APLINE SKI WORLD CUP. The second training run of the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup has been cancelled due to high winds. The race organizing jury decided to cancel the race at 11:00am MT after wind gusts of 60 to 80 km/h were clocked on the course.

A racer is directed off the course as workers try to gather up the finish banner due to high winds and extremely cold temperatures prior to the second training run for the Lake Louise Men's World Cup downhill ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta on Thursday Nov. 25, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

“The aviation weather bureau has advised us that winds are only going to increase throughout the day to as late as six to eight o’clock tonight with expectations of over 100 km/h and possibly as high as 135 km/h gusts. The concern is on Coaches Corner and when the racers are coming around and going down C-Turn. Should a gust happen when a skier is approaching that area it could blow them off course and result in potential injury, so it’s a situation of safety. We already have one training run in so we’re good to go for the race,” said Ken Kilroe Chief of Media for the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup.

Norwegian skier Aksel Lund Svindal gets out of the start gate during the training for the Men's Downhill in Lake Louise, Canada, November 24, 2010. AFP Strong wind gusts and swirling snow that reduced visibility to near-zero forced the cancellation of the second of three training runs for the World Cup season-opening downhill race. (AFP/Emmanuel Dunand)

Norwegian speed coach Ulf Emilsson had first hand knowledge of the windy conditions from his position on the track. He said the decision to cancel was a good one.

“The snow was drifting so you couldn’t see the ground, and also in some places you had tailwinds so it would be a lot faster and potentially dangerous for the athletes,” said Norwegian speed coach Ulf Emilsson.

Canada’s Jan Hudec, who won the downhill here in 2007, said he was fine with the decision and understood the race jury’s concern over potentially dangerous racing conditions. He also echoed Emilsson’s concern over unpredictable tailwinds.

“It was really windy on top. It wasn’t as cold as yesterday temperature-wise but with the windchill it felt way colder so obviously with that kind of tailwind you get going with ridiculous speeds and it’s a little bit dangerous.”

For Switzerland’s Daniel Albrecht, who made his World Cup return on Tuesday after a 22-month lay-off due to injuries sustained in a horrific crash at the Kitzbuehel Hahnenkamm downhill race in 2009 - safety and danger are part and parcel of the sport - regardless of wind and any other weather related issues.

“It’s always dangerous when you are so fast,” Albrecht said.

Albrecht, who was supposed to run out of the 44th spot, was waiting in the athlete lounge when he was told the race was cancelled.

“They told me it was very windy but you don’t know how much it is and how difficult it is for skiing then. If it’s always the same wind it’s okay, but when you don’t know which way it’s coming and it’s not consistent then it’s dangerous,” Albrecht added.

Albrecht’s team mate Didier Cuche took the cancellation in stride but admitted that he was disappointed because he wanted to test some new equipment.

“It (the wind) was inconsistent so it can be dangerous over jumps but it (the training run)was makeable. I wanted to go because I had some trouble with the grip yesterday and I wanted to try that again with new skis and a new boot setting so we’ll see now, we’ll have to do it tomorrow,” Cuche said on his way back to the team’s hotel.

Canadian ski legend and famed Crazy Canuck Ken Read on hand for the weekend’s races as Director of Winter Sport for Canada’s Own The Podium program said the decision may be frustrating for racers, organizers and fans alike, but in the end it’s the right call.

“It’s a good decision because it’s called by the race director but as a racer you always want to go but you place your trust in the race directors to be looking at it from a position of safety first, fairness as well, and that was really the call. It was probably appropriate to say ‘frustrating but let’s call it a day and there’s tomorrow as well for training’.”

The next and last training run of the week is scheduled for Friday at 11:30am MT.

By Michael Mastarciyan
FISalpine.com
Thursday 25 November 2010