Click here to download provisional 2005-2006 Alpine World Cup calendar

Click here to download provisional 2005-2006 Alpine World Cup calendar{mosimage}The calendar for the 2005-2006 alpine World Cup calendar will be discussed at the International Ski Federation’s annual spring meetings next month in Amsterdam. The latest provisional calendars include few surprises, but there are a few interesting points (keep in mind these calendars are only a guide).

Click here for the men’s schedule; Click here for the women’s schedule.

On the men’s side, the departures from last season are a new giant slalom at Lake Louise, a post-Olympic Asian tour (a first since 2002-2003) and new Super Combis at Val d’Isere and Chamonix (Benni Raich won the inaugural event Wengen this past season).

On the women’s side, Aspen is slated to host SG-GS-SL instead of the GS-SL-SL combination they had in November 2004, and the SG-SL pairing in November 2002. Spindleruv Mlyn is back; the Czech resort, known informally to some racers as “the Spindler, was supposed to host a race in 2003-2004, but it got rained out (the Czech Republic had its first-ever alpine world championship medal this last season).

Also of note on the women’s calendar, Bad Kleinkircheim is planning to host women’s speed events in mid-January. The Austrian resort is near and dear to the heart of Franz Klammer, and he personally congratulates winners of the Europa Cups that are periodically held there. World Cup races have been held there periodically in the last three decades (Steve Mahre won a GS there in 1992).

The season takes a break in mid-February for the Olympics in Italy. The first event there is the men’s downhill on February 12, and the last one is the men’s slalom on February 25 (at a media gathering last Friday in New York City, Bode Miller, wearing an orange t-shirt with the logo of his new sponsor Nike, expressed ambivalance about competing in those Games).

The last stop before the Olympics is Chamonix for the men and Ofterschwang, Germany, for the women.

World Cup Finals will take place Are, Sweden, which will host the next alpine world championships, in 2007.