L Alpine skiing

Steven Amiez wants to defend his title in Obereggen.

Paid bill or birthday present?

After five South Tyrolean Ski World Cup races in five days, it is the turn of the European Cup in Obereggen. On Tuesday, December 19th, the prestigious European Cup slalom will take place on the challenging Maierl slope. It is a special race because Obereggen is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a European Cup organizer this year, making it the most traditional European Cup venue in the ski circuit.

The provisional entry list in the “Kitzbühel of the European Cup” is headed by Brit Dave Ryding, who came fourth in the only World Cup slalom of the season in Gurgl and is number 13 on the current FIS points list. Ryding still has a score to settle with Obereggen, because nine years ago, in 2014, he finished fourth and only missed victory by 52 hundredths of a second. The Swiss Marc Rochat could give himself a belated birthday present, as he celebrates his 31st birthday the day before the race. Rochat is one of the favorites as 23rd on the FIS list. Also registered are the French defending champion Steven Amiez, son of vice world champion and Olympic silver medalist Sébastien Amiez, last year's Obereggen runner-up Simon Rueland from Austria and the 2018 Obereggen winner Istok Rodes from Croatia.


According to the provisional entry list, the Azzurri are sending, among others, Simon Maurberger, Corrado Barbera, Tommaso Saccardi, Hans Vaccari and Matteo Canins into the race.

Simon Maurberger at the start

Who will finally tackle the challenging Maierl slope on Tuesday at 10 a.m. will be decided after the team captains' meeting on Monday evening. Experience has shown that teams in the European Cup can make changes at the last moment.

Preparations are in full swing in Obereggen. Already on Friday, the Maierl piste, with its incline of up to 55 percent, was closed to public skiing and treated with a spray bar. “The slope is in good condition. Now we hope that the temperatures will not be quite as high as announced so that we can offer all athletes the best possible slope conditions, as is our aim in Obereggen,” says race director and OK President Eduard “Edi” Pichler. He is at the head of the organizational team for SC Eggen, the Obereggen ski school, Obereggen Latemar AG and ASV Deutschnofen.

Almost all the stars have already been here

The European Cup race in memory of Karl and Peter Pichler is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and has a special role in the European Cup circuit. The many Olympic champions, world champions and World Cup winners who handed in their business cards in Obereggen are evidence of this. Arguably the greatest ski racer of all time, Marcel Hirscher, also stood on the victory podium in Obereggen in 2007: He came third as an 18-year-old aspiring talent. Clement Noel, Andre Myhrer (Obereggen record winner with four triumphs), Alberto Tomba, Benjamin Raich, Stefan Eberharter, Giuliano Razzoli, Manfred Pranger, Reinfried Herbst, Kristian Ghedina, Luc Alphand, Tomas Fogdoe, Rudi Nierlich, Armin Bittner also beamed from the winning photo , Peter Müller and many others.

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