Has a New-era began?

Are we now witnessing an inevitable shift of power in the ladies world of Alpine ski racing? Is the stage set to be taken over by the youngsters? Since the absence of Lindsey Vonn due to her heavy injury the younger skiers have made everyone aware of their presence.  Mikhaela Shiffrin (18) and Lara Gut (22) are at this very moment probably the most promising talents for the future. They have for instance won the first two races of the season and are eager to fill up their trophy cabinet even more; their hunger for glory is monumental. 

Shiffrin, like Vonn is a member of the American Alpine ski team and stands just at the beginning of her career. Vonn’s outstanding abilities have undoubtedly had a great effect on the youngster as she had close contact with the world-champion as a role model and trainer. 

Sometimes, however, bad things happen and somehow that’s for the greater cause. The injury Vonn incurred was no doubt devastating but consequently has given the youngsters some space to develop and flourish Instead of having ‘the lioness’ breathing in their necks and constantly dominating every discipline.

The respect towards the experienced skiers remains but it’s time for them to show the back of their tongue. They now have had the chance to exhibit their strong capabilities to the world!

Last years all-round champion Tina Maze hasn’t shown her dominance yet and as German Skier Maria Riesch is still going strong, it is questionable whether she still has what it takes to become the all-round world champion. 

Lara Gut in Sölden

Lindsey Vonn was working towards her comeback that she was set to make on the Downhill discipline in Beaver Creek on November 29th but she suffered another injury last week during training. Next week’s race comes to early and so Vonn has to wait a bit longer. At first the doctors feared she might had to miss Sochi 2014 but her recovery is going according to plan. 

The season is still in the very early stages and it’s highly unlikely that one of the two cubs will win the all-round title this year. However, Shiffrin and Gut have the pleasure of experiencing the taste of victory and know exactly what needs to be done to achieve that level of success. It’s now up to them to hold on to the strong start and perform as consistent as they can to show the world that their time has come.

Riesch (L) , Shiffrin and Maze

The Alpine ski season is starting to take shape and the men are training for the third race of the season. Downhill and Super-G are the next disciplines up in Lake Louise on November 30th (Downhill) and December 1st (Super G). A few days later the gentlemen will continue their battle on the slopes of Beaver Creek.

Ted Ligety and Marcel Hirscher are most likely the ones going to fight about place 1 and 2 on the Giant Slalom. The two men have each won one of the races but have to be careful as French skier Alexis Pinturault (22) is right behind them holding the 3rd place in the rankings. A lot off eyes will be on the Downhill and Super G in both Lake Louise and Beaver Creek. 

The Friendly Giant from Norway Aksel Lund Svindall is hoping to fight himself back into the top 3. He suffered a very serious crash in 2008 in Beaver Creek which had him in the hospital for several months but his determination and concentration will bring him to the finish line. Another big name many are looking forward to see coming down is of course Bode Miller. He made his first appearance again at the World cup opening in Sölden after a long time of injuries. The 2014 Sochi winter Olympics will for sure be his last one, and depending on how his knee is doing, he hopes to continue for one or two more years. 

As for the ladies, it’s up to the youngsters to show if they are ready to take over the stage again at Beaver Creek (29/11-01/12) and at Lake Louise (06/12-08/12). Many will surely be the witness of that.

This is the second year that I have to accept the fact that I can’t spend as much time and hours in the snow as I would like to. All the pictures showing up on social media of people skiing on sunny mountains is what, I heard, of amazing snow conditions, they are not a great help however for me feeling a bit sorrow. I’m biting my nails...

Watching the ski world cup eases the pain (just a little bit) and I need to be patient until the 21st of December.

 I can’t wait but I have to. Time, can you not speed up a little bit faster...Thank you.

The last meters of snow

The last snow of the season is falling and all the ski areas, except for the glacier areas, are closing up within the upcoming two weeks to open up again next winter season.

I went to Austria myself for the last two weeks to enjoy the last meters of snow and to work on my tan.

A very great advantage of being in the snow around this time is that the slopes are practically empty.

The weather was perfect and the snow conditions were very good on the last day. Still, unfortunately, a horrific accident happened.

It is sometimes better to have bad weather because this reduces the number of accidents.

When the visibility is bad people ski more cautious than when there is a blue sky: people ski faster and often reckless. 

