It will be new in the Alpine Ski World Cup «kleinezeitung.at

Before the start of the Alpine Ski World Cup season with two giant downhill runs on weekends in Sölden, the Alpinum Forum was traditionally organized. Chief Race Directors of the International Ski Federation (FIS), Markus Waldner for the gentleman side and Atle Skaardal with the ladies, gave an overview of the changes, innovations and considerations:

• parallel races: In the spring, a FIS working group will look at harmonizing rules for side events. During the season that begins now, two events of the city, for both men and women, in Oslo and Stockholm, with 16 athletes each invited. The races are part of the slalom World Cup. With a large starting pitch and another format, the ladies lead a parallel slalom to St. Moritz, the men a giant slalom parallel to Alta Badia. "It's important to test the formats, but now we have to work on the modification," said Markus Waldner. It belongs to the 2021 World Cup in Cortina d'Ampezzo to be ready when a parallel event will be a competition for the medals. This is the first step to enter the Olympic program.
• Warmer and cut resistant undergarment: At the request of speed athletes, warmer, cut-resistant underwear is worked on. The prototypes tested in the wind tunnel are already used during the coming season. "With 150 euros, they are also affordable for families," said Markus Waldner, who also expressed interest in the youngest athletes in action at the FIS races. He was happy to see that the airbags are even more used by women.
• Women's World Cup in St. Anton: The ladies return to St. Anton for the first time after January 2013. In the future, January's women's sprint races in Austria will take place alternately in St. Anton and Zauchensee. The three-wheeler with Bad Kleinkirchheim is no longer there, as the Carinthian organizer should find another solution on the technology side, Skaardal said. "I'm happy that we're back in St. Anton, it's a very difficult track with extremely steep sections, and with St. Anton and Zauchensee we have two really good runs," said the Norwegian.
• World Ski Championships in Aar: According to Aatle Skaardal, preparations for the season's peak in February are proceeding as planned. Last week, they were going to the final inspection in Sweden. "We had very high expectations, we had an excellent World Cup 2007. The courses are the same with some modifications, the weather can always be difficult, but we are well prepared." FIS President Gian Franco Kasper also looks to the future with serenity. "Aare does a great job."