“That’s what it will come down to”: Paris ready for brutal Stelvio

The daring speed specialists face a huge task on Saturday: They will not only fight against the competition in the downhill in Bormio, but also against the notorious Stelvio.

28 December 2024

From: leo

"This will be the most difficult race of the year. It's a fight for survival from start to finish." These are the words of Marco Odermatt, the outstanding skier of recent years. When even he stands at the start of the Stelvio with awe, it speaks volumes. The downhill course in Bormio is always very difficult and exhausting. This year, however, there is an additional difficulty, as the ground is partly icy and partly aggressive. "The big challenge is dealing with the different types of snow," says Dominik Paris.

The 35-year-old knows the shady Stelvio better than almost anyone else, having already completed eleven downhill runs in Bormio - and won six of them. This year, the Ultner is not one of the closest favorites after a botched start to the season, but he is still a force to be reckoned with. "Today I felt better with a new ski setup," said the Ultner after the second training session.

Odermatt is the hunted

The day before, he had fallen in the lower section, but was uninjured. "I didn't expect the fall, but we saw today with Cyprien Sarrazin that it can happen at any time," explained Paris. The Frenchman had to undergo emergency surgery on Friday evening.

Has a lot of experience on the Stelvio: Christof Innerhofer © Pentaphoto

The Azzurri's hottest iron is Val Gardena winner Mattia Casse, who finished 7th in the final training session. "To be honest, I felt comfortable on the Stelvio for the first time today. I'm happy, had a good feeling and it's a good step forward," emphasised the 34-year-old.

He starts on Saturday at 11.30 a.m. with the number 13, followed immediately by Paris and Odermatt. Florian Schieder has the number 16 on his chest, Christof Innerhofer comes with the number 23. The 40-year-old has already been on the podium in Bormio three times - most recently in 2018.