Historic Adelboden sorts the best from the rest

History suggests the road to the World Cup overall title runs through Adelboden.
    Races at Adelboden have been part of the World Cup lexicon since Jean-Claude Killy won the first two tour races held there in January of 1967 and 1968. Racing had been going on at Adelboden well before that and the main attraction was the challenge. The local tourist office says the Adelboden GS hill on Chuenisbaergli Mountain is “The Most Difficult Racecourse in the World.” Most World Cup racers would agree.
    And it would seem the very best skiers of their era tend to strut their stuff at Adelboden. Killy won the first two and Gustavo Thoeni won three times during his heyday in the mid-1970’s.
HISTORY SUGGESTS the road to the World Cup overall title runs through Adelboden.
    Races at Adelboden have been part of the World Cup lexicon since Jean-Claude Killy won the first two tour races held there in January of 1967 and 1968. Racing had been going on at Adelboden well before that and the main attraction was the challenge. The local tourist office says the Adelboden GS hill on Chuenisbaergli Mountain is “The Most Difficult Racecourse in the World.” Most World Cup racers would agree.
    Apparently most spectators would as well, for the Adelboden finish area abounds with bars, food outlets and carnival music and there is no shortage of folks to enjoy them, with 20,000 expected this season. The area boasts 56 lifts and has the highest density of mountain restaurants, taverns and hotels in Switzerland.
    In terms of World Cup tradition, Adelboden is right up there among the oldest and most consistently utilized stops. It is normally the first Swiss stop held en route to Wengen. And it would seem the very best skiers of their era tend to strut their stuff at Adelboden. Killy won the first two and Gustavo Thoeni won three times during his heyday in the mid-1970’s. Ingemar Stenmark won four straight (five total) at Adelboden and Pirmin Zurbriggen, Marc Girardelli, Hermann Maier and Benjamin Raich all have won at least twice in succession. In at least one of the years these skiers won the Adelboden GS they also won the World Cup overall title. It is also interesting that eight of the last 10 winners are still competing.
    American Ted Ligety is the GS standings leader entering Adelboden, which raises a glitch in the matrix. No American has ever won the Adelboden GS (Bode Miller won a slalom in 2002). Phil Mahre and Miller have each been second once. Moreover, Ligety has never done better than 13th in an Adelboden GS so a win would be historic and more than expected.
    Of the other guys near the top of the GS standings the obvious choice would be Raich. He has had success on the hill, winning the last two GS’s held. Finn Kalle Palander won once in 2004 and has been knocking with third- and fourth-place GS finishes over the last three years. All of his other GS wins have come at Alta Badia, also considered among the nastiest GS courses on tour.
    Italian Manfred Moelgg has never finished better than sixth at Adelboden. His teammate Max Blardone has had success with the 2005 win and seconds both last season and in 2004. Swiss Daniel Albrecht has not had big success at Adelboden, but then before this season he hadn’t had much success anywhere. Canadian John Kucera has just one Adelboden result, a 12th last season. Didier Cuche won in 2002 but since then has not placed better than seventh.
    Whatever the outcome, the battle will be well waged.
    The women also face a GS and slalom at Spinderluv Mlyn, Czech Republic. This would be the home court for Sarka Zahrobska and no doubt she had been looking forward to the competition, but an incident with a champagne bottle — she was attending a ski run opening — resulted in four stitches around her right eye. While she has continued to train, her presence in the start is a question.
    The site, with a long nordic history, has little World Cup alpine history, having hosted just two races in December of 2005 with Janica Kostelic winning the GS and Anja Paerson the slalom. Italians hold three of the top five placings on the World Cup GS list, headed by Denise Karbon — undefeated so far this season. Julia Mancuso sits second and Austrian Elisabeth Goergl third. Overall tour leader Nicole Hosp, Tanja Poutiainen, Marlies Schild and Lienz winner Chiara Costazza lead the fight for the slalom crown with Veronika Zuzulova of Slovakia ready to pick up the eastern block charge should Zahrobska get derailed by her doctor. Paerson will be looking to make up some ground on the overall leaders, though a focus on speed events seems to have cut into her technical points.
    With Resi Stiegler injured the U.S. hopes for slalom glory are slim, Mancuso is currently 30th in slalom standings and she is the best ranked. The GS hopes are also primarily Mancuso where she is a definite contender, having finished second in the discipline twice in three races this season.