Levi World Cup

[K2 Rat]

Although FIS Snow Control is not until Nov 2, it is looking pretty promising for racing in Levi this year.

 

[K2 Rat]

Levi started the injection process today. Looks like they will be racing!! And this race is only 2 weeks before Killington ( yikes !!)

 

[LKLA]

And if you look at the weather over there its def cooler than at Killington but not by much. Still seeing temps in the 40s and even 50.

 

[K2 Rat]

And if you look at the weather over there its def cooler than at Killington but not by much. Still seeing temps in the 40s and even 50.

Well, they definitely had some decent windows of snowmaking. Plus, I read they saved enough snow under the insulation tamps from last year, like Kitzbuhel, to cover half the race trail. Killington unfortunately has had really zero snowmaking opportunities. Not over yet though !!

 

[K2 Rat]

This storing of snow is very interesting and maybe we see more of this in the future for early tech races . Killington next year ??!!

FIS gave officially green light for Levi World Cup
Levi World Cup will be held in one week. Although the race hill has had the white snow cover already for several weeks, the race needs to be approved by the International Ski Federation FIS. Today FIS gave Levi officially green light: the situation with snow is good and the race is on.
The snow depots used for the race hill were a much better success than expected. First time this spring Levi stored tens of thousands of cupic meters of snow and the snow mass was spread out successfully to the race hill in October. At the moment the slope consists of 80% stored snow and 20% of natural snow mixed with man made snow. In the beginning of this week the organizers injected the Levi Black slope, which means that the surface of the hill was iced rock solid. The ten minus degrees that Levi has at the moment guarantee that the slope stays almost icy until the slalom races on 11.-12.11.
Chief of Race for the Levi World Cup, Petri Tuomikoski, has spend the past few days at the race slope with an icing crew of 25.
- We didn't try to make the slope into an ice skating rink, but the surface is once again very ice like prior in Levi. This means that the conditions will be fair for everyone, because the surface will not wear out, promises Tuomikoski.
On Saturday, one week before the ladies' race, Levi Black race hill will be closed and the training will continue in other slopes of the ski resort. Although the race hill is in principle race ready, Tuomikoski with his crew monitor the conditions and are ready to react if needed.

 

[SkiSpeed]

Ski Racing reports the course setters for this weekend:

Women's: Giovanni Luca Rulfi (Italy) & Alois Prenn (Switzerland)
Men's: Daniele Simoncelli (Italy) & Marko Pfeifer (Austria)

I like this new rule where course setters are selected 5 days before the actual race v. at the start of the season. Adds another layer of pre-race info and intrigue!

 

[Muleski]

I like this new rule where course setters are selected 5 days before the actual race v. at the start of the season. Adds another layer of pre-race info and intrigue!

Thanks for posting.

We'll see how this plays out. Most coaches who set on the WC take the responsibility very seriously, and have put a lot of work into it. There is a lot of knowledge and experience, specific to each hill, in that group. This doesn't change that, but I think it changes the game plan.

If you have set on a hill before, perhaps a couple of times, you are almost certainly going to set a "better" course. Take advantage of every nuance. The terrain, the shadows as the sun moves, etc. You know it. I can think of a lot of North American venues, and knowing the hill makes for a much better set.

So, in the past, when FIS made the course setting announcements in the summer, the coach setting would often do a fair amount of homework long before his assigned event came up on the calendar. Might reach out to others who had set there, etc. Might look at some data, video, pictures. Might even visit the hill again.

So that preparation is out the window. I'm not sure if that is a pro or a con. Just don't know. Might make it better.

We have seen one race under the new system. It was complicated by the weather forcing the lower start at Soelden. That first run was a strange set, for the hill. Very fast, very straight down the main hill and pitch. Then quite stacked up on the bottom flat. I heard the comment made that it was almost like the setter lost count of how many gates he had on the hill and had to "squeeze" them in. I seriously doubt that.

Should be no issue at Levi, at all. All of these guys know the hill, and it's not so complicated.
I think it will be interesting to see the first men's GS set, on the new skis, at Beaver Creek.

It does add some intrigue, I guess. Not sure if the old method was problematic, though. Many conspiracy theories always abound! Or thoughts of certain skiers being favored, etc. Not sure if I buy that too much.

It does take away any training over the week to try to anticipate what you'd see. It also takes away the old days of looking forward to the Kostelic set on the calendar.

For some who used to follow Greg Needell's blog, he always had comments about the upcoming races, and on hills where it mattered, what the course set might look like based on the coursesetter. And if it was somebody new to the hill, etc., he'd often write that he had no idea what to expect...or that the hill might present a real challenge for the setter. I have no idea how many WC courses GN had set. A LOT.

This is something new, and should be interesting. Good stuff!

 

[Jack skis]

Those Greg Needell blog posts about races, course setting, athletes, and place to eat and sleep while traveling with the team in Europe were very, very, good. As some one who is a long time ski race enthusiast I really miss his insight, knowledge, and willingness to share with the rest of us. And then of course, there were those Kostleic course sets. They didn't really make anyone go crazy did they?

