ski racing: the real deal

While it's a bit disgusting, the old expression "there is more than one way to skin a cat" is a good one to describe our varied experiences of skiing here in Switzerland.  I have already written about the powder, the on-piste and off-piste and even the barn skiing.

There's also ski racing which is a sport unto itself.  On Sunday, Jeff and I took the boys to the Men's World Cup Slalom in Wengen.  Esmée opted for a sleepover and all-day playmate at her friends' house, so we took the boys' friend George with us and off we went.  It was a pre-dawn start, we weaved through the valley to Interlaken and were meant to take the train to Lauterbrunnen, but instead took a train to Grindelwald.  This happens when the ticket seller waves vaguely in the direction of a train standing at the platform, the whistle blows and you don't quite read the actual sign above the platform. You know that the trains don't wait in Switzerland, so you just assume and jump aboard.

No big deal, we assured ourselves, plan b: go to Wengen from Grindelwald instead which, given the geography, means we can access the top section of the race for the first run.  We are bundled in ski clothes, but are without our equipment.  Having been to Adelboden the week before with Jeff Turner, Ross Kappele and Paul Turner, our resident World Cup groupie Jeff concluded that it's easier to watch if you don't have your skis and poles to deal with.  It took a bit longer, but when we got off the train and half slid, half walked down to the start area, even I was excited.  This was not our usual Nancy Greene or K1 kids race, this was the big leagues baby!

start area at the Wengen slalom

 

Canadian Mike Janyk in the start

We stood a few gates down from the start and  cheered everyone on, but our "go, go, go's" + "hoop, hoop, hoop's" were exceptionally louder for the 6 Canadians in the race.  The start is much quieter than the finish.  There is a seriousness in the air, athletes are preparing.  Some are warming up their bodies and others, their minds.  You see many of them standing quietly on their own, "skiing the course" with their hands, listening to music, getting ready for the run of a lifetime.

For the second run, we went to the finish area which is wild.  Fans are cheering, music is pumping and everyone is having a good time.  There is a huge jumbotron in the finish area so you can see the top part of the course, but when a racer comes into view over the top of the last, very steep pitch, the crowd erupts and cheers each one across the finish line.

The energy was electric, especially since we were standing with the hundreds of Croatian fans there to cheer on their countryman, Ivica Kostelic.  When Kostelic finished his second run, the Croatians went wild, cheering loudly and even lighting flares and fireworks.  When the 3 skiers who came down after him failed to beat his time, they went crazy.  He won the race for the third year in a row and while he is an exceptional ski racer, there's no doubt that the wave of fan support helps get him to the top of the podium.

Croatian ski racing fans light it up for Kostelic

Graydon was determined to get some signatures on his Craigleith racing jacket.  He went to three different restaurants to find a permanent marker to borrow and with Jeff's help, he sweet talked his way into the VIP finish area and hung around waiting for an athlete to pass by.   If you look closely in the photo below, he is the one wearing a Canada hat, standing on the fence scanning the crowd for a world cup ski racer.  His perseverance paid off and he got 3rd place Fritz Dopfer's of Germany signature.  He was so thrilled and his huge smile made all the standing around in the cold worth it.   Later, at the train station, he spotted some Canadian athletes waiting to load up their van and move on to the next race.  Without any hint of shyness, he marched up to them, introduced himself and got a few more autographs on his jacket!

It was an action-packed day full of new and exciting experiences.  We all got to be a part of the World Cup action, watch some incredible skiing and take in the dramatic beauty of both Grindelwald and Wengen...  Kitzbuhl anyone?