Beaver Creek — Except for the possibility of intermittent winds that could favor some racers and hamper others, conditions are good for today’s men’s downhill at the world alpine championships.
Downhill training sessions in previous days were run in the afternoon when temperatures were warmer. Today’s race is scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
“We’re running earlier today, itap colder, the snow is grippy and itap going to be really intense,” said American Steve Nyman. “I like it, I like that itap going to be super aggressive (snow) and responsive. Thatap what I like.”
Steve Nyman, shown here en route to third place finish here in December, could be a man to to watch in today’s world championships downhill. (Denver Post Andy Cross)
Nyman said the wind was “in and out” when he inspected the course this morning.
“You’ve got to hope for the best today (with the wind), but itap great weather,” Nyman said. “Visibility is no issue, itap going to be a fun race.”
Nyman, 32, will be an interesting racer to watch. He has six career podiums on the World Cup and half of them have happened here, most recently a third-place finish this past December in downhill.
“I feel great,” Nyman said. “I feel comfortable, confident, and I’m just going to put down the best run I can.”
Nyman starts 10th. Other U.S. starters are Jared Goldberg (No. 1), Travis Ganong (22) and Andrew Weibrecht (35).
Ganong, 27, also bears watching. He picked up the first World Cup win of his career in December and finished fifth at the Olympics last year.
