World Cup Finals 2019 (how about everything in one thread)

[Lifer]

The first section is the same track. At 15 seconds in, the line (and airtime), yes is clearly different. After 25-27 seconds, the track is identical to the finish.
Check it out - side by side - NBC Gold or wherever. Just sayin'. My statement that the track was Identical for the boys and girls was incorrect - for 12 seconds.

 

[Ivan]

I was never in Andorra, but years ago I was in nearby Spanish resort, and no matter how it might sound (as people don't really equal Spain with skiing), skiing conditions and terrain around there is actually pretty awesome. For Andorra I heard just good things, as tourism (and duty free zone) is only thing that runs there money. So I heard ski resorts are great and skiing is good, even though I heard winter this year is sort of same as we have/had here... shitty.

Just my two cents: Andorra is a very popular ski destination among Russians. Russia is not a particularly rich country, so many people who want to go skiing somewhere are looking for a budget option, and Andorra seems to be a very good value proposition. Decent skiing at lower prices than "big" destination like Austria, Switzerland, Italy, or France. I (or anyone in my family) have never been to Andorra though.

 

[NZRob]

@NZRob main thing is time left for conditioning. 10 or 15 years ago, everyone started skiing by the end of August or something like this. Today, normal thing on WC is to ski somewhere till May or even a bit longer if possible, then you take some time off, and you start skiing again on beginning of July. And once you are on snow, you have not much chance to get basic conditioning through. Snow trainings require different stuff then plain endurance tranings. Sure time in gym on afternoon is one thing, but if you want to be fresh on snow in morning, you can't afford much on afternoon. Today guys can push heavier weight on bench press then they did 10 years ago, but unfortunately kilos on bench press doesn't bring what you need in last few turns of Wengen DH. And with all this pushing for as many as possible snow days, you lose time for basic conditioning. And we will skip "advances in nutrition" when we are talking about alpine skiers, ok?

Thanks, that's really interesting, and something I hadn't thought about. And of course lack of conditioning being a major correlation to more frequent injury.

Re the nutrition, reminds me of cyclings Vittoria Bussi beating the hour world record last year, the day after eating a bad mexican pizza for dinner.

 

[Pete in Idaho]

Just my two cents: Andorra is a very popular ski destination among Russians. Russia is not a particularly rich country, so many people who want to go skiing somewhere are looking for a budget option, and Andorra seems to be a very good value proposition. Decent skiing at lower prices than "big" destination like Austria, Switzerland, Italy, or France. I (or anyone in my family) have never been to Andorra though.[/QUOTE

Ivan, sort of like Northern Idaho 40 and 50 dollar lift ticket, $3.00 craft beer, good snow and friendly people.

 

[Seldomski]

bad mexican pizza

Is there another kind of mexican pizza?

 

[NZRob]

Is there another kind of mexican pizza?

LOL, well Bussi did point out that it's particularly bad for an Italian

 

[4ster]

& there is Rebensburg again

Congrats to the globalists

 

[Swede]

Just my two cents: Andorra is a very popular ski destination among Russians. Russia is not a particularly rich country, so many people who want to go skiing somewhere are looking for a budget option, and Andorra seems to be a very good value proposition. Decent skiing at lower prices than "big" destination like Austria, Switzerland, Italy, or France. I (or anyone in my family) have never been to Andorra though.

Agree, there are very good skiing in the Pyrenées. Both in Spain and on the French side. Good alternative to the alps if you've been there done that (haven't been to Andorra thou). And when in Spain ... there's also the OG Sierra Nevada. Close to Malaga. Surpisingly good skiing I hear, never been there myself.

 

[Swede]

Sweden-Switzerland (that'll be confusing for the less geographically versed) already in the 1/4 team event again!

 

[Primoz]

Imagine it would be Slovakia vs. Slovenia Someone might file official complain with FIS why one country can compete against themself and have guaranteed advance into next round

 

[newfydog]

Hey, I once drove halfway to Slovenia trying to get to Slovakia. The signs out of Vienna read SLO, seemed to be the way.

