Aspen – Atle Skaardal looked and sounded a little grim Sunday as he discussed the warm temperatures and lack of snow in Europe that are disrupting the alpine World Cup schedule and may result in shifting two races to Colorado next week.
“I think it’s very critical, not only for racing,” said Skaardal, the International Ski Federation official who runs the day-to-day operations of the women’s World Cup. “This has a big impact on public skiing as well. We all have to hope for colder temperatures and snow quite soon. It would be a big crisis for us if we have to continue to cancel races in December.”
The traditional season-opening giant slalom races on an Austrian glacier in October were canceled. Two women’s races scheduled next week for St. Moritz, Switzerland, are kaput. Men’s races that weekend in Val d’Isere, France, also are threatened.
“I talked to a lot of people in Val d’Isere who have different opinions, and my understanding is that there is a very small chance, but they still think it’s possible,” Skaardal said.
You won’t get a lecture here on the perils of global warming. We’ll leave that to the rock stars and Hollywood celebs who love to give those sermons between trips on their private jets, some of which you’ve probably seen parked at Aspen’s Sardy Field.
But it was amusing to hear European racers grumble about the prospect of spending an extra week in the U.S.
“It’s harder for us to adjust to North America,” Sweden’s Anja Paerson said. “I have a hard time with the food, and also the snow.”
The food?
“It’s a different fat over here,” Paerson said. “It doesn’t really matter what I eat, my stomach don’t like this fat over here. We tried to take a lot of Swedish food and cook (it) ourselves.”
The U.S. racers find comments like that amusing.
“Give me a break. We have great food here,” Lindsey Kildow said. “They’re all crying because they want to go home and it’s been like three days (since they arrived). We’re gone for five months out of the year. They come over here for one week and they’re wah-wah-wah about how they miss home.”
Kildow traveled more than 16,000 miles this month for one slalom race in Finland. She figures no more than five of the European racers would vote to stay in North America an extra week for another race, if they had a voice in the matter.
You wouldn’t get any complaints from Austrian veteran Alexandra Meissnitzer, though.
“I like to race in the States,” Meissnitzer said. “I have really good results here, I was a double world champion in Vail (1999), so I am happy to come back. I love the States. This year we arrived just one week before the Aspen races, and it’s not long enough for me.”
Meissnitzer likes the “huge beds” she finds here.
“Here you get king-sized beds, and I love that,” she said.
A decision on Val d’Isere is due Wednesday, and if it’s canceled, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association wants to pick up a men’s and women’s super combined for Aspen or Beaver Creek. The trick has been finding sponsorship dollars to underwrite the cost of staging the races and televising them in Europe.
Annette Royle, USSA vice president of events, said that will take in excess of $1 million, and it probably has to come from a European sponsor, since that’s where the TV images will be beamed. They’re working hard to make it happen, especially for the women. The men get to race speed events annually at Beaver Creek, but the women typically race slalom and giant slalom in Aspen.
The women used to race downhill and super-G in Vail, but since 1997 it has been the men at Beaver Creek.
“One of our main initiatives has been to get women’s speed racing back in the U.S.” Royle said. “We’ve got a strong women’s (speed) team.”
Whatever happens, the FIS appreciates USSA’s efforts.
“If they don’t manage to do it, it’s not that they have failed,” Skaardal said. “It’s a very, very difficult position for them. They are trying to do what’s best for the sport and for us.”