Going fast is 1 thing, but knowing how to control the speed and how to behave on a slope is a whole different ball game.

It seems sometimes that people forget they are not the only one on the slopes and they just do with they want. 

To prepare myself for upcoming july when I’m going to do my snowboard instructor degree I decided to do some snowboarding on the last day.

I was about to leave and was putting on my snowboard when I heard an immense smack.

I looked up and wasn’t sure where it came from. A colleague of mine came to me and pointed at a concrete wall, I couldn’t believe what I saw.

There had been a man who had lost his control at very high speed about 5 meters away from this concrete wall, and had crushed into it.

I saw a colleague of another ski school who ran immediately to him and I called the mountain rescue team.

The mountain rescue is very well organised, no doubt about that.

But when you see someone laying there, probably fighting for his life, the 3 minutes the mountain rescue team needs to get you, seems endless.

The only thing I could think of: Come on! This guy needs you, come on, please hurry up!!!

After 15 minutes, 3 Snow Scooters, 1 Pistenbully (those big red things that prepare the slopes) and a Helicopter where there to save this man’s life.

All together it took about 50 minutes before the man was in a stable condition and was ready to be picked up by the helicopter.

What I heard afterwards was that the majority of his ribs were broken and a long was collapsed

The feeling you get from only hearing such a bad accident happening can’t be described. You feel completely empty, sick, nauseous. It took me more than an hour before I felt a bit normal again.

The point I want to make here is for all the people that love to go fast: You’re not alone on the slopes. Don’t go over your own limit. Going fast is fun, I love it too of course. 

If you don’t have the proper technic take lessons, not only for your own safety, but also for that of others.

The 5 Biggest Crashes!

No matter what sport you play, the risk of injury is always there. Perhaps it can even be said that this is part of the thrill in participating. Just take a look on youtube, type in sport crashes and you will get an endless list of people crashing.

I want to focus on skiing and have a look at the biggest crashes of professionals in skiing. Recently Lindsey Vonn had a huge crash at the World championships where she broke her shin leg. A huge shock for womens skiing as Lindsey was one of the eye-catchers.

Crashes in skiing happen all the time. Whether they happen in the racing world cup, freestyle competition or in the free untouched nature of the off piste. Thanks to todays technology we can watch most of the crashes on video back and pray it will never happen to any of us.

I have listed the 5 biggest ski crashes in the last 15 years and I’m excited to hear if you agree or think differently than me.

Number 5. Matthias Lanzinger

Matthias Lanzinger

Let’s start with the racing world cup. Taken in the last 5 years we have seen multiple skiers breaking their legs and other bones. 

On the 2^nd of March 2012 Austrian alpine skier Matthias Lanzinger was involved in a severe crash in his run. Due to a lack of immediate medical attention, there was no helicopter available straight away so they had to amputate the lower part of his left leg. Nowadays Matthias is back on skis again with his protege.  

Number 4. Nik Zoricic

Another discipline in skiing is the ski cross. In the skicross 4 skiers ski down at the same time and who ever crosses the finish line first wins. The parcour of this race is known for a lot of turns and jumps which can cause dangerous situation. These dangerous situations sometimes result in heavy injuries and unfortunately sometimes death. 

Nik Zoricic ,29 years old, a Canadian ski-cross athlete who died in march of last year when landing wrongly after a high jump in the fences next to the parcour. Reanimation had no influence and the athlete died. 

Nick Zoricic

His fatal landing

Number 3. Valery Kobelev

The biggest crash in ski jumping involved the Russian Valery Kobelev. The skier had never had a better result than 21^st  place in the overall world cup but he is best known for his crash in Planica in 1999.

After take off he lost his balance in the air and crashed head first with 104.7 km/h on the slope and rolled down the rest of the slope at a very high speed… unconscious. 

Kobelev was held in an induced coma for several months but made his return 1 year later in the World Cup.

Kobelev, Head first!

Number 2. Jamie Pierre

From this perspective, even I would do it

Free ride skier Jamie Pierre shocked the ski world when he jumped deliberately 75 meters from a cliff. Lucky for Jamie, the only injury he took home from the jump was a bleeding lip. He got this 'injury' when his partner tried to shovel him out of the snow.

Jamie Pierre was the undisputed record holder of the highest cliff jump in the world and not many thought, including Jamie himself, that someone would brake his record. Which brings us to the number 1 on my list...  

