Austrians praise piste

ByEurosport

Published 14/02/2006 at 09:44 GMT

After a series of high-speed crashes on Monday, the jury is out on the new-look women's downhill piste at San Sicario. Sweden's Anja Paerson concedes that it is a more demanding ride but the confident Austrian team feels it provides a perfect test for the

Defending champion Carole Montillet, medal hopeful Lindsey Kildow and Canada's Allison Forsyth were all taken to hospital after nasty spills during the second training. All three look set to miss the centrepiece Alpine race on Wednesday.

Ironically, the three kilometre Frianeve course was redesigned recently after skiers at last year's world cup event complained that it was too easy.

2006 torino 13/02 downhill training montillet

Image credit: Eurosport

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Sweden's Anja Paerson said the changes, and snow conditions on Monday, had made the course more challenging.

"It's difficult because you don't know how fast it goes," Paerson told Eurosport. "If you miss your line a little you don't have time to adapt.

"The faster you go, the more difficult it becomes to absorb the bumps," she added, with reference to the undulating piste which provoked Kildow's crash.

But not all Paerson's competitors share her view that the revamped course is harder. Croatia's Janica Kostelic, who won three gold medals and a silver in 2002, said: "Yes, it has changed a lot but it's also a lot slower than last year so it's not a big problem."

ALPINE SKIING 2005-2006 Ofterschwang Janica Kostelic

Image credit: dpa

Kostelic, 16th in training on Monday, told Eurosport that she was confused with the amount of high-speed casualties the course had caused.

"I don't know what's happening," said the 25-year-old. "Maybe today the girls are trying harder because the snow is different. But it's hard to say because I didn't see any difference."

Kostelic's appreciation of the new slope was shared by the Austrian trio aiming for a unique treble on Wednesday.

Renate Goetschl, second in Monday's training session, said that the course was "a little bit better than last year." She added: "It's nice, they have managed to build up a good track quite well."

Team-mate Alexandra Meissnitzer, third on Monday, went even further by saying the piste was "much better than last year. It's a beautiful descent."

ALPINE SKIING 2005-2006 Torino 2006 Austria Meissnitzer

Image credit: dpa

Fastest in training on Sunday, the favourite Michaela Dorfmeister concluded that the piste was perfectly suited to the Austrian team.

"The downhill track pleases us a lot," she said. "I think that we Austrian's cope well with the demanding upper section of the track. There are bumps and technically it is very demanding. There is a new jump, and we can all jump well.

"We trained a lot in the summer and that is why we won't have any problems."

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