Sharp edges for everyone

The Ganslern Slope is race-ready and it will be curtain time for the athletes on Sunday at 10.30 hrs. Tickets for the Slalom are available in our webshop.

It wasn’t just the athletes who had a break on Thursday in Kitzbühel, the sun didn’t come out to play either. The Ganslern Slope glistened nonetheless, garnering yet more reverence from its admirers: "This is an icy slope for a normal skier, " says Stefan Lindner, who understands how the less experienced would feel about the conditions. "For us, it's compact. That's why we use a great deal of water when grooming, to increase the weight of the snow. Ideally, start number 1 enjoys the same conditions as start number 65," explains the Ganslern piste manager. Nevertheless, the legendary slope is a challenge for everyone - for professionals as well as for Stefan Lindner's team: "To ensure safety during work, we have set up a service station in the valley station of the Ganslern lift where our workers can sharpen their edges. It's important to have good equipment with sharp edges strapped on your feet."

As far as the race on Sunday is concerned - the first run will start at 10.30 hrs - the team is "full of enthusiasm and optimism that the race will be perfect", says Christian Schroll, deputy piste manager: "The preparations are as good as complete. Only a few technical structures and some ORF camera cabling are yet to be installed." The man from Oberndorf would prefer the race to start today, but is going to have to be patient until Sunday: " We are confident that it won’t snow too much snow from Thursday to Friday. The quads for clearing the snow are ready." Tickets for the slalom are available in our webshop.

Photo © K.S.C./Floobe