After missing the final

ÖSV giant slalom racers: “It’s frustrating”

Patrick Feurstein recently finished 23rd in the second Aspen giant slalom(Bild: GEPA pictures)

With the cancellation of the World Cup giant slalom in Kranjska Gora (Slo) at the weekend, it is also clear who the participants in the grand finale in Saalbach are. Unlike in the past two seasons, Patrick Feurstein from Vorarlberg will not be taking part, and is doubly hurt by the race being canceled.

"Cancelling the giant slalom in Kransjka Gora really hurts me," admits Patrick Feurstein, who also lost his very last theoretical chance to qualify for the World Cup final of the top 25 in Saalbach on March 17. "Of course, qualifying for the final was a goal again this season. But even if it hadn't worked out, the race would have been important for me because of the World Cup start list." The Mellau native will therefore finish the giant slalom World Cup with 59 points as the fifth best Austrian in 31st place.

The season so far has not gone according to plan for Patrick Feurstein.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

When it gets icy, the grip is lacking
Definitely not what the police athlete had imagined and planned. The season started promisingly: in the aborted race in Sölden, the Head pilot was in 18th place after race one, just four tenths of a second behind a top 10 place. In Val d'Isère (Fra) in December, he finished 16th - which ended up being his best result of the season. "I just have my problems in certain conditions," says Patrick, who failed to qualify for the second run in the first Alta Badia race, in Schladming and most recently at the USA tour in Palisades Tahoe and the first Aspen "giant". "As soon as it gets icy, I just don't have the grip."

Lufthansa strike makes planning difficult
He proved that he can still be very fast with strong split times. "It's frustrating because I know that I haven't forgotten how to ski and that I can keep up in other conditions," explains the man from Bregenzerwald, who wants to take off for Norway tomorrow. "However, as Lufthansa is on strike on Friday and we would have flown from Munich, we had to look for a new transportation solution," reveals Feurstein, who will then ski the two European Cup giant slalom races in Trysil on the 13th and 14th and is now taking off from Zurich. "For me, this season is still about getting my FIS points down. They are very modest at the moment..."