Jamie, on his way down

Number 1. Fred Syversen

Fred, seconds before his drop

The number 1 on my list is Norwegian Free-rider Sven Suyversen. He is ‘unofficially’ the world record holder of the highest cliff drop. The man must have had a lot off angels on his shoulder when he survived the 107 meter drop from a cliff. He was busy shooting a ski film when right before the last jump (the supposed highlight) things went very wrong. He went 'straight' instead of going 'left'. Right before his jump his estimated speed was about 80km/h and when he landed he was buried 2.5 meters under a pack of snow. When he was found the man was unconscious but as soon as he woke up he was able to ski again. Tests later showed he had few damages to his liver. Doctors told him to take it easy for a few weeks. I consider Fred Suyversen one of the luckiest men on earth.

It is of course harsh to say which crash was the most impressive or incredible, as some people lost their lives and some parts of their body.

An important point that I want to make in this weeks blog is about safety. Chances will be small that people who ski maybe 1 or 2 weeks a year will end up in these kinds off situations. However, there are precautions we can take to prevent an injury in case we will end up in a crash. 

First things first: a helmet. When you go skiing or snowboarding, always make sure you wear a helmet. Wearing a helmet is the number 1 safety measure plus it keeps your head nice and toasty.

A second important thing to wear is a back protector. This protecter, like the name says, covers your back. More and more people are wearing one and it can prevent you from serious injuries. 

Skiing is a popular sport since many years and it's still a growing one. Which is great, however this also means the risks of injuries are growing. Most people ski 1,2 or perhaps 3 weeks a year, and when this time arrives they are overly excited to get to the top of the mountain and enjoy the slopes. People travel through the night to get this extra day of skiing and spent as much time on the slopes as possible. Statistics have shown however that most accidents happen on the first day, which all relates to fatigue. People have driven through the night, they are tired, and want to hit the slopes as soon as possible. In addition to that: there are more and more people on the slopes which means we have to watch out for ourselves and for others. Don’t ski as if you’re alone on the slope. Watch out for your fellow skiers and snowboarders and don’t lose your head. When traversing the slope always make sure to look up. Never stop in the middle of the slope and be sure to ski in a straight line.

With just a few precautions you can have a safe and very fun time on the mountains and come back in 1 piece. 

Best of all, take a professional ski teacher with you form starter to experienced, ok, it will cost you money, but save you on a lot of safety issues cause you are not on your own, you are two!

Wie kroont zich all-round kampioen(e)??

Met de wereld kampioenschappen in Schladming achter de rug hebben we nog een maand voor het wereldbeker seizoen weer ten einde is en de zomer periode aanbreekt.

Verwachte en onverwachte prestaties zijn verricht op alle onderdelen.

Zoals verwacht domineerde Ted Ligety de reuzen slalom en liet hij maar weer eens zien waarom hij de baas is op dit onderdeel. Helaas voor Marcel Hirscher die hier op een stunt had gehoopt maar na de eerste run genoegen moest nemen met de 3e plaats achter Svindal met respectievelijk 1.30 en 1.31 seconden achter Ted Ligety. De meester had het gat meteen geslagen dat ook niet meer gedicht zou worden. Toch heeft Hirscher het nog enigszins recht kunnen trekken door Svindal voorbij te gaan en de tweede plek te veroveren in de 2e run. 

Marcel Hirscher heeft de slalom op zijn naam gezet en het leek erop dat Ted Ligety genoegen nam met de 1e plaats op de Super G en GS door de 1e afdaling niet te finishen. Svindal, die alleen de Downhill op z’n naam kon schrijven had waarschijnlijk op wat meer gehoopt.

Bij de mannen heeft Hirscher die met 1135 punten ruim aan de leiding gaat de rest vooralsnog achter zich gelaten. Aksel Lund Svindal volgt met 921 punten, Felix Neureuther met 776 en Ted Ligety met 736 en op de 5e plaats Ivica Kostelic met 705 punten.

Met het einde in zicht zijn er toch nog veel plaats verschuivingen mogelijk. De Super G en Downhill in Garmisch Partenkirchen (DUI) en Kfitfjell (NOR), de Slalom en Reuzenslalom in Kranjska Gora (SLO) en de laatste Downhill, Super G, Slalom en Reuzenslalom in Lenzerheide (SUI) komen er nog aan dus het wordt nog een spannende maand. Ik hoop dat Svindal ons nog kan verrassen door de laatste Downhill afdalingen op zijn naam te gaan zetten, waarvan eentje voor het thuispubliek. We zullen zien.

