Kitzbühel slalom

[gaku]

Can't wait for the slalom on sunday. During tonight's combi slalom, the snow was literally gold where the lightbeams hit it in parts, perfect, icy conditions. Hirscher looked positively ravenous and skiied in a league of his own today, a pity about his hook. I predict an intense fight for the podium between Kristoffersen, Hirscher, Neureuther, Gross.

Who are you rooting for? Who do you predict will end up on top?

[blackthorn]

I don't mind who wins. I just wish I could watch it live ( or even a bit delayed) - attempts using "unlocators" and VPNs etc have not worked for me

[gaku]

I don't mind who wins. I just wish I could watch it live ( or even a bit delayed) - attempts using "unlocators" and VPNs etc have not worked for me

Sorry to hear that. Have you tried hola? Nrk.no will host the race, I've used Hola with success when I've been out of Norway. Also heard Witopia and StrongVPN are good options.

[blackthorn]

Thanks. I will try those - I think I have tried Hola previously.

[B.Mulligan]

You're talking Slalom the weekend of the Hahnenkamm??
Whole rest of the season is for the technical athletes, but this is the speed racer high point. I know I've got my alarm set for 5:30 am tomorrow.
Svindal is also en fuego.

[jbotti]

If the conditions are the same on Sunday as they were today (solid and slick ice) it will be a very fun race to watch. Hirscher skied great (ex the straddle). It will be interesting to see what Kristofferson can do on ice, in Austria on one of the great slalom hills in the world. Everything in this race favors Hirscher and I expect he will win with good margin. But the kid is definitely right on his heels.

Its definitely one of the great weekends in WC skiing!

[gaku]

You're talking Slalom the weekend of the Hahnenkamm??
Whole rest of the season is for the technical athletes, but this is the speed racer high point. I know I've got my alarm set for 5:30 am tomorrow.
Svindal is also en fuego.

HEHEHE, I'm a little bit ridiculous in the head that way In all seriousness, massive respect to the downhill guys, they're braveheartesque rhinos on skis. Couple that with the terrain in Kitzbuhel and you have one hell of a show going on. But, for me, the technical events will always be the "favored" discipline. There's just something about the dynamism, the smoothness, the recoveries and acrobatisms. Also, the level of rivalry is higher. I think we're watching a historically strong top ten slalom field.

J-bot, second that. I certainly wouldn't want to be the one betting against Hirscher on home soil, with ideal conditions on top of that. Kristoffersen never stops surprising me, though - there seems to be no limit for that kid. Then there are the other contenders, capable of 1st spot on a good day, too. No, just thinking about this, Sunday can't come quick enough!

[jbotti]

Here is a quote form Peter Fill after he won the downhill today:

"It does not seem to be as cold as before and the course may not be as icy so skis sink a bit deeper," said winner Fill. "It is a dangerous course. Very demanding."

Several guys crashed into the netting including Svindal and two were air-lifted away (Hannes Reichelt and Georg Streitberger). This is treacherous place to race and it seems to claim a few bodies every year.

[blackthorn]

Thankyou Gaku. I watched it using Unlocator and tv.NRK.no This has been the first live TV FIS for me. I was there in 1978 when Josef Walcher won. This was the Franz Klammer era, and his 1976 Olympic Gold Medal run still endures.

[gaku]

Here is a quote form Peter Fill after he won the downhill today:

"It does not seem to be as cold as before and the course may not be as icy so skis sink a bit deeper," said winner Fill. "It is a dangerous course. Very demanding."

Several guys crashed into the netting including Svindal and two were air-lifted away (Hannes Reichelt and Georg Streitberger). This is treacherous place to race and it seems to claim a few bodies every year.

Svindal's tore his ACL today. At least two others took a beating as well. Sad, sad day for skiing.

Great to here things worked out, Blackthorn. That is quite the story! Ooh, Unlocator, I'll have to remember that for the next time I'm fleeing the country. ;P

[arothafel]

It seemed very dangerous today. Flat light, perhaps.

But I also wonder how much it throws these guys off if their training runs started from the normal start and then on race day, it starts lower. I know they can adjust and at some point the speed and line catches up. But, it's still different.

Amazing to watch how fearless these guys are.

I feel bad for Svindal. The Holy Grail eludes him once again.

[gaku]

WOW, where to begin? Today's slalom had everything - drama, nerve, great skiing on the most challenging surface of the season. Men got seperated from the boys, and the course unabashedly revealed any technical deficiencies the skiers could normally hide to the untrained eye. The day kicked off with another knee injury, building the anticipation.

Kristoffersen's second run ... I can't remember ever seeing such a run before on the men's side. I'd put it right up there with Mikaela's 3 second win earlier this season. The average challenger from top 15 and up lost over 2 seconds. Even Dopfer, who skied technically solid with no obvious errors, lost 1.25 seconds in his second run. Only Hirscher managed to put up a fight - and it looked good after that top part. Alas, he got late in a couple of turns just after the steepest section and from there on in it was a race of margins.

Lastly, some great scenes from the two leaders during and after the race. That's the kind of rivalry one wants to see - competitors who does everything to win, but once they finish, switch off any personal disappointments and are able to cheer, joke and vibe with each other.

[jbotti]

"Sunday’s win makes Kristoffersen the first person in history to win the classic slaloms of Adelboden, Wengen, and Kitzbuehel in a single season. In fact, he has won all but one of the slaloms contested this year. With another classic on Tuesday night in Schladming, a classic sweep is certainly in Kristoffersen’s wheelhouse."

Not sure if we should call this the passing of the torch yet, but he clearly is starting to look pretty dominant and certainly on par with the great Hirscher (in slalom). Haven't watched it yet. Looking forward to it.

[gaku]

"Sunday’s win makes Kristoffersen the first person in history to win the classic slaloms of Adelboden, Wengen, and Kitzbuehel in a single season. In fact, he has won all but one of the slaloms contested this year. With another classic on Tuesday night in Schladming, a classic sweep is certainly in Kristoffersen’s wheelhouse."

Not sure if we should call this the passing of the torch yet, but he clearly is starting to look pretty dominant and certainly on par with the great Hirscher (in slalom). Haven't watched it yet. Looking forward to it.

You're in a for a treat! You won't see pretty skiing, but given the conditions, you have to admire how the best guys manage to keep balance and edge grip!

I feel bad for Svindal. The Holy Grail eludes him once again.

Svindal is a very determined, optimistic athlete. He only gets stronger by setbacks, always look for the "good" aspect of any situation. Right after it was confirmed his ACL tore, he was talking to norwegian news reporters, smiling, laughing, already preparing for his comeback. But yeah, I feel bad for him too. This season - with the help of Kristoffersen in the technical events - the globe seemed to already be halfway inside his pocket. PS: A pretty endearing picture of Svindal and the 2 austrians who went out and tore their ACLS was taken today, all of them seemingly having a blast, bundled in the same hospital room.

Not sure if we should call this the passing of the torch yet, but he clearly is starting to look pretty dominant and certainly on par with the great Hirscher (in slalom). Haven't watched it yet. Looking forward to it.

Nothing like a friendly, competitive rivalry ala Lauda and Hunt.

[jbotti]

I just watched it. HK's second run was truly amazing and pure magic. He is actually ahead of Hirscher in wins and podiums at the same age with an amazing 9 wins and 19 podiums before his 22nd birthday. This will be one of the great rivalries of all time!