TOP 5 FRIDAYS: DECEMBER 27, 2019
#1: FIS World Cup Ski Racing Recap: Weather Complicates the Women's Circuit
The course in Bormio is prepped and ready for heavy usage by the men's circuit this weekend. Image: FIS Alpine on Facebook
This week things didn’t exactly go as planned in the world of World Cup ski racing. Due to heavy snow and winds, all three of the women’s races (Downhill, Alpine Combined, and Super G) scheduled for Val d'Isere were cancelled last weekend, although it’s likely they’ll be rescheduled for a yet to be determined date later in this year’s circuit. Coincidentally, Mikaela Shiffrin had previously decided to skip the weekend’s events in favor of load management, and to train for this weekend’s Slalom and Giant Slalom events in Lienz, Austria. In other words, Shiffrin managed to sneak in an extra weekend of training while her opponents were robbed of an opportunity to chip away at her lead in the overall standings, courtesy of the weather. As they say, winner’s win!
On the men’s side, things went slightly better as only one out of the four scheduled races had to be cancelled, and even that race was successfully hosted earlier today. Last weekend, Val Gardena / Groeden resort in Italy was scheduled to host a Downhill and Super G event. While the Downhill was cancelled, the Super G was successfully held and U.S. Ski Team member Steven Nyman was able to crack the top 15, securing 13th place. A couple of days later, the men found themselves at another Italian resort, Alta Badia, for a Giant Slalom and Parallel Giant Slalom race. While no Americans landed any significant results in the Giant Slalom, both Ryan Cochran-Siegle and River Radamus cracked the top 15 in the Parallel Giant Slalom, placing 12th and 14th respectively. Finally, earlier today, the Downhill event originally scheduled to take place last weekend was held in Bormio, and two Americans notched their highest results of the week. In that makeup race, Travis Ganong secured 8th, while Ryan Cochran-Siegle nabbed 11th. Looking ahead the men have another Downhill, Alpine Combined, and Super G race this weekend in Bormio. To see the complete FIS World Cup Schedule, click here.
#2: Visa Big Air at SunTrust Stadium: a Smashing Success:
Next up in ski completion news, we feel compelled to check in on the outcome of last weekend’s Visa Big Air at SunTrust Park. First, let’s discuss the event on the whole: by all accounts, the occasion was a huge success. Upon watching footage of the contest, either live or via replay, one thing immediately jumps out: the crowd and environment had the same vibe as a professional sports contest. For athletes who are used to dropping in for a run somewhere far away from the crowd, and only becoming immersed in the environment upon landing, it must’ve felt extraordinary to hear a stadium of people cheering immediately upon dropping in, only to explode in excitement upon successfully landing. Evidence of this is prominent in the highlights: from athletes smiling with disbelief before descending the scaffolding-supported in run, to the sheer insanity of the tricks and level of competition being displayed. If the goal of this contest was to expose a new market to the excitement of freestyle skiing and snowboarding, it feels safe to say that this mission was thoroughly accomplished. Now that the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team has successfully hosted two Big Air contests in MLB stadiums, we can only hope that they repeat this formula with increasing frequency.
As for the results? We’ll do a quick recap here, but it should be noted that the level of competition was so high at this event that you should really watch the entirety of the finals at the very least (which, is unfortunately only available if you have an NBC Gold Pass). That said, on the men’s side, Alex Hall took home first place, Antoine Adelisse grabbed second, while Teal Harle captured third. For the women, Mathilde Gremaud won first, Giulia Tanno secured second, and Isabel Atkin finished in third. If you have an NBC Gold Pass, you can catch a full replay of the event here. Otherwise, you can watch a few highlights and check out a brief recap, courtesy of Newschoolers.com.
#3: Pejo 3000 Learns of Micro Plastics on Nearby Glacier, Becomes First European Resort to Ban Plastics:
The gondola at Pejo 3000, where a recent study has sparked an increased effort in environmental stewardship. Image: The Guardian
Alright, enough competition talk. Let’s turn our attention towards another hot topic in skiing these days: the environmental impact of our sport. This week, we caught an interesting article from The Guardian that highlights a European ski resort that’s just announced plans to become the first on the continent to eliminate the use of plastics at its resort. Located near the Forni Glacier, Pejo 3000 is a relatively small ski area that prides itself in its connection to the environment. That’s why when officials there learned that scientists had discovered 131-162m plastic particles coating the surface of the Forni Glacier, they immediately decided to take action. At present, that’s resulted in the immediate discontinuation of single use plastics at the resort as well as its three huts. Looking ahead, the resort is already beginning to consider alternatives to other micro plastic producing waste, such as the plastic covers used on their single-day tickets. Despite being modest in size, the actions that Pejo 3000 are taking send a seismic message to neighboring resorts, the ski community, and ultimately the world at large. For more details from this story, check out the report from The Guardian.
#4: Former Mining Shacks Being Converted to Ski Huts in Colorado:
Finally, we end this week with a fantastic story that we love for a number of reasons. In Park County, Colorado, ambitious entrepreneurs Kate McCoy and Jeff Crane are working to convert an area known as the North London Mill into a backcountry eduction and recreation center. What makes their endeavor especially interesting however, is the fact that this area is home to several old mining shafts and huts that have long been abandoned. Originally hoping to simply utilize the area to expose more people to the sport of alpine touring while teaching avalanche awareness and safe practices, the business partners have since expanded their vision to include the refurbishment of a number of old mining shacks, with the intention of creating a hut system within the area. In doing so, they’ll look to preserve the history of the area while simultaneously bringing life back to the region in the form of recreation. To be fair, it’s either difficult or impossible to do this story justice without checking out all of the great imagery provided by the Colorado Sun. So on that note, if the growth of backcountry skiing or the reclamation of old mining structures intrigues you, we highly recommend heading over to the Colorado Sun and giving the article your full attention!
#4.5: Bonus Highlight: December is Nordica Months in SkiEssentials.com's 2020 Ski Happy Contest!
