Ski cross World Cup set to get back to business in Idre Fjall

Jan 18, 2019·Ski Cross

The Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup tour is back at one of the most exciting venues in skiing this weekend for a pair of competitions at Sweden’s Idre Fjall resort, where the unique course layout and short northern days promise to make for a thrilling weekend of competition.

After December’s Cross Alps Tour, this weekend’s Idre competition sees a return to “normal” World Cup programming as we hit the homestretch ahead of the 2019 Utah FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships. With only two more weeks to go and only three ski cross World Cup races before the big show at Solitude Mountain Resort, the stakes and the excitement this weekend in Idre Fjall should be extremely high.

It is the fourth year in a row that Idre has been a stop on the Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup tour and the resort has already made quite a name for itself as a uniquely designed - and uniquely exciting - ski cross venue.

While there are only four turns on the whole course, there are 40+ features spread out over its 1030m length - including a 650m straightaway dubbed the “Idre Fjall Dragstrip” that lines up a collection of massive jumps and ruthlessly technical combo features where the race can be won, or lost, with the right combination of touch and tenacity.

The programme in Idre will see two rounds of qualification take place on Friday at 10:45 and 13:00, with the first race set to go down on Saturday at 11:30 and the second one scheduled for Sunday at 10:45.

In the ladies’ competition watch out for the current World Cup leader and the local favourite Sandra Naeslund (SWE) who is leading the ranking with one victory and two second place finishes so far this season.

Naeslund also won both of the last year’s races in Idre and never finished outside the podium on her home course in Sweden. It’s fair to expect that she will be looking to continue her winning streak also this year.

Besides the 2017 World Champion Naeslund, also keep an eye on the current second, third and fourth placers in the World Cup rankings - Fanny Smith (SUI), Marielle Thomson (CAN) and Marielle Berger Sabbatel (FRA) - who all have placed on the podium in Idre in the previous years.

Over on the men’s side it’s the Midol brothers, Bastien and Jonathan leading the field in first and second place respectively after three races of the Audi FIS Cross Alps Tour in December.

Going further down the list we have Brady Leman (CAN) in third, with the Swiss Ski Cross team duo of Joos Berry and Alex Fiva in fourth and fifth.

Leman and Fiva know well how to put it down when when it counts in Idre, as they both have landed on top of the podium before. Leman won the second race in Idre back in 2017, while Fiva topped the field in 2017 and 2018. Looking into this weekend’s back-to-back races, count on the two veterans to use their experience to push for the win in Sweden again this season.

WATCH LIVE:

19/01
ORF Sport+, Eurosport Player, L´Equipe, Ziggo Sport 14/Ziggo Select, Polsat Sport Extra, SLO 2, SVT 1

20/01
Eurosport Player, Ziggo Sport 14/Ziggo Select, Polsat Sport News, SLO 2, SVT 1

QUICK LINKS