Het vrouwen skiën heeft een grote klap opgelopen bij de kampioenschappen. Eén van de publiekstrekkers en voormalig en meervoudig wereldkampioene en mijn heldin, Lindsey Vonn, had een ongelooflijk harde crash waarbij ze haar scheenbeen brak. Ik heb de video meerdere malen gezien en word er nog altijd misselijk van als ik het been zie gaan. De crash paste ‘goed’ in het seizoen van Vonn. Ze lag al eerder in het ziekenhuis vanwege darmklachten en nu zien we haar zeker voor de rest van het seizoen niet meer terug. Ik wens haar alle stekte en hopelijk zien we Vonn volgen jaar in Sochi.

Zoals enigszins verwacht heeft Tina Maze, die onverslaanbaar is dit seizoen, haar voorsprong op de andere skiester weer wat verder kunnen uitbreiden. Met haar zege op de Super G en 2^e plek op de Reuzenslalom heeft ze weer indrukwekkende resultaten neergezet. Ook Mikaela Shifrrin die pas 17 jaar oud is heeft zichzelf bewezen door haar 3^e wereldbeker overwinning te boeken op de Slalom en gaat daarmee aan leiding in het Slalom klassement. Desalniettemin is de afstand die Tina Maze heeft bereikt op de andere skiesters in het overall-klassement niet meer in te halen. Ze gaat fier aan leiding met meer dan het dubbele aantal punten, 1694, op Maria Riesch,806, die de tweede plek bezet. 

De geblesseerde Lindsey Vonn staat nog op 3 met 740 punten gevolgd door Anna Fenninger met 704 punten. Ook Katherin Zettel is nog in de race voor een top 3 plek met 697 punten en datzelfde geld voor Mikaela Shiffrin die volgt met 638 punten. Met nog enkele races te gaan is er nog veel mogelijk.

Al met al is het tot nu toe weer een indrukwekkend seizoen en er wacht ons nog een spannende laatste maand. Ik zal het op de voet blijven volgen en zal jullie allemaal zoveel mogelijk op de hoogte houden. 

Geniet er nog van nu het nog kan, straks is het weer wachten tot Oktober!!

Little things, one big toe, means a lot

Top of the world: 3203 meters!!

It has been 1 year since that day. The day that my toes got frozen. It was a very cold month last year January. Temperatures between -20/-25 Celsius were measured and I was about to start the last part of my ski instructor course. It would be a week full of powder skiing and learning about snow and avalanches. 

The week started at -20 that day. If you spent a lot of hours in the snow you get used to the cold in a certain way, but with -20 you can put as many clothes on as you want, it still remains cold - very cold. We skied the whole day and had a warm-up break in between. At the end of the day I felt that my toes had become very cold and cramped. It was a big relief when I got to take the boots off and it took about half an hour before my toes felt ‘normal’ again. The next day we went up the mountain again and just like the day before it was about -20 degrees. 

My course leader came up with the idea to climb to the highest point of the glacier: 3200 meters. We would climb up with our skis attached to our backpacks. The climb up was spectacular, scary but fun and we would be greatly rewarded with an awesome panoramic view and descent. Once we arrived on the top the view was incredible but the surprise that was waiting for us there was a bit unpleasant. We had planned to ski down from there but once we reached the summit, it turned out that the first part, where we were supposed to ski down, was full of rocks. Skiing down was just impossible. By then it was about 2pm and the descent would take us at least another hour and skiing down was not an option at the risk of serious trouble. At this point my toes already felt already funny cold but there would be no opportunity to take the boots off at any point until we reached the bottom of the mountain.  

