The descents on the Matterhorn were to take place a month earlier than usual. The much-criticized announcement is now followed by the meek rejection: “It was a planning error”. In the end, nature is stronger than man.
It was to be the first two-country race in the history of alpine skiing. The highest start in the World Cup at 3,720 meters and the unique natural setting in the midst of several four-thousanders should make the spectacular downhill run on the Matterhorn an event of superlatives. The men’s speed start for the coming weekend has now been canceled and the event is all about climate change. “The track on the glacier is in a condition suitable for racing, but it rained heavily in the lower part of the route. From the end of the glacier to the finish, the track is not suitable for racing and the safety of the athletes is not guaranteed either,” said the international Ski Association Fis with. The first women’s race of the season in Sölden had already been canceled due to bad weather conditions.
For the organizers of the descents on the Matterhorn, where Germany’s fastest Thomas Dreßen should celebrate his comeback, the cancellation is a shock. “We’ve done so much in the last few weeks and months. Logistically and organisationally. On the track, the team gave everything to the end so that we could also manage the lower part of the race track. Ultimately, however, we have to recognize that nature is always stronger than man,” said Franz Julen, President of the Organizing Committee for the Zermatt World Cup Downhill.
The event had caused massive criticism in the alpine scene. Above all, the date – for the first time the speed kick-off was to take place at the end of October and thus a month earlier than usual – caused a shake of the head in many places. “The time for these descents on the Matterhorn comes much too early in the season and is completely outdated,” said ex-ski star Felix Neureuther and lamented the gigantic effort: “Glacier crevasses are pushed in and due to the length of the slopes, snow-making machinery is started, which in no relation to contemporary thinking and acting”.
Fis chief race director Markus Waldner admitted a planning error. In the future, a solution must be sought “especially when scheduling the event”. “It’s probably a bit early in the calendar.” It is important to respect nature. Fis President Johan Eliasch had defended the spectacle races against criticism as usual. The Brit explained that the Matterhorn downhills were about closing the previous gap in the World Cup calendar after the season opener in Sölden. On the other hand, the new slope makes it possible to reduce the CO2 footprint because it offers all teams great training opportunities, the 60-year-old continues.
The fact is: in Zermatt, the zero-degree limit rose to over 5100 meters in summer – numerous crevasses were exposed and skiing was stopped. And because of the better training conditions in the summer, the downhillers go to South America anyway. Work is now in full swing in Zermatt so that at least the women’s races can be held on November 5th and 6th. “We give the organizers until Tuesday to make a final decision,” said FIS General Secretary Michel Vion.
