Austria's departure full of optimism: On the speed season in Beaver Creek!

Austria's departure full of optimism: On the speed season in Beaver Creek!

Beaver Creek, USA - The Austrian descendants are optimistic about the upcoming start of the Alpinski season in Beaver Creek. Despite a moderate pre-season, in which only a second place was achieved, the team around Leithirsch Vincent Kriechmayr, who was last successful in the Super-G in 2021, shows well. As OE24 reported, the team won the finishing touches in Copper Mountain before the competitions in North America. Everything indicates excellent conditions, even if productive fresh snow made the training preparations somewhat difficult. Head coach Marko Pfeifer is convinced: "The whole team is ready, the mood is excellent. It is also important that everyone is healthy." In addition to a departure, a Super-G and a giant slalom are also on the program from Friday to Sunday.

anticipation and challenges

Although the pre-season of the departure was unexpectedly weak, new optimism is shown by the athletes. Vincent Kriechmayr in particular, who has not been on the podium in Beaver Creek since 2019, would like to end this catastrophic run and build on previous successes. "The past few years have been modest, I haven't made it onto the podium since 2019," said Kriechmayr. This anticipation is reinforced by the current uncertainty, since the first planned Super-G was canceled due to inconsistent weather conditions, as the FIS reported. "It's a bad feeling to wait for the races, but we are preparing ourselves every day," said Simon Jocher from Germany. Daniel Hemetsberger also describes the situation as unsatisfactory and tries to concentrate on the essentials using fitness and training: "I have my material together and am confident."

The descendants must now hope for better conditions, especially if it continues again on December 15th and 16th in Val Gardena/Val Gardena. While the athletes are currently struggling with uncertainties and capricious weather, the fighting spirit remains unbroken. "It's just super unhappy. I have been ready for a while, but I can't do my job," complains Jared Goldberg, an American athlete. Despite the demanding training conditions, the cohesion in the team is strong and the athletes are determined to make the best of the situation.