Alpine season set to open with Carezza and Cortina d'Ampezzo one-two punch
Dec 12, 2018·Alpine Snowboard
Carezza (ITA) - The 2018/19 FIS Snowboard alpine World Cup is getting underway this week in a big way with a pair of competitions in the Italian Dolomites lined up, with the season-opener parallel giant slalom competition taking place in Carezza on Thursday, followed up quickly by a PGS night race in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Saturday, December 15.
This will be the eighth-straight season that the FIS Snowboard alpine World Cup has made a December stop in Carezza, and the scenic resort never fails to impress, offering a perfectly-prepared north-facing race piste and large crowds on hand to see the best racers in snowboarding go head-to-head.
Last season’s event in Carezza was an especially exciting affair, with Ester Ledecka beginning what would be her third-straight parallel crystal globe-winning and PyeongChang 2018 Olympic gold medal-winning season with an early win. Meanwhile, on the men’s side, Andrey Sobolev (RUS) claimed his first victory at Carezza after finishing runner-up in both the 2016 and 2017 editions of the event, beating out the season’s eventual crystal globe winner Nevin Galmarini (SUI) in the process.
Ledecka has stated her intentions to race in Carezza on Thursday, despite coming fresh off of a pair of FIS Alpine World Cup competitions to start the season, where she finished 10th in Lake Louise (CAN) to open the season, and then 29th this past weekend in St. Moritz (SUI). Though it might seem like an unfeasibly quick switchover from skiing to snowboarding, we all know from her performance in PyeongChang 2018 that if there’s one athlete in the world who can juggle such a schedule, it is Ester Ledecka.
Action in Carezza gets underway early on Thursday, December 13, with qualifications beginning at 8:45 CET, followed by finals at 12:30.
Cortina d'Ampezzo ready to excite the night
Just 85kms and a couple of hours over the pass from Carezza is Cortina d’Ampezzo, the second stop on the FIS Snowboard alpine World Cup tour and one of the early highlights of the FIS Snowboard season. With nighttime PGS competition under the towering Dolomites coming just two days after the opener in Carezza, the Cortina competition provides fans of parallel with a heavy one-two punch of action to start the season off.
Nighttime events are always a special affair, and in its four seasons as a World Cup host Cortina has established itself as a standout on tour with an excellent slope for racing and good atmosphere. Last season saw the first PGS races at Cortina, and with the success of the PGS, the PSL portion of the programme has been dropped for this season.
Once again the one to watch in Cortina should be Ledecka, as the 23-year-old has wins in both PGS and PSL at the South Tyrolean venue, including last season’s PGS win. While her performance in Carezza might be something of a warm-up, by the time she hits the ground in Cortina Ledecka should be back up to speed and ready for another podium.
In the men’s event in Cortina look out for Italy’s own Roland Fischnaller, as the 38-year-old veteran has earned a podium in all four competitions held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, including a runner-up result in last season’s PGS and a win in the PSL. The Italian men’s team has taken an incredible seven of a possible 12 podiums in Cortina over the years - including a PSL sweep in 2015/16 - making the venue something of a feeding ground for the locals.
However, last year’s men’s PGS winner was Alexander Payer, as the slalom specialist was able to step up and take his first career win in his eight World Cup season.
Competition in Cortina is scheduled to begin with qualification rounds on Saturday, December 15, at 13:00, followed by finals under the lights at 17:00.
QUICK LINKS:
Carezza data page (programme, start lists, live timing, results)
Cortina d'Ampezzo data page (programme, start lists, live timing, results)
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