Downhill ski races at Matterhorn to make World Cup debut

By: The Associated Press Posted: 7:20 AM CST Friday, Jan. 28, 2022 Last Modified: 10:01 AM CST Friday, Jan. 28, 2022

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ZERMATT, Switzerland (AP) — Skiing’s newest downhill course that crosses between Switzerland and Italy next to the Matterhorn mountain will have its debut World Cup races in October, the International Ski Federation said Friday.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/01/2022 (1368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The available dates are Oct. 29-30 and Nov. 5-6 for back-to-back weekends of two downhills each for men and women.

“FIS is giving speed athletes an earlier start to the season and the Alpine World Cup a season without interruptions thanks to two additional race weekends,” skiing’s governing body said.

FILE - A 'Matterhorn-Express' gondola lift in front of Matterhorn mountain in the Zermatt ski resort, in Zermatt, Switzerland, March 18, 2020. Skiing’s newest downhill course that crosses between Switzerland and Italy next to the Matterhorn mountain will have its debut World Cup races in October, the International Ski Federation said Friday. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP, File)

The first downhill races each season are currently in Lake Louise, Canada, starting late November.

The earliest start for the downhill season is possible on glacier snow near upscale resort Zermatt at the storied mountain. It is known as the Matterhorn on the Swiss side and Cervino by Italians.

FIS hopes the course will have environmental gains for a sport threatened by climate change and warmer temperatures.

“All teams will be able to take advantage of on-site training throughout the year,” FIS president Johan Eliasch said. “This will reduce travel to long-distance venues in the southern hemisphere.”

The high-altitude course is designed by Didier Defago, the 2010 Olympics downhill champion who is FIS’s test racer for new courses designed for Winter Games, including in China next month.

Because a key cable car will not be completed in time, the first Matterhorn races will run from below the start at 3,900 meters (12,800 foot) that it will eventually use.