Marco Odermatt Inspects the Kandahar: GEPA photos
Males’s Kandahar Downhill Canceled After Coaching Run Known as Off
Race Cancelation Overview
The Males’s Kandahar downhill at Garmisch was canceled after at this time’s scheduled coaching run didn’t happen. Clear skies lined many of the course, however dense fog on the backside made that part unusable. FIS guidelines require that every one sections of a downhill course should be skilled earlier than a race, however they don’t have to be run repeatedly. This technique has been used up to now, permitting completely different components of a course to be skilled individually to fulfill necessities. Nonetheless, that strategy was not used at this time.
Racer Vote Ends Various Plan
Race officers explored an alternate strategy to salvage the occasion. The proposal was to carry a coaching session at this time that lined the course as much as the Hölle (Hell) however didn’t embrace it. Then, tomorrow morning, they might full coaching on the remaining part, making certain a full-length race. This is able to have met the coaching requirement whereas nonetheless permitting the downhill to run.
Nonetheless, the highest 15 ranked racers unanimously voted towards this plan. With out their help, the proposal was deserted, and the race was formally canceled.
Kandahar’s Legacy and North American Success
The Kandahar downhill in Garmisch is among the most storied tracks in Alpine ski racing historical past. It has hosted World Cup, World Championship, and Olympic races, with a legacy stretching again to Alpine snowboarding’s Olympic debut in 1936. That 12 months, the lads’s and girls’s Olympic mixed occasion was the one Alpine snowboarding competitors included within the Video games. The mixed consisted of each downhill and slalom, making it the primary official Olympic Alpine snowboarding occasion.
North American skiers have discovered success on the Kandahar for many years, leaving their mark on this historic race. A few of the most memorable males’s outcomes embrace:
Jimmie Heuga (USA) – 1964 Mixed Winner
Steve Podborski (CAN) – Downhill Winner (1981, 1982, 1984)
Phil Mahre (USA) – Mixed Champion (1981)
Steve Mahre (USA) – Mixed Champion (1982)
Pete Patterson (USA) – Third place, 1978 World Championship Mixed
Daron Rahlves (USA) – Downhill Third Place (2003)
Bode Miller (USA) – Downhill Third Place (2005)
Erik Guay (CAN) – Downhill Third Place (2007 – First Race), Downhill Winner (2007 – Second Race), Downhill Third Place (2010), Tremendous-G Winner (2010), Downhill Winner (2011 World Championships)
Ted Ligety (USA) – Large Slalom Third Place (2010, 2013, 2018), GS Winner (2011 World Championships)
Travis Ganong (USA) – Downhill Winner (2017)
This lengthy record of North American podium finishes underscores the significance of the Kandahar race to U.S. and Canadian skiers. The cancelation is a blow not solely to the German hosts but in addition to the North American athletes who’ve traditionally thrived right here.
The Race’s Distinctive Connection to the U.S. Army
Including to its significance, Garmisch-Partenkirchen is residence to a serious U.S. army presence. The U.S. Military Garrison Bavaria – Garmisch set up helps the George C. Marshall European Middle for Safety Research and the NATO College in Oberammergau. Since World Struggle II, American army personnel and their households have lived and labored within the space, with many making the most of the Armed Forces Recreation Middle to benefit from the Bavarian Alps.
The kids of the U.S. army base group members have additionally shaped a novel custom on the Kandahar races. They wait at first and the end, keen to fulfill their ski racing heroes and gather autographs from the world’s finest skiers. For these youngsters, who develop up removed from residence in a world setting, seeing and interacting with Stifel U.S. Ski Staff athletes is a novel and provoking expertise. The cancelation of this 12 months’s race is a disappointment for the rivals and these younger followers, who had been trying ahead to assembly their favourite racers.
Course Circumstances and Schedule
The choice to cancel got here regardless of bettering climate forecasts. Tomorrow is anticipated to carry clear skies, and the German Ski Federation (DSV) has invited each the U.S. and Canadian groups to an unique coaching session on the Kandahar course. In the meantime, official World Championships downhill coaching begins Feb. 5 in Saalbach, Austria.
Traditional Kandahar Course Structure
The sections of the Kandahar downhill embrace:
Starthang (Beginning Slope)
S-Kurve (S-Curve)
Tröglhang (Trögl Pitch)
Olympia-Kurve (Olympic Curve)
Panorama-Sprung (Panorama Soar)
Schußanger (straight, quick descent with out turning)
Himmelreich (Heaven)
Alte Quelle (Outdated Spring)
Bödele (Bödele)
Waldeck (85%) (Waldeck)
Ramwiesen (Ram Meadows)
Höllentor (Hell’s Gate)
Hölle (Hell)
FIS Schneise (FIS Observe)
Tauberschuss (straight, quick descent with out turning)
End
The Kandahar downhill is understood for its steep gradients, excessive speeds, and technical challenges. It has lengthy been a take a look at of pure downhill capacity, with a number of the best skiers in historical past incomes victories right here. For a lot of racers, successful and even standing on the rostrum at Garmisch is a defining second of their careers.
Influence on Athletes and Stakeholders
The cancelation is particularly disappointing for German followers, the German Ski Federation (DSV), and the U.S. Ski Staff.
The DSV faces a monetary hit, dropping income from the occasion whereas additionally risking greater occasion insurance coverage premiums or cancellation of insurance coverage sooner or later. If internet hosting prices proceed to rise, the viability of this traditional race might be in jeopardy.
The U.S. Ski Staff loses a key pace occasion earlier than the World Championships, and American racers will miss out on the robust fan help they all the time obtain in Garmisch. Many younger followers, together with the youngsters of U.S. army staff, will miss the chance to work together with the racers, a practice that has made this cease on the World Cup particular.
The query stays: Would racers have voted in a different way if prize cash quantities and contract bonuses had been structured in a different way? The unanimous choice by the highest 15 means that they perceived the chance and logistics as outweighing any good thing about racing.
Wanting Forward
Tomorrow’s climate is anticipated to be good in order that the invite-only coaching will proceed. The DSV has invited U.S. and Canadian racers to make the most of costly coaching runs on the historic Kandahar. These classes can be essential in making ready for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach.
Whereas this 12 months’s race could not occur, the historical past of the Kandahar and its significance to ski racing stays simple. From its Olympic legacy to the success of North American racers to the deep ties with the U.S. army group, Garmisch-Partenkirchen holds a novel place within the sport. The hope is that the traditional downhill will return stronger than ever subsequent season.