Taken from the top

By the time we got to take of our boots it was about 4:30. I thought that my toes would need half an hour again to warm-up. like the day before. But.... I noticed quite soon that it toke more than half an hour. Once I arrived in the hotel I wanted to put my feet in a hot bath to stimulate the blood circulation. This was impossible, as there was no way my feet could resist warm water, it was hurting like hell. Soon after that my toes started to “tingle” as well. It felt like someone was sticking hot needles in my toes. I knew at this moment that it may have been maybe to much that day. I spoke with my course leader and he told me to get two buckets: one filled with hot and the other with cold water, again to stimulate the circulation. However this was still impossible and now my feet started to swell dramatically  as well. After dinner we went to the hospital but the doctors could not say exactly how bad my toes got frozen due to the swelling. I was sent home again and was told to come back in 2 days to have it checked again and I was advised not(!) to ski. I spoke with my course leader and he told me I was allowed to skip 1 day and then still do the exams at the end of the week. The next day I spent in the hotel and by the end of the day, even though my toes felt far from normal and they were still swollen, I thought I felt some improvement. As I was only allowed to skip 1 day and I was determined to pass the exam that week I decided to skip the appointment in the hospital the next day. I would regret this decision later, very much...... 

At some parts you would sink until your waste in the snow

The next day we took a break in the middle of the day and my toes felt more or less “all right”. I took my boots of in the restaurant and decided to have a look at them. What I saw at that point was that on the big toe of my left foot a black/purple blister had risen. As stubborn as I was and with the exam in the back of my head I decided to ignore the blister and continue skiing. 3 hours later we finished the day and could take my boots off. I took off my sock and realised that I never should have skipped the appointment at the hospital and that the week was over for me. The feeling in my toes had completely disappeared, and the toes of my left foot had turned dark black and purple. By this time I knew my toes were in a very bad condition and I went straight to the hospital. The first thing I was told, once I arrived, was how stupid I could have been by going up again. This all was caused by a a new pair of ski boots (flex...) that were too tight around my foot. 

The only thing we had to hold on to when going up was the rope

It was a scenario which I never had thought about, shit, shit, shit! It was something I had never really heard about and as far I was concerned frozen toes is something that only happens in films. 

It turned out that the nerves in my toes were damaged and the reason why they got so swollen was because, similar to a bruise, the body wants to protect itself. 

The main reason for all this were my ski boots and of course the extreme low temperatures. Ski boots are made of hard plastic and they have a certain stiffness. Depending on the type of boot. When plastic is exposed to cold it shrinks!!!! My boots are very tight and stiff already and when I normally wear them they fit exactly around my feet which skis very comfortable and gives a lot of stability. But, in combination with the cold, the plastic shrank and eventually it cut off all the blood circulation in my feet. 

I have learned a lot from this injury. It took me about 4 weeks before I was able to ski again and 9 months before my toes looked normal again. In the month following the injury, I lost all my toe nails and in about 8 months they were all normal again. For the next 10-15 years my feet will be extremely sensitive to cold, the toe that got hit the most looks funny and is still bigger. 

My advice: never underestimate nature and cold temperatures. I have added a picture of my toe 3 days after it happened. It can be shocking for some people so if you have a weak stomach I advice not to look.

I am happy to ski again, I learned a lesson.

I'm happy I still have the big guy

Early morning ski, the best you can get.

Most of the tourists would say or maybe think that the daily job of a ski instructor is spent teaching others how to slide across the slopes gently. What most of the tourists do not know, is that long before 10:00 or 10:30 (usually the times the lessons start) most of the ski instructors gather on the mountain and train together to improve their own skiing skills. Last week when I was in Sölden Austria, we took the gondola up every day at 8:00 AM sharp, right after opening. We do not just do this so we have all of the amazing slopes, completely empty with the best snow, for our own pleasure. At this time of day the slopes are the playground for the more experienced skiers, there are no ‘slow’ tourists that cross the piste from left to right unexpectedly. Imagine the highway that is completely empty, where you can drive as fast as you can without anyone in your way or endangering others.  This together with the spectacular views makes for a mind blowing experience. 

Amazing views in the morning

As a ski instructor these 2 hours before you start working are very valuable. If we want to proceed and improve in our skiing we need these hours. Former table tennis world champion Matthew Syed author of Bounce defines it as: “If you want to be the best in what you are doing, you need to train at least 10.000 hours to reach this level. Having a talent for something is one thing, but to use this talent to the max is another thing.” I have nothing more to say on this topic.