 

[James]

Imagine it would be Slovakia vs. Slovenia Someone might file official complain with FIS why one country can compete against themself and have guaranteed advance into next round

Wouldn't that be Slovakia vs Czech Republic?
Speaking of which, are we now to call it "Czechia"??
Apparently this happened 3 years ago, but due to the time UPS takes to get a package out of Eastern Europe we're just finding out about it.

 

[Primoz]

@newfydog hahaha really? SLO is for Slovenia, SVK is for Slovakia, but yeah we are always getting mixed. For skiing it's a bit easier... Vlhova is Slovakia, Stuhec is Slovenia
@James some 30 years ago there were 2 countries. One was Yugoslavia, and the other was Czechoslovakia. Then Czechoslovakia split to Czech republic and Slovakia. Yugoslavia more or less peacefully split to Slovenia (relatively peacefully), Croatia (not even close to peacefully), Bosnia and Herzegovina (where all hell broke loose), Serbia (who made sure that all hell broke loose in Bosnia and Croatia, and that we had something called "war" for 10 days in Slovenia), Macedonia and Montenegro.
But what I wanted to say with my previous post, is that most of people mix Slovenia and Slovakia or in worse case they even think that's same country. So I was joking that if Slovenia would be skiing against Slovakia, someone might think same country is trying to eliminate same country, sort of like Austria skiing against Austria. Just joke, nothing more

 

[James]

Maybe they should get more creative with their flags?

Serbia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Croatia

Hey @Primoz , who's responsible for making the blue course lines? Do they do it by just wedging down? Would seem pretty difficult on injected speed courses.

 

[no edge]

& there is Rebensburg again
View attachment 68529

This!

 

[hbear]

A good course dye guy is responsible. Need to be a good skier (pack is not light). And most important know what they are doing as it’s VERY hard to “undo” a bad line.....and the world can see you messed up!

Side lines are not too hard, the ones at the gate are a bit trickier!

No rocket science, normally done daily by coaches for our courses here.

 

[karlo]

Need to be a good skier (pack is not light)

Maybe this is what they do for fun on their days off,

https://www.pugski.com/threads/mountain-rescue-in-a-hurry.14622/

 

[Swede]

A good course dye guy is responsible. Need to be a good skier (pack is not light). And most important know what they are doing as it’s VERY hard to “undo” a bad line.....and the world can see you messed up!

Side lines are not too hard, the ones at the gate are a bit trickier!

No rocket science, normally done daily by coaches for our courses here.

I think James was thinking about one of the steeper hills on the men’s WC—prepared the hard way with 600-700 kgs water per qubicmetre. Most skiers wouldn’t be able to skid down.

 

[Primoz]

Hey @Primoz , who's responsible for making the blue course lines? Do they do it by just wedging down? Would seem pretty difficult on injected speed courses.

Wedging down would mean what? Sorry sometimes my English is just not enough. Otherwise for WC races, there are guys from local organization that do this. For side lines they do it on their own, for lines marking bumps, jumps and compressions (that go 90 degree on race track) it's normally Trinkl or Vuillet (FIS speed assistant race directors) who tell where lines should be. It's not really rocket science, but it's a bit harder for these lines that mark bumps and jumps, as they go over race line, and you want to keep number of those on minimum as everyone are bitching about them, as it really slows you down when you ski over. But in diffuse light they are only orientation what to expect, so you need some experiences to find compromise between painting race track blue and keeping it fast
As for flags... I totally agree with you. Add Russian flag and it's great to mix us all with Russia. Slovenian and Slovakian flags are totally identical except for coat of arms that are different (not all that visible when flags are small), and Russian is same, just without coat of arms on it. I agree guys designing them had great imagination

 

[James]

Wedging down would mean what?

Chasse neige in French.

What everyone except 1st and 4th guys from left are doing on the Birds of Prey here. 1 and 4 are "side slipping" eceryone else is "wedging" , ("pizza" for kids), or the older term is "snowplowing". Snowplowing was a bigger wedge.

I knew someone who worked as a skipper on an injected Birds of Prey course. He said it was the scariest thing he's done on skis.