Warm temperatures should give way to cold in Crans-Montana

The World Cup can breathe a sigh of relief. Although there are still some uncertainties concerning the training sessions on the Haut-Plateau, the weather looks better for the downhill and the super-G this weekend.

It was still warm, very warm, in Crans-Montana on Wednesday. As has been the case for the last ten days, temperatures have easily exceeded 5°C, even 10°C, due to dazzling sunshine all over the resort. A few hours before the first training session for Saturday's downhill, the volunteers and soldiers from the army were busy around the Mont Lachaux piste and in the arrival area for the final preparations before the arrival of the best female downhill skiers in the world.

It has to be said that preparing a World Cup piste in these conditions is not easy. "Despite the heat, we’ve done our utmost to offer a quality piste," Marius Robyr, president of the Organising Committee, assures us. The course had already been salted as a preventative measure for the first time on Wednesday, as snow was possible in the evening, and could cover some areas thinly. It will be salted again on Thursday morning if necessary. We're ready to salt," confirms Jean-Philippe "Pilou" Vulliet, race director. The good news is that the piste is wet and it usually works very well. It's a challenge but we'll manage it again."

For the weekend's races, it’s green for go. Temperatures are expected to drop significantly on Saturday, allowing the track to harden. This is a relief for the organisers. “We should be back to normal, the forecast is promising", rejoices Peter Gerdol, director of the women's events. “I'm confident for the weekend races. Until then, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the piste.” We can only hope that the clouds will part at the right moment, and that the wind (up to 50 km/h announced on Sunday afternoon) will not disturb the smooth execution of the races, for which a large audience is expected.

Photo/Video (in French only): SkiActu