Snow upsets ski-ing programme again

Press, 2 September 1977, Page 28

Snow upsets ski-ing programme again

From

TIM DUNBAR,

in Methven

No races will be held in 1 the Air New- Zealand-Mount! i ! Hutt international ski-ing [' [series today; the slalom is (now scheduled for tomor- 1 i row. < ! Racers will at least feel j [that they are doing] ( something positive today, < however, as two timed < ! downhill training runs are planned, starting at 10 a.m. i The Australian coach, i Martin Kerscher, complained 1 yesterday that his team had i only had three runs during i the four days of the series, i The rest of the time hadli ■ been spent side-slipping; < courses. ■'

Many other racers have also been frustrated by this ; week’s weather. Preparation and setting of the course for the slalom is due to begin today at 1.30 p.m. but there is a contingency for starting this much earlier if the weather precludes downhill training. The latest of many tentative programmes was thrashed out in English, French and German at a( team captains’ meeting last[ evening. It provides for the running of the giant slalom; ion Sunday and the downhill; !on Monday afternoon or Tuesday.

i At 9 a.m. vesterday the 'race jury decided to proceed with the preparation of the downhill course for the holding of the event tomorrow. out once again the weather disturbed carefullylaid plans. The course was all but ready for racers to start training when, at midday, the mist, which until then had stayed conveniently in the valley, crept up on to the field and snow was falling an hour later. After 21 hours the sky cleared again but a firm decision had been made long before to transfer attention to the slalom and work started on the preparation of this course.

“It’s time for Plan Y,” one official tried to joke. However, the team captains decided at their meeting that it would be impossible to set a proper slalom course for racing today, whereas the downhill course needed very little more preparation. “It is important for New Zealand and Australian racers that a good slalom is run, so they get F.I.S. points,” said the Swedish coach, Lasse Kjalleberg. The slalom and giant slalom have been given priority over the arguably more spectacular — but less visible — downhill race because of their bigger overseas entry. New Zealanders and Australians comprise most of the downhill entry with the Canadian, Robert Safrata, and two young Italians on an exchange tour — Alberto Langellotti and Eurico Ricceri — the only other competitors;