The Alpine Skiing World Cup experienced a double false start on Saturday with the cancellation of the giant women's race in Sölden, a few hours before the race due to rain, then the two men's descents scheduled at the foot of the Matterhorn at the end of October due to lack of snow.
In a statement released on Saturday, the International Ski Federation announced that the two men's downhills would not be rescheduled later in the season, unlike the giant women's which should be reassigned in a few days.
The FIS invokes the "lack of snow" and "safety" problems for the riders on the bottom of the route of this new stage.
A real disavowal for the FIS, which had announced with great fanfare at the beginning of the year this spectacular race project, with a start at 3700 m altitude and a track straddling two countries at the foot of the iconic Matterhorn, where a pharaonic project to modernize the ski area is underway.
This new stage had been strongly criticized for its logistical complexity and its lack of environmental logic by the French Olympic vice-champion Johan 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, ”explained the skier to the AFP.
Zermatt and Cervinia still hope to host two women's runs on November 5 and 6, if the cold returns to the region and allows snow cannons to complete the slope coverage.
A further inspection is scheduled for Tuesday.
Sölden women's giant canceled due to rain
For its part, the giant women's race in Sölden (Austria), the opening race of the Alpine Skiing World Cup, has been canceled due to bad weather conditions, the organizers announced on Saturday morning a few hours before the start.
“It rained for four hours very hard on the track last night, then it turned to snow with an accumulation of 10-15 centimeters on the top of the track.
It rots the bottom, it was too dangerous to race, ”analyzed the director of the French women's team Lionel Pellicier.
The official training had already been canceled on Friday due to a strong wind which prevented the ski lifts from operating.
The last cancellation in Sölden, which has opened the alpine ski season for more than 20 years at the end of October, dates back to 2018 when the men's race could not start.
The men's circuit must always start on Sunday with a giant (first round at 8 a.m., second round at 11 a.m.).
