What to do when the World Cup snow melts away?

Change of plan. That was the motto at the start of my second day at work at this World Cup. While I was still in the hotel room I received a message from the German press agency read, with the ominous title “World Cup only possible through a show of strength” written above it. It was about the rain, the wind, the temperatures and finally the melting snow on the trail in Nove Mesto. Dorothea Wierer's words immediately came to mind, as she had spoken the evening before about the snow being too soft and the holes in the white ground. Actually, I should have gone straight to the press center, but I skipped it when I arrived at the World Cup area and instead headed straight for the truck of Italy's national biathlon team.

I suspected that there was a man in there who knew snow better than almost anyone else in the biathlon circuit: Christian Favre, long-time skiman for the legendary Martin Fourcade and today the main person responsible for the thin slats from Wierer, Giacomel and Co. He was supposed to teach me the basics of snow introduce. It was Favre, 48 years old, with three days of stubble and unkempt hair, who opened the door of the ultra-modern truck for me. He hastily pulled a cap over his head and started: “Pretty stressful today, but come on in.”

The service truck is his kingdom: Christian Favre.

He has been tinkering in the wax chamber since 8 a.m., already trudging across the softened snow with his skis, consulting with athletes and service people. There are seven of them, including the Mareiter Devis De Canal, himself a biathlete and World Cup participant in the 90s. “We are a really great team. Everyone looks after one male and one female athlete. But in the end we do one thing, take turns and exchange ideas,” says Favre. He wiped a bead of sweat from his eyebrow. “This is not high-performance sport, but we also have a full program for two weeks – from morning to night.” “We have to adapt. And we can do that.” Italy's skiman Christian Favre The experienced man from the Aosta Valley doesn't want to celebrate or mourn, as he did on Wednesday after the botched mixed relay. That's what he learned from Fourcade: focusing, an eye for detail. He has had the weather in the World Cup venue on his radar for weeks. However, he repeatedly evaded my insistent question about deep snow. He only let himself get this much out of it: “That’s Nove Mesto, Oberhof was similar this year too. The more we make this an issue, the more it distracts and creates unnecessary thoughts - this applies to the athletes, but also to the service people,” says Favre. He added: “We have to adapt. And we can do that.” These words were still ringing in my ears on the way to the press center. And they put into perspective the headlines I had read that morning.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Hockey

Tennis

Winter sports

Learn More

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

What to do when the World Cup snow melts away?

The Biathlon World Cup and the weather. It is currently the prevailing topic in international winter sports. SportNews asked around about the title fights in Nove Mesto and spoke to a snow guru who alleviates all worries with stoic calm.

Comments (0)