ALPINE SKI. SOELDEN, Austria – A blanket of white glistened from every angle, the sun shined from a cloudless sky and the world’s best giant slalom ladies blazed down the Rettenbach Glacier Friday, free-skiing the slope before the course was set for Saturday’s World Cup seasoning opening race.

Forecasts for the weekend are calling for a continuation of the same perfect conditions. All of the top GS women said they had a solid pre-season training period, but most agree that the first race of the season always arrives remarkably quickly.

“In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter how much time you’ve had on snow. Soelden comes fast every year,” said Julia Mancuso, who finished second in Soelden in 2007. “All you can do is get out there and ski fast.”

Last year, Germany’s Viktoria Rebensberg gave the world a glimpse of the dominance to come in ensuing months when she kicked off the season winning in Soelden and then went on to take the 2011 GS title. Her teammate, 2009 world GS champion Kathrin Hoelzl, took second in the 2010 Soelden race, 0.42 seconds behind Rebensburg and Italian Manuela Moelgg rounded out the podium, 0.86 seconds back.

Hoelzl bowed out of the season prior to the world championships last year due to health issues and will not race in Soelden because she is working toward getting back to optimal condition. Rebensburg, however, had a solid preparation period, is ready to defend her title this season and is looking forward to Saturday’s race.

“I have good memories here,” Rebensburg said. “But everyone is starting from zero, so you have to push really hard.”

Also, starting from zero means developing race legs. October is not the time of year when racers’ legs are at their strongest, which makes the technical Rettenbach slope that much more challenging.

“That’s why it’s technical – because it’s steep and icy,” said Tina Maze, who has won twice in Soelden, in 2005 and 2002. “That’s a lot. When it’s steep and icy, it’s always hard to ski when [skis are] shaking and you have lines from athletes before. It’s tough work for the muscles – especially for the first race.”

Denise Karbon also has a history of success here – a win in 2007, a fourth place the following year and third in 2009 – but she still considers Soelden to be extremely difficult. She says this is a good thing for starting off the season because every racer’s strengths and weaknesses become immediately apparent.

“It’s maybe the most difficult race we have on the women’s circuit,” she said. “It’s always early, too … I think for everybody it comes a little bit early. But it’s good to start the season. With this race right at the beginning, you can be sure the season is coming. You know which things are going well and which things you need to work on.”

The first run of the 2011 women’s giant slalom in Soelden kicks off at 9:45 a.m. local time on Saturday and the second run is scheduled at 12:45 p.m.

FISalpine.com
Friday 21 October 2011

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