Snow changes ski series

Press, 30 August 1977, Page 36

Snow changes ski series

By

TIM DUNBAR

Although snow fell throughout the first scheduled day of the Air New Zealand* Mount Hutt international ski-ing series yesterday, officials are still hopeful that all events can he raced.

It is highly probable, however, that the events will be held in a different sequence, with the downhill at the end rather than the beginning of the programme. International regulations stipulate that before the downhill event racers must be allowed one day to inspect the course and two more for training. The downhill was orginally set down for Thursday but four days’ work preparing the course were “wasted” yesterday when the big snowfall all but covered the 75cm saftey fences.

Mr Richard Johnson, chairman of the organising committee, said that there was a “built-in contingency” for a hold-up and, if necessary, the men’s and women's slalom could both be raced in a day and similarly the giant slalom.

“We are determined to continue and hold the downhill even if it is run as the last event on the programme,” he said. Weather permitting, the organisers intend to go up to Mount Hutt today to start preparing all race areas — the downhill, slalom and giant slalom courses — for the series.

But it seems likely that no racing will be possible

(before Thursday — even [with a reversed programme ) — although the situation cannot be properly assessed until the jury of the race committee is able to inspect the field. Yesterday afternoon the road was still blocked, with wind-blown snow filling in behind the grader as it at« tempted to clear a path.

Mr Johnson still expects the series — opened offi* cially yesterday by Sir Henry Wigley — to be a great success, with stars from Sweden, Italy, Canada, Australia and Japan all competing. A late defection is the young Australian downhill expert, Dave Griff, who hurt his shoulder in training last week and did not cross the Tasman. However. Kim Clifford and Robbie Mclntyre, whose injured knee is improving rapidly, are two other Australians very proficient in the discipline. The snowfall was good news in the long term for the Mount Hutt Company, which can now expect another extended season and more immediately for the organisers of the Australian universities ski-ing championships, who can now hold their cross-country much further down the mountain.