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Vincent Kriechmayr and Co. will be asked to start the downhill in Beaver Creek on Thursday...(Bild: GEPA)

It had already become apparent and now it has actually happened: The difficult snow conditions and less than encouraging weather forecasts have forced the International Ski Federation FIS to postpone the World Cup races in Beaver Creek!

The men's downhill originally scheduled for Friday - the first of the season - will be brought forward by one day and will start at 7 p.m. Due to the lack of snow in the lower sections, the course will also be shortened. This means that the exact scenario that FIS Race Director Markus Waldner had indicated to the "Krone" has now materialized. According to the weather forecasts, a bad weather front is likely to move in on Friday, "so Thursday could be an option for the downhill", Waldner said on Tuesday. 

As far as the super-G planned for Saturday is concerned, the FIS is still playing for time - whether the race can be held as planned will be determined on Thursday at 6 pm (CET) ...

Odermatt the favorite in Beaver Creek
One way or another: Austria's downhill skiers are chasing their first victory in a World Cup downhill since March 2023 on the "bird of prey slope". The hottest ÖSV iron in the supreme discipline of the alpine skiers is Vincent Kriechmayr. Although a super-G is not a downhill, the ÖSV speed squad proved that they are in good form with second to fourth places for Kriechmayr, Raphael Haaser and Stefan Babinsky in Copper Mountain. The winner there is also the favorite: Switzerland's Marco Odermatt has already stood on the podium seven times in Beaver Creek and has already won three super-Gs there. But he too is still waiting for a downhill victory in Beaver Creek.

No ÖSV victory since Walchhofer
Kriechmayr is responsible for all six red-white-red downhill victories in the past four years. On the "Birds of Prey", the Upper Austrian has only ever stood on the top step of the podium in the Super-G. The Austrians have been waiting for a downhill victory on the notorious course since 2007 (Michael Walchhofer). Kriechmayr is not bothered by the fact that it will be a little shorter. "Not that much is missing. Two jumps are missing, but we're happy that we have a race."

Hemetsberger: "It could be a relaxed season"
 Daniel Hemetsberger congratulated the organizers despite the difficult conditions. "Chapeau, because if you look all around, there's no snow anywhere." For him, a race to "almost the finish" is better than none at all, he said, referring to the uphill finish line. He believes that the best can cope well with these conditions. "A Vinci (Kriechmayr) or Odi (Odermatt), who are so successful, know exactly what it takes on race day."

He warned against overestimating the Super-G results. "A super-G is not a downhill. But we got it on the ground right after the first race. You could see what our team is capable of. Vinci anyway, he's our number one in the downhill. It could be a relaxed season," hopes the 34-year-old from Upper Austria.