Austrians on snow at new training center in Sun Peaks

Austrians on snow at new training center in Sun Peaks{mosimage}The Austrian ski team is in Canada training for the upcoming season, with the top athletes on snow at Sun Peaks Resort. The Austrian team signed an agreement to train there at the Nancy Greene International Race Center over the next five years.

Led by Hermann Maier, who won the season opener, both the men’s and women’s downhill and technical teams will train at Sun Peaks this month.

In a release from the resort, the Austrian men’s head coach, Toni Giger, said training is going very well and the team is very pleased with the course and excellent conditions at Sun Peaks. “The course is well-covered with natural and man-made snow and the weather has been ideal for training,” Giger said. ‘Everyone has been great and we feel very welcome here at Sun Peaks and in Kamloops.’

Despite some bad luck for Mario Scheiber, the team attended a Blazers hockey game in Kamloops on Saturday night.

Olympic champion Nancy Greene Raine, director of skiing at Sun Peaks Resort, has been accompanying the Austrians on the mountain. “By Wednesday, there will be close to 100 athletes, coaches and support staff and the team is maximizing their use of the Race Centre and other facilities at the resort,” Greene said in the mountain’s statement.