Women’s Giant Slalom in Soelden cancelled

The first race of the opening weekend in Soelden (AUT), the women’s Giant Slalom, was cancelled due to weather conditions that were not conducive to a safe race,

“This was the worst-case scenario, but it happened,” said FIS Chief of Race Director Peter Gerdol about the cancellation of the Women’s Giant Slalom, which will be rescheduled for another date, to be confirmed.

“We had a couple of hours of rain and then this wet snow, starting at five or six this morning, so the surface was too soft to guarantee a safe race.

“The decision was quite easy when we saw the forecast. It will still be snowing until 12 or one o’clock today. That’s why we decided to cancel.”

Gerdol is optimistic that tomorrow’s racing, the Men’s Giant Slalom, might go ahead.

“Now we have to wait a little bit and to be patient because this wet snow is still arriving, so as soon as this is over, we will start working immediately, trying to prepare the course,” he said.

“The forecast for tomorrow is very promising, it should be a nice, clear, sunny day. So if we can prepare the course and have a clear night, I am quite hopeful we can have a good race.”

The rescheduling of the women’s Giant Slalom race will be announced over the next couple of days, he added. “We will discuss with the rightholders and look at possibilities,” said Gerdol.