The Alpine Ski World Cup is back: the opening round of the 2012/2013 winter will take place in Austria on the Sölden glacier at an altitude of 3,200 meters.
Only one day remains until the big event, and in Austrian Tyrol everything is already set. The race course is in good condition thanks to the snowfalls of recent weeks, which supplied the glacier with the “raw material” needed to kick off the ski season. Skiing has been underway in Sölden since October 13, making it one of the first European ski resorts to open its ski lifts.
The athletes cannot wait to take to the Austrian slope and get down to business. The opening round is always a test, and this year racers will be competing on the new skis mandated by FIS—slightly longer and with less sidecut, measuring at least 6.5 cm wide underfoot, in order to reduce the risk of ligament injuries caused by overly tight turns.
Saturday will feature the Women’s Giant Slalom, with the first run at 9:30 AM and the second run at 12:30 PM, while Sunday will be the turn of the Men’s Giant Slalom (both races will be broadcast live on Rai Sport).
In the men’s race, Italy will be represented by Max Blardone, Davide Simoncelli, Giovanni Borsotti, Manfred Moelgg, Luca De Aliprandini, Roberto Nani, Matteo Marsaglia, Florian Eisath, and Mattia Casse.
Called up for the women’s race are Federica Brignone, Denise Karbon, Irene Curtoni, Giulia Gianesini, Nadia Fanchini, Sabrina Fanchini, Lisa Magdalena Agerer, Anna Hofer, Michela Azzola, and Elena Curtoni.
Among the Italians, a notable absentee is Innerhofer, who decided to sit out while working toward better fitness, whereas a lightning-fast recovery has been confirmed for Simoncelli following a nasty crash during training in Les Deux Alpes.
The weather forecast calls for fresh snow on the way overnight between Friday and Saturday; conditions will remain uncertain until tomorrow morning, when the new season of the “White Circus” officially gets underway.
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