. world ski news : Ready for the new season? FIS World Cup calendars are set - 02 Þíè 2007 - 16:07
Among other items at its spring meeting in Portoroz, the FIS Council approved the FIS World Cup calendars for the 2007/2008 season.
For the sixth time in a row, the Viessmann FIS World Cup Cross-Country season will kick off on the Rhine promenade in the old town of Düsseldorf (GER) on October 27th-28th. Also for the sixth time, all the three Nordic disciplines will come together for the Nordic Opening at Ruka, Kuusamo (FIN) on the weekend of 30th November-2nd December, a week later than in the previous years. The Nordic Opening traditionally represents the official start of the season for the e.on ruhrgas FIS World Cup Ski Jumping and the Warsteiner FIS World Cup Nordic Combined.
A newcomer on the Ski Jumping calendar is Kranj (SLO) with a competition on 16th December while Villach (AUT) returns to the circuit after a six-year-absence with its night competition on 14th December as does Val di Fiemme (Predazzo, ITA) in mid-January. A debutant on the Nordic Combined side is Klingenthal (GER) which will host two races from 19th-20th January. The early season highlights for the Nordic disciplines include for Cross-Country Skiing, the second Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Craft Sportswear from 28th December – 6th January, for Ski Jumping the 56th Jack Wolfskin Four-Hills-Tournament from 30th December - 6th January, and for Nordic Combined the Warsteiner Grand Prix Germany from 30th December – 6th January. The true highlight of the Ski Jumping season will be the FIS Ski Flying World Championships to be held in Oberstdorf (GER) from 22nd- 24th February 2008.
Given the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Liberec (CZE) in 2009, all the Nordic disciplines will hold test events there in February, Ski Jumping from 8th-9th and Cross-Country Skiing and Nordic Combined from 15th-17th. The three Nordic disciplines will also be staged together at the Lahti Ski Games (FIN) from 29th February-2nd March and at the traditional Holmenkollen Ski Festival (NOR) from 8th-9th March. The Scandinavian Tour for the Nordic disciplines will be one of the highlights for the National Ski Associations of Sweden, Finland and Norway, all of which celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2008. Oslo will represent the season finals for Nordic Combined while the Ski Jumping season will culminate on the world's largest Ski Flying hill in Planica (SLO) from 14th-16th March.
In the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup, both the ladies' and men's season will start with the glacier giant slalom opening in Sölden (AUT) on 27th-28th October. The successful slalom opening at Levi (FIN) will be continued on 10th-11th November before both tours head overseas to North America. Both Crans-Montana (SUI) for the ladies and Bad Kleinkirchheim (AUT) for the men return to the schedule after a ten-year break. In light of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver (CAN), the first test events will be held at the future Olympic venue on February 21st-23rd for both the ladies and men. The ladies and men's events will be held together a total of five times next season; besides Sölden, Levi and Vancouver, this will happen in Zagreb (CRO) in mid-February and at the Big Finals in Bormio (ITA). The Big Finals, from 12th -16th March will represent the season conclusion for Cross-Country, Alpine, Freestyle and Snowboard.
As has become a tradition, the Freestyle FIS World Cup will commence in the Southern hemisphere at Mt. Buller (AUS) with two aerials competitions on 8th – 9th September. Altogether the season will include 19 venues in 14 nations on four continents, including the first test events at Cypress Mountain (CAN), the future venue for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and the official pre-World Championships at Inawashiro (JPN) from 15th-17th February. One of the highlights of the Freestyle calendar is the city aerials event planned in Moscow on 2nd March.
The NOKIA Snowboard FIS World Cup will also launch in the Southern hemisphere, at Cardrona (NZE) with a half-pipe event. The boarder crossers will launch their season in South America in Valle Nevado (CHI) from 26th-29th September 2006 while the alpine boarders kick off indoors in Landgraaf (NED) on October 12th. This season, the spectacular city Big Airs will be held in Rotterdam (NED), Stockholm (SWE), Sofia (BUL), Graz (AUT) and Moscow (RUS). The test event for the 2009 FIS Snowboard World Championships in Gangwon Province (KOR) will be staged from 15th-17th February.
For discipline-specific World Cup 2007/2008 calendars please follow these links:
Audi FIS Alpine World Cup Ladies
Viessmann FIS World Cup Cross-Country
e.on ruhrgas FIS World Cup Ski Jumping
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