 

[K2 Rat]

Those Greg Needell blog posts about races, course setting, athletes, and place to eat and sleep while traveling with the team in Europe were very, very, good. As some one who is a long time ski race enthusiast I really miss his insight, knowledge, and willingness to share with the rest of us. And then of course, there were those Kostleic course sets. They didn't really make anyone go crazy did they?

I agree. Although I did not know Greg, I really enjoyed his blog. It gave us an inside look/ behind the scenes feel like no one else ever has. RIP .

Speaking of interesting sets, and it was not the work of Kostelic , was first run at men's SL '15 Worlds at Vail. Not often you see a flush set virtually across the hill

 

[Muleski]

Greg's blog was just great. Few know the sport, had his very, very recent insight {and relationships} and were willing to write {and wrote well}. It was great.

Very sad to see him gone. Tragic loss. RIP.

Having said that. I know that he had tried to "monetize" it, and that was really difficult. During some of those years when his real jobs were pretty darn demanding, I think the labor of love in it was wearing thin. People wanted all of the information and "dirt," and wanted it for free. Or darn close.

He was world class, had worked in the business all of his adult life, and had world class information and relationships. In most careers, when you reach that point, you can trade on that wisdom and experience and do quite well. Yet another example of how it's so hard in this sport.

When people complain about the cost of raising a ski racer, or of ski racing in general, they probably do not realize how underpaid coaches are. Full time, best in class. Often struggling.

I would love if somebody else would pick up where Greg left off. Perhaps somebody will give it a try next season. I think we'll see a few coaches on the sidelines, with some time.

 

[Started at 53]

Greg's blog was just great. Few know the sport, had his very, very recent insight {and relationships} and were willing to write {and wrote well}. It was great.

Very sad to see him gone. Tragic loss. RIP.

Having said that. I know that he had tried to "monetize" it, and that was really difficult. During some of those years when his real jobs were pretty darn demanding, I think the labor of love in it was wearing thin. People wanted all of the information and "dirt," and wanted it for free. Or darn close.

He was world class, had worked in the business all of his adult life, and had world class information and relationships. In most careers, when you reach that point, you can trade on that wisdom and experience and do quite well. Yet another example of how it's so hard in this sport.

When people complain about the cost of raising a ski racer, or of ski racing in general, they probably do not realize how underpaid coaches are. Full time, best in class. Often struggling.

I would love if somebody else would pick up where Greg left off. Perhaps somebody will give it a try next season. I think we'll see a few coaches on the sidelines, with some time.

When I found out the amount of prize money in FIS WC skiing I was shocked to say the least. Sure some of the stars, LV, Bode, Svindal and a few others are making nice money via endorsements, but WOW! Sad so see the skiers so poorly compensated. And the coaching compensation is a direct correlation to skier prize funds.

 

[BGreen]

And then of course, there were those Kostleic course sets. They didn't really make anyone go crazy did they?

Ted Ligety

Speaking of interesting sets, and it was not the work of Kostelic , was first run at men's SL '15 Worlds at Vail. Not often you see a flush set virtually across the hill

Diagonal flush into an into hairpin? That's brilliant. I'm stealing that for training.

 

[Muleski]

Diagonal flush into an into hairpin? That's brilliant. I'm stealing that for training.

HaHa, that will be popular with the kids!

 

[Muleski]

When I found out the amount of prize money in FIS WC skiing I was shocked to say the least. Sure some of the stars, LV, Bode, Svindal and a few others are making nice money via endorsements, but WOW! Sad so see the skiers so poorly compensated. And the coaching compensation is a direct correlation to skier prize funds.

It's not much, you are 100% correct. The money largely flows to the very top athletes, absolutely. The money is in the ski contracts, and other endorsement deals. Such as some of the RedBull deals, Rolex, etc. The headgear sponsor for the really big guns pays very well.

Those few at the very do make very good money. Multiple millions for the very best.

I would not link coach compensation to prize money or athlete earnings, though. The income is simply too low, throughout the sport, and it's starting to cause problems. Good coaches leaving for other careers. Coaches eager to move away from the actual working on the hill, which pays very little, to more club management deals. And, fewer wiling to enter the sport as a career. You have college loans? Non starter. What has never been much pay now looks like very low pay

The issue is that people have always been willing to do it for modest incomes, because of their love of sport. Now, the incomes are often below "modest." Many of these jobs are not full time, year round. Health insurance benefits are a bigger issue than ever, for example.

I think it is more of a problem in the USA. Less so in Europe. I predict you'll see some of our best working outside the USA in the future as a result.

It's very, very interesting to me when a family paying well over $100K a year for a ski academy and all of the other related ski expenses finds out just how little their kid's full time coach is paid. Almost shocking.

Their kid is chasing a dream of the USST, with the NCAA fall back. So, yes, they expect great coaching. So when they somehow learn the facts, they don't get it. Have only had that conversation a few hundred times with parents.

