THE SASLONG- VAL GARDENA
As we awoke on the west coast today to a blanket of new snow, the boys and girls of the World Cup Speed tours were finishing up training run 1 at their respective venues. In Val Gardena, Italy the men took their first try at the famed Pista Saslong. Situated deep in the middle of the Dolomites, high up a deep valley, Val Gardena goes by 3 names. 1 Itailan, 1 German and 1 Ladin. The finish area is below the overhanging road in the village of Wolkenstein or Selva Val Gardena as it is known in Italian. It is dark at the bottom this time of year and with a large jump (tunnel jump) there can be difficulty. This is one of my favorite places, in one of my favorite regions. From the great food, to nice hotels, beautiful peaks and wonderful people, this area of the Dolomites brings back wonderful memories of my time on the World Cup. The Downhill track is a classic with a long history of famous Downhillers as winners. Back that up with the tech events just over the pass in Alta Badia and it lines up as one of the best weeks on the tour. And with all the villages all lit up for Christmas, it is even more attractive than normal. I have to give a big thank you to Babs and the Hotel Alpino Plan for hosting us all of these years. It’s like being home for all the boys and the staff!
The Saslong starts right at the top of the Gondola that climbs up from deep in the valley. At the top, the Restaurant Ciampinoi sits where the athletes and coaches can walk up to the closed upstairs to enjoy a beautiful spread of local foods between warm-up and inspection and then again while awaiting the start. The view from up here is just amazing. You can see peaks in a 360 degree panorama. You can see skiing in all directions. The famed Sellaronda is at home here too. From here you can ski seemingly to anywhere from everywhere. You can ski to Pozza di Fassa, Alta Badia, Alpe di Siusi, even Cortina by using a system of lifts and slopes that range over the entire region. It would be a fantastic day of skiing and eating…and more. Anyway, back to the race hill.
Before we start on this, I want to say that the start seems to be awkward here. A number of athletes have caught edges and pole tips over the years. It is just slightly side-hill into the direction of travel and when the light is flat it is hard to see the snow. There is so much terrain on the way down the Saslong; in and out of shadows, over rolls and into compressions. The Saslong starts right off the top of the ski area and immediately drops down a pitch into the Spinel Jump and a roundhouse turn to the left. This turn is crucial because it is all of your speed -carry for a long, flattish, right-foot, side-hill traverse to the Moro jump which lands and adds a compression right away. There are an amazing number of compressions on the way down the Saslong. It’s like it is meant to be, downhill that is, a ski through the woods from the top of the ski area to the bottom, as fast as you possibly can. You need to stay on the ground here and work the terrain. This is where Erik Fisher made his splash last season. Starting late in the race, a first place split came over the radios, all the coaches standing with me lower down in the Ciaslat snapped to attention. Then you pass the Super-G start and the action starts. Off the Mauern jump and a little bit of swing down the Mauern pitch and charge directly into the Camel Jump. The Camel can be a very high-speed, long jump of up to 90 meters. Stop and think about that for a moment. If it does go out to 90 meters, that is one football field long from goal line to goal line, in shadows, going about 80 miles per hour. After the Camel, you pass the Jagerhaus Restaurant on skier’s right with its screaming fans who have hiked up and jumbo screen monitor. Just below there, you have a long turn to the right and then back to the left. When you turn back to the left, it is entry-Ciaslat. The famous left-right-left section of constant jumps and compressions as you turn. The rolls are the size of VW bugs and they just keep coming at you. Two on the left foot where you need to land in your apex, between the two rolls, then complete the turn before you take off of the second one, then land on your right foot and hit a smaller roll that just kicks you to the right a little bit, but relax and let it take you where you need to go because it will put you right on line for the 4 rolls in the left footer exiting Ciaslat. Stick with that foot and keep turning as you land. There is a double in there from 1 to 2 if you can time it right and come out on the highest line you can because the left- foot fall-away pulls you hard and you need to get back to the right foot to pull the next three turns and stay on line through the Nucia. You need to come out ahead in the Nucia as there is a little slapper jump there into the Schuss as you head toward the Tunnel Jump and the finish. The Nucia section does not get a lot of attention by TV coverage or a lot of respect from the athletes but a number of skiers lost podium chances here last season. The Tunnel Jump is built up and flies very nicely into the landing area and into the finish area, about 2 minutes after you left the start. The Saslong is a Downhiller’s downhill and a lot of fun. The boys love skiing this one and you should enjoy watching it. A lot of tucking, big air and a ton of terrain, fantastic!
