"
This race is nonsense
", especially ecological, deplored Wednesday to AFP the vice-Olympic downhill champion Johan Clarey about the new stages of the Alpine Skiing World Cup scheduled for October 29-30 and November 5-6 at the foot of the Matterhorn, between Switzerland and Italy.
A week after the opening of the season in Sölden, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, the resorts of Zermatt (Switzerland) and Cervinia (Italy) are to host the first two cross-border World Cup events in history (men then women ), for four descents with a start at 3,700 meters above sea level on the glacier of the iconic Matterhorn.
A novelty in the middle of autumn which raises questions, particularly in terms of snow conditions: the International Ski Federation (FIS) exceptionally postponed the six-day “snow control” on Sunday, hoping for temperatures cold enough to use snow cannons then that the white gold is still completely absent from the bottom of the plot.
“
I think this race is nonsense.
Many runners think like me but very few will say so
, ”said Frenchman Johan Clarey, silver medalist in the Olympic downhill in February in Beijing.
I think racing has no place and doesn't have a crazy future.
John Clarey
“
I don't think racing has a place and doesn't have a crazy future.
We see that the conditions on the glaciers are getting worse and worse every year, this stage requires enormous resources in a helicopter (to mount the equipment), human resources to plug the crevasses, to make a track drinkable... I don't understand , it is not going in the direction in which the FIS should go.
»
“
Many efforts in favor of the environment are made in the resorts to welcome the general public.
So doing races that go the opposite of that, I don't know if we give a very good image of our sport
, ”he still regretted.
According to him, “
the site is very complicated to go downhill.
We have transfers to return from Cervinia to the hotel of an hour and a half minimum of ski lifts.
They must not have thought too much about the runners.
All the sidelines of the race are going to be very complicated there
, ”added the dean of the circuit (41 years old), present on site for a four-day internship two weeks ago.
