ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. With sun shining and the course running about two seconds faster than the last two days, the final downhill training run in Beaver Creek wrapped up on Thursday with Austrian Hans Grugger in the lead.

Austria's Hans Grugger rides the edges of his skis through a turn during a training run for the men's World Cup downhill ski race in Beaver Creek, Colo., on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010. The downhill is scheduled for Friday. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Grugger, who returned last season after missing the entire 2008-09 season, put down a time of 1 minute, 45.37 seconds, faster than anyone all week.

Italian Christof Innerhofer was only 0.18 seconds behind, Mario Scheiber 0.22 back and Bode Miller 0.23 back.

U.S. ski racer Bode Miller of Easton, NH., races down the course during a training run for the men's World Cup downhill ski race in Beaver Creek, Colo., on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010. The downhill is scheduled for Friday. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

The Beaver Creek downhill course has transformed slightly this year, with more turns and without The Screech Owl jump. Miller has commented on the changes this week, saying the new turns make the feel of the course more like a super G than a downhill, but after Thursday’s training, he said that while different, the course is in no way lacking in difficulty.

“They control the speed a lot differently but the way it is now, it’s running fast,” he said.

“Coming out of the Talon turn, that next right footer is as difficult as I’ve ever seen it.”

Miller pointed out a ditch in the course after the Talon that might be a decisive spot where Friday’s downhill is won or lost.

“It’s almost impossible to ski it well,” he said of the section, which is situated in a shaded area of the course visible from the finish line after the Talon turn.

“You’re literally going straight across the hill at that super steep pitch and there’s a really big ditch right at the gate. It doesn’t matter if you’re arcing or sliding, you’re going to go into that ditch,” Miller said. “It’s just like anything … if you drive your car into a huge ditch, it’s going to screw you up. There’s just no way to get around it. After the Talon turn, every person I’ve seen – all the tracks that were in there were really bad – late and low. That kind of takes the teeth out of that next section because you’re just hacking trying to keep up with it. It’s not good for me because that’s where I normally make up time.”

Didier Cuche was the fifth finisher in Thursday’s training run – 0.31 seconds off the lead pace – and said that he, too, will have to make some adjustments on the same part of the course as Miller for Friday’s race.

“It’s faster than the fist training run so I have to adapt some turns, especially in the middle section of the steep, when we come off the Talon,” Cuche said. “I think you have to find a really good mix between being aggressive and skiing smooth. If you attack too much, you make a mistake.”

Italian Peter Fill, who is returning from injury this season and who tied Michael Walchhofer for the top spot in Wednesday’s training at Beaver Creek before it was cancelled Wednesday, finished 12th Thursday, 0.94 seconds off the lead spot.

“It’s a little bit faster today,” Fill said of the course. “The snow is harder, and it’s really nice today. But this course is every time difficult. You have a lot of big bumps inside where you need to stay on the course and not lose the line.”

Other racers who finished within a second of the lead time Thursday included a trio of Austrians – Klaus Kroell, Georg Streitberger and Walchhofer were sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, followed by Beaver Creek’s most decorated (active) racer Aksel Lund Svindal, who was ninth.

Canadian Robbie Dixon and France’s Adrien Theaux tied for 10th, 0.83 seconds back.

Carlo Janka, who swept all three races at Beaver Creek last year, was 13th in training Thursday, 1.11 seconds off the pace.

The FIS Audi Beaver Creek downhill is scheduled for 11 a.m. local time on Friday.

by Shauna Farnell
FISapline.com
Thursday 2 December 2010

Gisin, Riesch, Fanchini top final training in Lake Louise

Switzerland’s Dominique Gisin led the third and final downhill training run today at The Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup. Gisin clocked a time of 1-minute, 29.73 seconds, 0.46 seconds faster than Germany’s Maria Riesch and 0.65 seconds faster than Italy’s Elena Fanchini.

Dominique Gisin, of Switzerland, races down the course on her way to the fastest time in the third training run at the women's World Cup downhill ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

“I just tried to make less mistakes than yesterday and just ski clean. I made some mistakes still, and I think there were parts where some other girls were really, really much faster, like Elena, but all in all I’m happy and ready for the races,” Gisin said after her run.

US skier Stacy Cook, who finished in sixth position in Wednesday’s training run, finished in fourth 0.68 seconds off the top spot just ahead of Switzerland’s Nadja Kamer who finished fifth with a time of 1-minute, 30.43 seconds.

Sweden’s Anja Paerson, who’s also been very fast this week was in sixth followed by overall World Cup champion Lindsey Vonn in seventh, Austrian youngster Anna Fenninger in eighth, US racer Julia Mancuso in ninth and Italy’s Johanna Schnarf in tenth 0.98 seconds out of first place.

US skier Lindsey Vonn races in the Women's Downhill third training of the FIS Ski World Cup in Lake Louise, Canada. (AFP/Emmanuel Dunand)

The training run was delayed after Great Britain’s Chemmy Alcott crashed hard coming off a jump near a section of the course called Coaches Corner.

“It looks like Chemmy has broken the tibia and possibly the fibula in her right leg just above her boot. There was good pulse and feeling in her foot and this is a good sign because it usually means no potential for loss of limb. She is sedated and comfortable and being driven by ambulance to Banff Mineral Springs Hospital where orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Heard is waiting to perform surgery on her immediately,” Race Chairman John Cassels told reporters.

Celine Rytz, the training run’s third forerunner also crashed earlier in the day but only suffered a bone bruise on her leg. She was also taken to hospital for further examination.

The first downhill of the women’s World Cup speed season will take place on Friday at 12:30 MT.

by Michael Mastarciyan
FISapline.com
Thursday 2 December 2010