A very merry Christmas World Cup in Ramsau am Dachstein

The Viessmann FIS Nordic Combined World Cup in Ramsau am Dachstein has always been a Christmas affair but this year, athletes, coaches and officials will have to hurry home in order to be on time for the Christmas presents. On the 22nd and 23rd of December, two final Individual Gundersen events for the year 2018 are on schedule… and well appreciated as, due to operational reasons, the past two weekends were without competitions.

So what have the athletes been up to in an uncharacteristically quiet period in the winter season? While some used the break to take some necessary exams and further their studies, most of the teams used the time for training camps and several intense sessions, the first effects of which could alredy be seen in Ramsau am Dachstein.

With lots of snow gracing the venue in the past two weeks, Ramsau am Dachstein offers a true Winter Wonderland feeling as befitting the last weekend before Christmas. A lot of training and competition activity has already taken place on the World Championship facilities from 1999 in the last weeks and days.

The HS 98, one of the smallest hills on tour, usually brings the the strong skiers to the fore but also jumping sensation Jarl Magnus Riiber likes the hill (as his amazing jump of 104.5 metres from last year that he wasn't fully able to stand can attest to). The Mass-Start-like cross-country races with big groups and lots of jostling on the track are always exciting to watch, as usually many of the local spectators like to do.

In the past, four athletes won four times each in Ramsau: the great Björn Kicheisen, Jason Lamy Chappuis, Magnus Moan and Eric Frenzel stood on top of the podium repeatedly. While Eric Frenzel is hot on the heels of Hannu Manninen’s top score of 48 World Cup victories (the most successful Nordic Combined World Cup athlete ever) with 43 wins, Magnus Moan needs only one more World Cup victory to be even with the most successful Norwegian Nordic Combined athlete ever, Bjarte Engen Vik (26).

It remains to be seen if these greats of the sport can improve their merit lists even more, if rising star Jarl Magnus Riiber continues his dominance of if somebody else can step up this weekend. What is certain is that Saturday’s top six will get to enjoy the treat of an evening prize giving ceremony at the Ederhof Christmas market and really get into the Christmas spirit.

The programme

(local times = CET)

Friday, 12.12.
10:00 Official training HS 98
12:00 Provisional Competition Round/Qualification HS 98
14:30 Official training cross-country

Saturday, 22.12.
11:00 Trial Round HS 98
12:00 INDIVIDUAL GUNDERSEN Competition Round HS 98 
14:45 INDIVIDUAL GUNDERSEN 10 km cross-country race

Sunday, 23.12.
09:00 Trial Round / Qualification HS 98
10:45 INDIVIDUAL GUNDERSEN Competition Round HS 98
12:45 INDIVIDUAL GUNDERSEN 10 km cross-country race

Timetable subject to change!

Quick Facts:

HILL

WM-Schanze
HS 98

TRACK

WM-Stadion
2.5 km loop
Height Difference: 40 m
Maximum Climb: 40 m
Total Climb: 88 m

LAST YEAR’S PODIUM
IG I: 1. Eric Frenzel (GER), 2. Fabian Rießle (GER), 3. Jan Schmid (NOR)
IG II: 1. Fabian Rießle (GER), 2. Alessandro Pittin (ITA), 3. Eero Hirvonen (FIN)