Look for the big, classic DH guys to do well here. Walchhofer is a double winner here. Bode was second last year and Manny Osborne-Paradis was 3rd. Last year at Val Gardena was one of the most memorable for me on the World Cup. Bode was 2nd, Marco was 4th, Fish 7th, Nyman 9th, Lanning 10th, Mac 15th and Andrew 28th. We were ecstatic and I am sure the boys will feel a lot of momentum going in there again this season. Add to it with our buddies to the north finishing (Manny 3rd, Guay 5th, Robbie 13th, Johnny 22nd). 7 of the 10 guys on the podium at the flower ceremony that day in the finish area were North Americans. And we were all staying at the Hotel Alpino Plan. There was a lot of good feeling in the hotel that afternoon!
Predictions? I am going to hold off for a day before going there. I will add them in a comment or maybe do a short entry.
LA DAILLE- VAL D’ISERE
The Downhill at La Daille is also a Downhiller’s Downhill. Characterized by large sweeping turns, smooth take-offs and occasionally very high speeds. The top half of the race is in wide-open, above the tree line bowls and drainages. The athletes get up to high speed very quickly ff the starts and start to bend through the race track that is defined only by b-net and the gates at this altitude, high above the tree line. As the race enters the tree-line it starts to swing more back and forth but in very large sweeping turns. Then as you head down into the GS hill, the speed really picks up and so does the tempo of the course. When mistakes happen, it tends to be down in this area. Some quicker turns where it can be hard to keep up. Then a bend to the right into a side-hill schuss and very high speed. As the race hill bends to the left toward the finish, there is a little bump that pushes you out to the right and you need to fight a right-foot fall-away as you make your way back to the left and into the finish area. The girls will need to keep their focus here as things can come at you quickly and the push to the right is often underestimated. I saw Marco Sullivan put it in the fence here years ago as he was attempting to record his first ever top 10 World Cup finish.
Similarly to the guys’ race, I would look for the classic DH skiers to dominate in Val d’Isere. Some of the girls who maybe did not execute in Lake Louise could feel more comfortable here as the hill has a little more natural flow. I would look for the French girls to rise to the occasion at home. Ingrid Jacquemod, Marie Marchand-Arvier and Marion Rolland will lead the charge for them. Watch out for some charge out of some Austria too. I think this is a good hill for Maria Holaus and also for Lizz Goergl. For the Swiss I think Fabienne Suter and Nadia Styger are most likely to excel. The Italian girl Nadia Fanchini makes a return and she is very fast on this type of hill. If she can keep it out of the red room she could build into it by race day. And of course, Maria Riesch is a favorite every week and is built for this hill.
CANADIANS:
The Canadians have two really good gliders in Kelly Vanderbeek and Emily Brydon. Both could excel here. Britt Janyk is likely their best technical skier on the speed side and can do well anywhere. I would not be surprised at all to see Emily on the podium again and the other two in the top 15.
AMERICANS:
The entire squad could do well in Val d’Isere. With Mrs. Vonn already owning a cow for a win here in Val d’Isere a few years ago, she has to be the favorite. Chelsea Marshall and Leanne Smith ski well enough and are excellent gliders, they can get it done here. Stacey Cook scored her first World Cup point on European soil herein 2005 and needs to draw on that positive experience and get it done this week. She is capable of getting into the top 15 with good execution every week. She also did very well on the other side of the valley at World Championships last year, finishing 9th in the downhill. And watch out, Alice McKennis IS a real Downhiller, and this track is built for her. She just needs to go to school on the video this week during training to make an excellent plan and then go out and execute on race-day. Keely Kelleher is also there. Keely has excellent turning skills and can glide but she needs to learn this hill a bit too. And last, I am predicting a return to prominence for Julia Mancuso. Julia had a win and a 2nd place in 2006 on this same track and I think she will start to climb back to the top this week.
Downhill podium: Vonn, Rolland, Mancuso. Bet you didn’t see that coming…
I will include a little look at the SG and Combi in Val d’Isere along with the men’s Super-G prediction.
These are some big races coming up with good money on the line along with other cool prizes along with permanent recognition next to pioneers of the sport as the winner of a classic.
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