The Swiss celebrate a win in Solden but the Austrians win at celebrating
The men racing down the Rettenbach glacier - © www.skiingaustria.co.uk
For the 2nd day on the Rettenbach glacier high above Solden the male racers in the Austrian ski team failed to rise to the weather, snow conditions or the partying fans who were all superb. Solden in the Otztal Valley had to rely on an Austrian from the next glacial valley, the Pitztal valley to save some face, with Benny ‘the blitz from Pitz’ Raich coming in 5th. The race was taken by Didier Cuche of Switzerland but Ted Ligerty gave him a real battle and came in 2nd.
The race results from today:
1 CUCHE Didier SUI 2:21.45
2 LIGETY Ted USA 2:22.05
3 JANKA Carlo SUI 2:22.40
4 BLARDONE Massimiliano ITA 2:22.41
5 RAICH Benjamin AUT 2:22.90
6 JANSRUD Kjetil NOR 2:23.27
7 GRANGE Jean-Baptiste FRA 2:23.87
8 SIMONCELLI Davide ITA 2:24.03
9 ROY Jean-Philippe CAN 2:24.08
10 RICHARD Cyprien FRA 2:24.13
11 PLONER Alexander ITA 2:24.24
12 KOSTELIC Ivica CRO 2:24.26
13 BAUMANN Romed AUT 2:24.37
14 HIRSCHER Marcel AUT 2:24.42
15 BERTHOD Marc SUI 2:24.48
16 DIXON Robbie CAN 2:24.65
17 VILETTA Sandro SUI 2:24.71
18 REICHELT Hannes AUT 2:24.72
19 KARLSEN Truls Ove NOR 2:24.75
20 ZURBRIGGEN Silvan SUI 2:24.82
My knees just about held up today with the summer spread and the kilos of camera equipment but I did get the dreaded feeling that the baton of skiing expertise is very much en-route to Josh, although at 5 months and 3 weeks it is still a few months before I envisage the beginning of the handover. Aching knees were soothed however by some (misplaced or misunderstood) hero worship at the Solden glacier party that followed the FIS race. I was taking a bit of video and some pictures of the concert and had several revellers leaning over the barriers at the front of the stage asking me endless questions. Neither I, nor a local of the Otztal Valley could decipher their message but by the look of them they were either extolling the virtues or damage of the local Rum. Maybe they were after autographs – I will never know. Cracking start to the FIS race calendar though and my first ski since June. If you haven’t skied or snowboarded for a while expect sore knees and jaw dropping views – even after all this time in the mountains they stop me dead in my tracks with their unrivalled beauty.
Not a bad place to be in October, the Tiefenbach glacier, Solden - © www.skiingaustria.co.uk
A quick snow report from the glacier yesterday:
That picture of the wooden walkway…. it looks so inviting now, but when I was there, I could not even get half way across it before being too scared and having to walk back!!! Beware those with even the tinest hint of vertigo!!
Yes what is best is that you get a good way along it and then you get someone testing the elasticity of the steel cables by jumping up and down on the platform – so hundreds of metres above rock and glacier on this platform with glass sides you also get the feeling of a rough channel crossing – testing!