 Poster: A snowHead
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The Olympic downhill course at Sestriere - due to stage the men's downhill on 12 February - has quite inadequate snow, according to FIS World Cup officials.
The authoritative US website Ski Racing quotes World Cup race director Guenter Hujara, currently in Wengen for the Lauberhorn event this weekend:
"If you ask me, ‘Can I get to the start,' I would say no," he said “It’s not like you have just a little snow. You have nothing.”
Ski Racing reports that FIS officials, who recently visited the site, want to see urgent snowmaking and transport of snow to the course, and coverage of rocks which are considered hazardous.
Here is the full article.
Anyone in the Milky Way area at present, and able to take a look at the location? It would be interesting to know more about this.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Typical Italian planning.
1 gear forward & 10 in reverse.
I wouldnt worry about reports from the Americans they probably like a min 1 metre base, where as the Europeans will ski on a sheet of 5mm ice if neccesary 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Are they Americans?
The article only quotes Helmut Schmalzl and Guenter Hujara.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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They also have tons of snowmaking equipment there and it is plenty cold enough at the moment...........i'm sure they'll have it covered, but will artifical stuff make a different race?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Maybe they're strapped for cash and are gambling on the weather turning lucky, but the FIS guys are right. This is an area of the Alps where extended snow droughts have been problematic over the past decade.
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Other half is in Sestriere this week. He says they've had the snowmaking turned on on the downhill course non stop, and it looks pretty well covered at the moment (in contrast to the rest of the resort, which has had it's snowmaking resources diverted to the downhill course).
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The Turin Olympics organisers (TUROC) have dismissed FIS criticisms of the state of the men's downhill course at Sestriere. They insist that snow preparation for the race is going to plan.
This updated report from SkiRacing.com
The following is part of a statement issued by TUROC:
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| "Thanks to the constant activity of the snowmaking system, to the hard work of the Technical crew (120 military, Ski instructors, volunteers and staff) and the snow brought by helicopter from the Forest Corps directly on the field of play, as of today the operations of preparation can be considered absolutely in line with the program." |
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Slightly off piste but it sounds as if the snow is going fine according to the same shambolic plan as Turin Airport's renovation. The place is a mess. Virtually no facilities (not that there were many in the first place...) and looking to be well behind any sane project manager's plan. As for the transport infrastructure...and the signposting...you just have to love the Italians sense of glorious disorganisation.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Just back from Sestriere, and yesterday skied the men's downhill and the Giant Slalom and Slalom runs (and on Friday the ladies' downhill in San Sicario). All are well covered with mostly artificial snow. They'd been running the cannons and working on these continuously since last weekend, to the extent that piste preparation in the rest of the resort has existed solely of driving a piste machine up and down the few runs they had open for recreational skiers. Fortunately, apart from our 50-strong group, there were very few other skiers in the resort so we got in plenty of skiing. There was actually very little ice as there was hardly anyone else there and temperatures have been very cold (typically -14C at 9am) all week.
We did take the bus from Sestriere to Cesana two days, and skied Claviere and Montgenevre one day and San Sicario the other: everywhere was very quiet which was good as the thin cover on the slopes not covered by cannon wasn't being worn out - but all the resorts needs some serious snow.
There are two big new lifts in Sestriere: a gondola up the top of Mt Fratieve(sp?) - top of San Sicario - which was test running but not open to customers, and a cable car from the valley bottom to half way up the Borgata hill - can't think what the point of this is apart from an expensive bus!
The links over the Sauze during the week have as already mentioned been by skidoo (a litttle hairy!), but on saturday the slow single-seater chair was running. The run back down to Sestriere was officially closed, although it was skiable with care to the halfway station: again the cover is thin so any amount of traffic would wear it out quickly.
However, I am glad to see that where we're off in less that two weeks time, has, in the last 24hrs, had more snow than Sestriere has had all winter! 
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Latest reports are that FIS are a bit happier now:
Turin ski courses ready: IOC official
TURIN, Italy (AP) - IOC executive Gilbert Felli ruled out problems of snow cover at the tracks which will host alpine ski races next month, and said Saturday that the courses were ready.
"The Olympic mountains need a snowfall only to offer a pleasant postcard view to the world following the games on television ... the tracks are ready for the races," Felli told the Italian news agency ANSA after an inspection of the ski courses at Sestriere.
Felli skied down parts of some tracks, including the men's downhill course whose condition had been questioned by the International Ski Federation.
FIS said last week that there was insufficient snow cover on the upper part of the downhill course.
"They (FIS officials) have been here one week ago and in the meantime the situation has greatly improved," Felli said. "Thanks to the work of Alpine soldiers and to snowmaking system I could see at least two metres of snow. And things appear to have improved also under the point of view of security."
Felli said that FIS officials will be enthusiastic when they inspect the Olympic tracks again, probably next week.
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