And most coaches take a pay cut when they coach on the USST, BTW. Not exactly paying the best, the most. Far from it. It's for a bit of a delayed payday, at best. That surprises many. When you get an NFL job, you normally make a lot more money.

This is not new. We sort of bury our heads in the sand over it. I do sense that some parents writing big checks are more aware, and not so delighted about the coaching situation. As things continue to shift, with more having elite expectations, the coaching expectations change. If you are successful enough to be spending $500K, $1Mil or a lot more on a kid's racing, the comment that "we can't hire coaches, or we can't afford to pay coaches, or to compete with....." all sounds just bad.

Which leads some parents to say "We can", hence the numbers of private coaches now coaching kids. Not predominant by any means, but not unheard of.

"If we paid more, we'd have to either raise fees or do more fundraising!" says the club program director, executive director, or academy head. Yeah. And your point is????

It seems so obvious. Some parents would be eager to step it up. Others can't. And another group simply will not.

Of course the whole spectrum of fully funded USST members to partially funded, and then non funded independents all racing in USST uniforms is a different topic.

If somebody could blog, and make some decent money once they retire, they might be all over it. Hard to do. Maybe we'll see a former coach pick it up next season?

I miss Greg, and the blog. He did a great job with it.

 

[Primoz]

I think it is more of a problem in the USA. Less so in Europe.

Unfortunately for everyone involved in skiing, but luckily for you (as you can keep your coaches home easier), it's same shit in Europe too. Things were better, and I mean A LOT better at time when I was around, but nowadays salaries over here are close to pathetic. And it really doesn't matter if it's Austria, France, Slovenia, Finland or any other country. And what's worse is, that World cup is worse. In clubs you don't get rich, but at least your workload, your away from home time etc. is super low compared to WC guys. And it's actually all over the industry. It's same for coaches as well as service guys, including the ones paid by companies (ski, boots, wax etc.). In my time we were living really good from this, especially considering we were basically working 10months/year at max. Nowadays, most of contracts are done for those 8-10months, and without going into much of details, you end up with so little money I really wonder why anyone wants to do this job nowadays. Afterall, we still do jobs mostly because of money.

 

[Rudi Riet]

Diagonal flush into an into hairpin? That's brilliant. I'm stealing that for training.

I've set that in training and at races. It's fun seeing the young racers scratch their heads at the set (and many get completely twisted up during the race), while the in-the-know coaches simply nod approvingly.

My setting philosophy for races is: a race is a test. It's not a gimme, it's not there to coddle - it's there to test the preparedness of the athletes. And that goes doubly for state and regional championship events. Setting a course that tests the complete skill set of a racer is, to me, the goal. If they trained well and are prepared, even a "weird" set will be something the athlete can handle.

 

[ScotsSkier]

I've set that in training and at races. It's fun seeing the young racers scratch their heads at the set (and many get completely twisted up during the race), while the in-the-know coaches simply nod approvingly.

.

Yes! Diagonal flush is always fun! i saw a lot of U16/U19 sets like that about 3 seasons ago but not so many lately. The weirdest thing about it is just how many racers - even the good ones! - get locked into that diagonal trajectory and really screw up and get late on the exit!

 

[4ster]

Here is the weekend schedule

https://usskiandsnowboard.org/news/shiffrin-ready-levi

 

[Muleski]

I love to watch any and all WC racing.

This might be a very, very long year.

In SL, we can root for MS to win every single time out of the gate. Undeniably the best ever. We can root for Resi to ski well, and maybe move up second run. Top 15's are good results these days for Resi. Megan McJames is a long shot to qualify for a second run. She's an independent, did not meet USST criteria, and I admire her perseverance in sticking with it. Pretty amazing that we only have three women to start.

On the men's side. We have Dave "Chowder" Choudusky. Our lone A team, fully funded SL skier. Dave can bring it, and I'm rooting for him to do so. A top 10 would be nice. AJ Ginnis and Mark Engel are pretty young, and on the team. Michael Ankeny is back to being an independent, and off the team. Robby Kelly made the call to decline a team nomination two years ago, feeling that changing gears to strictly ski SL, and doing in "OP", on his own program would be best. Hig Roberts is a former B Team skier, dropped in the spring of 2016. Like all five of these guys, Hig has jets. He can be as fast as anybody. Every one of these guys is in the same place. Fighting to qualify for a second run, and then finish it well, and score some WC points. Really hard to do. I think if any of them score this weekend, it's a win. They are all similar skiers.

So we look at reasonable expectations, and maybe beating them....or at least I do. It will be a miracle if we see a men's podium finish in SL this season. And a bigger one if we see one from any woman other than MS.

We're paying for Bill Marolt's plan for "Best in the World." It meant wins, medals and podiums in every event....and no so much focus on development and depth.

Hoping for a good weekend!

 

[Started at 53]

My DVR is set for both days