Val Gardena OK team on the Matterhorn: “It was frustrating”

Last year there was no running at all due to a lack of snow, but this time nature was stronger: hurricane-like wind, large amounts of fresh snow and fog prevented the two-country spectacle from taking place with the start in Switzerland and the finish in Italy. S+ spoke to Rainer Senoner, who left no stone unturned with a seven-person team from Val Gardena to ensure that the races could take place.

A nightmare is over, right?

Rainer Senoner: It was a nightmare result, but a huge experience to be part of such an event. Despite all the rejections, not everything was negative. I had a great team of employees from Val Gardena with me. We were ready at the first men's training. You have to say in advance that the local organizers had no experience with holding a World Cup. They haven't even organized FIS or European Cup races in the past. They started from scratch.

That meant specifically?

We had to take care of everything: the piste sliders, the snow cat drivers, everything. There were also unpleasant decisions; we also sent some local helpers home because they weren't up to speed. “We also sent some local helpers home because they weren’t up to speed.” Rainer Senoner

How have you experienced the last few weeks?

We were ready every minute of every day. But it was frustrating, you can't do anything about the weather. But the organizers on site saw what we had achieved. What makes me most happy is that we passed on the same passion and enthusiasm to the people who worked with us. Everyone pulled together. We have given them a system that they may now be able to implement on their own. We're not changing the world, even here in Val Gardena the snow is white. But as a long-standing World Cup organizer, we already have a lot of experience.

How big is the need to catch up on sleep? And nerves?

Sleep was possible, but the nervous strain was enormous. The adrenaline curve was high for days, no, weeks. When nothing worked last weekend - that took a toll.

No World Cup races could take place in Zermatt-Cervinia this year either. © ANSA / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

How big was the team of employees from Val Gardena?

Horst Demetz, Werner Perathoner, Rainer Schenk, Pauli Demetz, Alexander Rabanser and yours truly worked on the slopes, Hannes Kröss was with the media. Everyone somehow managed to be there the whole time. Horst Demetz was on site for 32 days in a row, the other 26 days. For Demetz, the days usually started at 2 or 3 a.m., for the rest of us at 4.30:XNUMX a.m.

The races in Zermatt and Cervinia are not under a good star: pure disillusionment?

You have to learn from it, think about some things and draw the right conclusions from it. It is not our job to fix the races in the World Cup calendar. All we can do is analyze what happened and why.

How are things going in Val Gardena?

Now we're waiting for 2 or 3 cold nights where we can get a lot of snow, then we'll be ready. Above, the Saslong is almost ready to race. Starting next week, the speed camps are planned for Plan de Gralba (from November 28th to 30th), and from December 1st to 3rd there will also be 4 FIS races (2 downhill runs, 1 super-G, 1 Alpine Combi). Program.

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Val Gardena OK team on the Matterhorn: “It was frustrating”

4 races were on the program, plus 6 training sessions. In the end there were only two training rides and not a single race: the result of the Speed World Cup opening in Zermatt and Cervinia was, as in 2, devastating. We spoke to Rainer Senoner about the conditions on the Matterhorn.

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Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Hockey

Tennis

Winter sports

Learn More

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Val Gardena OK team on the Matterhorn: “It was frustrating”

4 races were on the program, plus 6 training sessions. In the end there were only two training rides and not a single race: the result of the Speed ​​World Cup opening in Zermatt and Cervinia was, as in 2, devastating. We spoke to Rainer Senoner about the conditions on the Matterhorn.

Comments (0)

4 races were on the program, plus 6 training sessions. In the end there were only two training rides and not a single race: the result of the Speed World Cup opening in Zermatt and Cervinia was, as in 2, devastating. We spoke to Rainer Senoner about the conditions on the Matterhorn.