Related News
Snow forces changes to men's Alpine training
Source: Agencies |
February 11, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WITH a series of storm fronts rolling in off the Pacific, Vancouver Games men's Alpine race officials pushed up the start of the first downhill training session yesterday in a bid to ensure this weekend's opening race starts on schedule.
Team captains were formally informed of the decision by FIS race director Guenther Hujara on Tuesday after learning that snow could fall in Whistler over the next three days. The training session was to begin at 10:30am - up from 11:45am - because snow and fog are expected to limit visibility on the mountain early in the afternoon.
"You heard the weather report, and that's why we discussed already what we could do earlier in the day," Hujara said.
The weather is supposed to get worse, possibly wiping out training sessions today and tomorrow. The men's downhill is scheduled for Saturday, a day after the games open.
Under Olympic rules, skiers must complete one test run before a competition can proceed. The forecast, however, doesn't look good for the weekend, as rain and snow are both projected to continue through Sunday.
While there might be too much snow in Whistler, there hasn't been enough down south at Cypress Mountain, where freestyle skiing and snowboarding events will be held on the slopes overlooking Vancouver.
A clattering helicopter and a rumbling truck dumped more snow on Cypress Mountain.
Race officials have been careful in preparing the course over the past month, including injecting the men's run with water to harden the surface. Such a practice allows a course to better withstand warm weather and rain, and is not uncommon in international competition.
Critics, however, say courses injected with water can cause more skiers to fall. Lindsey Vonn fell during a giant slalom on such a course in Austria in December, leaving her arm in a sling. FIS assistant race director Mike Kertesz said the injections have been done over the past month and have been limited to the men's course.
Team captains were formally informed of the decision by FIS race director Guenther Hujara on Tuesday after learning that snow could fall in Whistler over the next three days. The training session was to begin at 10:30am - up from 11:45am - because snow and fog are expected to limit visibility on the mountain early in the afternoon.
"You heard the weather report, and that's why we discussed already what we could do earlier in the day," Hujara said.
The weather is supposed to get worse, possibly wiping out training sessions today and tomorrow. The men's downhill is scheduled for Saturday, a day after the games open.
Under Olympic rules, skiers must complete one test run before a competition can proceed. The forecast, however, doesn't look good for the weekend, as rain and snow are both projected to continue through Sunday.
While there might be too much snow in Whistler, there hasn't been enough down south at Cypress Mountain, where freestyle skiing and snowboarding events will be held on the slopes overlooking Vancouver.
A clattering helicopter and a rumbling truck dumped more snow on Cypress Mountain.
Race officials have been careful in preparing the course over the past month, including injecting the men's run with water to harden the surface. Such a practice allows a course to better withstand warm weather and rain, and is not uncommon in international competition.
Critics, however, say courses injected with water can cause more skiers to fall. Lindsey Vonn fell during a giant slalom on such a course in Austria in December, leaving her arm in a sling. FIS assistant race director Mike Kertesz said the injections have been done over the past month and have been limited to the men's course.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
