatt at an altitude of 3,700 meters and finishes in Laghi Cime Bianche above Cervinia at 2,835 meters.
While parts of the course are covered by over a meter of snow, mild temperatures in recent weeks hindered snowmaking for the lower section.
FIS usually carries out its snow control two weeks before a World Cup event but last week postponed its decision on the races to give organizers more time.