Not all wind is the same: the pitfalls of downhill skiing

The main topic for the athletes is still one thing: the wind. The constantly changing conditions make it very difficult for the athletes. Every driver can encounter different conditions, the wind shifts and turns every minute. Ultimo's long-running favorite Dominik Paris also feels this: "My feeling for the slope doesn't seem to be bad, but with the wind it's still difficult to understand what's fast and what's not." That means a lot of tinkering and analyzing Pages of the racing drivers. “With the wind, it’s still hard to understand what’s fast and what’s not.” dominik paris

In general, there are positive comments from ski racers about the newly built track, which is located in Yanqing, a suburb of China. Wavy at the top, a steep slope in the middle and a sliding section at the end. The route promises a lot of action and excitement. If the wind factor does not destroy the integrity of the event, the race could develop into a real spectacle. This is also confirmed by the reigning downhill world champion Vincent Kriechmayr: “If there is no headwind, it’s pretty tough here, especially in the middle section.”

What makes it even more interesting are the special snow conditions that prevail on the downhill slopes. In one of the driest areas in the world, where only up to 5 centimeters of snow falls per year, nothing works without artificial snow. 170 snow cannons painted a narrow strip of winter landscape in the otherwise barren panorama of the ski area. The result is a versatile snow that can change quickly. These conditions also surprised Christof Innerhofer, who is still confident: “I have a very good feeling. It was very windy and it's hard to compare my times with others. If you have a headwind, you can lose 5 tenths of a second.”

With so much uncertainty, a large number of riders could have a say in the fight for the medals on Sunday. Defending champion Matthias Mayer is certainly one of the riders with a chance of winning a medal. With precious metal from the 2018 Games in South Korea in his pocket, the Austrian can approach the competitions a little more calmly, but that doesn't make him seem any less ambitious: “I can go ahead easily, under quotation marks, but I still have a clear goal. And that is to compete here for the medal and to go home with a medal.” Kilde goes into the race as favorite Above all, one thing will be expected. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has already achieved 3 World Cup downhill victories this season. He is also considered the top favorite to beat in China. The partner of US star Michaela Shiffrin takes this role calmly: “I feel a certain pressure, but it's no different than in other races. It’s been a great season so far.”

Of course, Dominik Paris is also among the favorites, but Kitzbühl winner Beat Feuz and Marco Odermatt, who is in absolutely top form this season, also have a good chance.

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Not all wind is the same: the pitfalls of downhill skiing

On Sunday at 4 a.m. (CET) the time has finally come. At the Xiaohaitu National Alpine Ski Center, ski aces throw themselves down the challenging slope nicknamed “Rock”. The wind remains the X factor.

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