It pays off to go up at 8 

"Die Buckelpiste"

Basically skiing is coming down with short turns, medium short/long or long turns. Within these 3 possibilities you have different ways to ski your turns, with different techniques. Whether you ‘rutsch’ (side slip) the first part of your turn and finish the last part on the edges of your skis or you ski the whole turn ‘carving’ which means fully on the edges of the skis. However, within this way of skiing you have another way of skiing these turns. You can either make an up-forward movement  to start your new turn or you can hold your upper body in the same position and let your legs ‘pendling’ under your upper body in ski jargon also called ‘Hoch und Tiefentlastung’. So there are possibilities within possibilities in which you have again possibilities, sounds confusing...? Perhaps the biggest challenge for a skier is, surely for me, to be the master in the ‘Buckelpiste’ in the moguls. Small and big  bumps that arise on unprepared slopes. You may have noticed them at the end of the day after thousands of people have skied the same slope, these bumps arise. Quite difficult to ski, but a lot fun if you manage to keep your balance and stay in control. When I was doing my course to become a ski instructor my ‘Kursausbildner’, my course leader said to me: “Ones a skier is master in the moguls, which means the moguls don't ski with the skier, but the skier skis on the moguls, this skier can ski everything.” KEEP that in mind! Ever since I have been training on the moguls, and I have to say,  it feels pretty good ones you finally master the rhythm and you have made it all the way down. 

It was a different start of the season than normally. 

First off Lindsey Vonn got rejected, who wanted to compete in the mens world cup and secondly the new regulation by the FIS about the skis. Many skiers were unhappy with the longer and smaller skis, that had to prevent skiers from going to fast with the hope of a decrease in the risk of injuries. American GS-king Ted Ligety had no problems adjusting.  However, after Ligety’s first training, it turned out the skis did the opposite; Ligety came indeed faster down the slope . The FIS is now in an awkward position and are now forced in to changing the regulations again. 

After the first half of the season Ted Ligety dominates the GS races but in the overall Norwegian skier Aksel Lund Svindal is on his way to become the champion of the first half of the season. It looks like Ted Ligety and last years world cup champion Marcel Hirscher will battle for the 2 and 3 place. After a very impressive performance at the night slalom race from Hirscher at Madonna di Campiglio, he confiscated the 2nd place. However with one race left, for Hirscher, Svindal and Ligety anything is possible. 

Fortunately the first half of the season has not known any heavy injuries.  

Perhaps the skier, where we have to keep an eye on, during the mens races this year, is the Italian Manfred Moelgg. Last year he finished 41st with just 222 points but is now on a 5th place with 236 points already. Nevertheless we have to take skiers such as Carlo Janka Christof Innerhofer, Benjamin Raich and 2011 champion Iva Kostelic into account.

Overlooking the womens competition we see the same battle for the first 7 places as last year.

Tina Maze is almost sure of her first half victory but for the following places, all things are possible. After an outstanding performance last week from Viktoria Rebensburg at the GS race in Åre in Sweden the 2nd position until the 7th position is yet to be decided in the last Giant Slalom and Slalom race in Semmering, Austria on the 28th and 29th of december.

The most remarkable point maybe in the ladies competition is Lindsey Vonn. Vonn has been in the hospital due to intestine problems. After she competed in some races but did not cross the finish. We can only hope Lindsey Vonn will be back in the new season to entertain us with her fine skiing as she did last year. However we don’t have to suffer, skiers like Riesch, Maze, Gut, Mancuso and many others still let us sit on the edge of our seat and leave us with sweaty hands.  British skier Chemmy Alcott currently holds the 89th place and is working on her come back after suffering from a serious injury on her leg.

Another great miss in the World cup this year is Didier Cuche, the former champion in the downhill discipline retired last year and is now advisor for the Swiss ski team. 

Perhaps the most exciting race that is waiting for us in 2013 is the famous and prestiges Hahnenkamm race.  It is said to be the fastest and most dangerous of races the season has to offer, including lots of jumps and sharp turns. The most famous jump in this race is known as ‘die Mausefalle’ - the Mousetrap - where skiers cross more than 60 meters through the air before landing back on their skis in the snow.

Cuche won this race 5 times and is currently record holder on this slope. Ski legend Franz Klammer has ‘only’ 4 victories in Kitzbühel. 

Didier defago from the Swiss ski team is a name we have to remember when the Hahnenkamm race commences as he has won the race before. Eyes will be on the Swiss team to see what they can do and if Didier Cuche can transfer some of his magic that he had on this slope to the other skiers. 

In the mean time we can look forward to the mens last Downhill race of this year on 28 december in Bormio Italy and the womens Giant Slalom and Slalom race on 28 and 29 december in Semmering, Austria.