Word from the World Cup: Powder day in Val d’Isere

By Published On: December 17th, 2010Comments Off on Word from the World Cup: Powder day in Val d’Isere

It was hard to tell if any Julia Mancusos or Britt Janyks – those World Cup types who are likely to revel in the fact that there’s about two feet of fresh powder instead of a ski race – were out on the hill frolicking in Val d’Isere on Friday. They could have been any one of the indiscernible puffs (or, as one French guy in the cable car put it, “Les Poofs”) making their way down the very few runs that were opened. You honestly couldn’t see much out there.

For anyone who has doubts about canceling the already rescheduled super G … it would have been racing by Braille. Not only were there 40 or so centimeters of fresh pow (which, though plowed off the course Friday, kept coming back in thinner layers), there was also some serious blow-you-over wind at the top of the mountain.

It will take a lot of doing to get the women’s downhill off on Saturday but as dusk fell Friday, there were actually traces of blue sky and forecasts are calling for a clear, sunny and freezing (-20 C) for Saturday morning. In the Team Captains meeting Friday night, officials seemed confident that it would happen.

Compared to the 2009 world championships – the last time I was here –Val d’Isere is a ghost town, save the throngs of British tourists everywhere (dear God … someone teach them how to carry their skis!). That’s not to say thousands of people didn’t turn up for last weekend’s men’s GS and slalom races. The French actually get really into ski racing – especially when one of their guys is in the lead the whole race. Yes, it was cool to see Steve Missillier’s first World Cup podium in the slalom but even cooler to see Ted Ligety – there’s really no better way to put it – SHRED the GS. Again. That guy is smokin.’

I happened to be up on the hill the day after the men’s races when they dropped the ropes for public access to Le Face – the Bellevarde course. I have done course inspections before on injected slopes but have never voluntarily attempted to ski on such a solid surface. I think my skis (powder Teles … not really the right choice) would have had an easier time finding an edge in a sidewalk. Whole new respect for what those guys are able to do in those races.

The women’s course that finishes in La Daille is far less harrowing … and not really hosed down. At the moment, it’s probably softer than anything the World Cup has ever seen. But that will all change come Saturday morning. We hope.

In training Thursday, Lindsey Vonn was concerned about finding the right wax. For both days of training, the snow was super squeaky cold. Once all of the fresh stuff is cleared off, it looks like it could be the same story for Saturday so hopefully she’s got the ski ointments dialed in. Early evidence shows that Lindsey may not be running away with all of the speed races this year – and Maria Riesch and Liz Goergl each laid one down in training this week – so Saturday’s race should be a nail-biter. But LV has a rich history here in Val d’Isere; most recently, her world championship gold medals – although those were won on the Solaise course, which nobody seems to be in a hurry to use again and which nobody (save maybe LV) seems to miss. On the La Daille course, Lindsey began her rampage in 2005, winning the downhill and with it her cow(s) and taking a close fourth in the super G – her worst result here since. In 2006, she won one downhill and was third in the other and last year she won the super-combined and was third in super G.

History doesn’t always have meaning, but I still think LV might be the one on the top step this weekend. It’s just a feeling …  but something tells me she’s got a powerful itch to blow the whistle on that downhill train again. – Shauna Farnell

Writer Shauna Farnell is in Europe this winter covering the World Cup
for fisalpine.com. In Val d’Isere since last weekend’s men’s races, 
she will follow nearly the entirety of the women’s tour, blogging for
Ski Racing as often as she can fit it in!

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About the Author: Eric Williams