European Cup in Obereggen, Swiss big favorites

European Cup in Obereggen, Swiss big favorites

Switzerland will be the big chase when the historic European Cup slalom in Obereggen takes place next Monday. The Swiss field a strong team, led by defending champion Reto Schmidiger. But watch out for Norway’s Mikkel Remsoey, momentary leader of the European Cup slalom standings. Or will it be Tommaso Saccardi, triumphant in the Levi slalom, who will give the Azzurri their first victory since Patrick Thaler won back in 2011?

Switzerland vs. Norway. One day after the World Cup slalom in Val d’Isère and the European Cup slalom in Val di Fassa, the traditional European Cup slalom in Obereggen will be held next Monday. It will be held on the selective Maierl slope, which has been open to the public since late November. In past years, many top athletes have had to deal with the perfidies of this challenging slope.
It è was not so for the Swiss. A year ago, 32-year-old Reto Schmidiger won ahead of compatriot Matthias Iten. Both are also on this year’s provisional entry list, which – as usual in the European Cup – could change until the bib draw, scheduled for Sunday evening.
The provisional list of the Swiss national team also includes Noel von Grünigen, son of’former giant slalom ruler Michael von Grünigen, and Reto Mächler. On paper, a Switzerland-Norway duel is on the horizon. The Norwegians, in fact, will field Mikkel Remsoey, momentary leader of the European Cup slalom standings after two races, and Oscar Andreas Sandvik, winner of the first European Cup slalom of the season in Levi.

Azzurri dry since 2011. Eyes are also on the Azzurri. Tommaso Saccardi arrives in Obereggen after winning the second of two European Cup slaloms in Levi. In addition, 29-year-old Simon Maurberger, originally from the Aurina Valley, è determined to return to the top level this season. The Italian national team has not won in Obereggen for more than a decade: the last successes date back to Patrick Thaler (2011) and Giuliano Razzoli (2009). A total of 22 nations have submitted entry lists for the Obereggen race.

What the chief organizer says. Eduard “Edi” Pichler, chairman of the organizing committee as well as race director, è confident that on Monday there will be good conditions for the race. "Today, Friday, the Maierl track will be treated with the sprinkler bar and prepared for the race. Tests on Thursday confirmed that the snow density and temperature are adequate", he says. The weather forecast is also of no concern, as no heavy snowfall or sudden temperature rises are expected for the weekend.

The race. The first heat will startà at 10:00 am, the second at 1:00 pm. RaiSport will broadcast a summary of the race on Monday at 11:00 p.m. and Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.