This cable car closes the last gap between Zermatt in Switzerland and Cervinia in Italy. © dpa-tmn / Gabriel Perren

World Cup premiere on the Matterhorn in danger again?

The men's Alpine Ski World Cup is setting up camp this week in Zermatt/Cervinia at the foot of the Matterhorn. The weather report is giving the organizers a headache.

07 November 2023

From: apa/dl

On Saturday and Sunday there is a departure on the program, partly in Switzerland and partly in Italy. Although the race at the Gran Becca track is taking place for the first time, it already has an illustrious history.

The key data of the speed opener promise, at least in theory, a true spectacle with magnificent images. A ski race across two countries, a new route designed by Olympic downhill champion Didier Défago - and all of this in the immediate vicinity of one of the most famous mountains in the world. The finish is in Cervinia, Italy, at 2.865 meters above sea level, and the start is above Zermatt at 3.800 meters. This makes the race, in which the majority of the race is on glaciers, the highest in the Ski World Cup.

“As long as the conditions are fair, I’m really looking forward to it.” Vincent Kriechmayr

Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was full of anticipation. “I always think new routes are cool. I'm excited to see how it turns out. “Such a long route at such an altitude will, I think, be tiring,” said the Norwegian. “The Zermatt race is fundamentally a cool project. As long as the conditions are fair, I'm really looking forward to it. The date is very appropriate, there was always a bit of a break after Sölden. The current situation is that things continue straight after,” said ÖSV downhill skier Vincent Kriechmayr.

Lots of background noise

The Matterhorn races are a prestige project of the current FIS President Johan Eliasch. The local tourism experts and the ski associations in Italy and Switzerland first thought about it out loud in 2019, when the office still belonged to his predecessor, Gian Franco Kasper. He was immediately hooked, and in autumn 2021 the FIS finalized the project after Kasper's death. Last year's premiere, which was planned for a two week earlier date at the end of October, was canceled due to a lack of snow. This time everything is in place - even though the preparatory work on the route recently caused a stir.

This is where the new downhill route is. © APA

After images of excavators on the glacier circulated, Swiss authorities conducted a local site inspection. It turned out: the excavators were used outside the approved ski area. But according to their own statement, the organizers quickly made corrections “without affecting the route from a sporting perspective”. There were no direct legal consequences for this year's event. What that will be like next year remains to be seen.

The biggest problem for the athletes is the unknown route, because apart from the home team, no one has been able to use the Gran Becca for training purposes to any meaningful extent since its completion. Contrary to FIS boss Eliasch's announcement that there would be several training opportunities for everyone throughout the year, the Swiss enjoyed privileges on the upper section of the route near Zermatt.

The weather is worrying

The weather forecasts - with the exception of sunny Wednesday - predict a mix of clouds, rain in places, snowfall and, above all, strong wind that is still difficult to describe. In any case, what FIS race director Markus Waldner said in advance applies. Namely, that you have to expect anything at this altitude at this time of year. “We need support from Mother Nature. Let’s hope we have the weather on our side,” said the South Tyrolean.

“We need support from Mother Nature.” FIS race director Markus Waldner

The first training run is scheduled for Wednesday. Florian Schieder, Christof Innerhofer and Dominik Paris are there from a South Tyrolean perspective. The two departures should then take place on the weekend, i.e. Saturday and Sunday - if the weather conditions allow this.

Men's program in Zermatt-Cervinia:

Wednesday: 1. Downhill training
Thursday: 2. Downhill training
Friday: 3. Downhill training
Saturday: 1st departure (11.30)
Sunday: 2st departure (11.30)