Ski balance sheet:

“It’s just not the way it used to be!”

Manuel Traninger secured his ticket to the World Cup with his overall victory in the European Cup.

(Bild: GEPA)

The alpine skiing winter is drawing to a close - the Austrian Championships on the Reiteralm (8 - 14 April) are the last major highlight. After that, the new sports director Mario Stecher is eagerly awaiting the course he wants to set for a new upswing at the ÖSV.

For next season, Styrian sports coordinator Klaus Kröll expects few changes to the established Styrian World Cup skiers Conny Hütter (who secured the World Cup downhill globe in Saalbach), Julia Scheib, Michaela Heider, Daniel Danklmaier and Stefan Babinsky: "Nobody will stop before the home World Championships in Saalbach in 2025, especially as the 2026 Olympics are also coming up in Cortina." That's why Tamara Tippler (after maternity leave) is also preparing her comeback and has already trained intensively.

Conny Hütter from Kumberg provided the Styrian highlight with her victory in the Downhill World Cup.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

In the European Cup, a number of Styrians have made their mark: "Manuel Traninger took the overall victory," says Kröll, "after two cruciate ligament ruptures in two years, he has really got back on track. The training with the World Cup group overseas has paid off for him. As the overall winner of the European Cup, he will be allowed to compete in all World Cup disciplines next season."

Sports coordinator Klaus Kröll (l. with Franz Klammer) drew a Styrian balance sheet with pleasing and less pleasing aspects.

(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Manuel Traninger has put his two cruciate ligament ruptures behind him and has returned to his old form.

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

With Vincent Wieser (fourth overall), Stefan Eichberger, Luis Tritscher, Ralph Seidler and Fabian Bacher, the Styrian European Cup men are well positioned, while Anna Schilcher achieved a few top five places in the women's Super-G. Eva Schachner took silver at the Young Olympic Games.

Nevertheless, Kröll sees a need for change in the training of young talent: "Financially, the effort is getting bigger and bigger and the training areas are getting smaller because some ski resorts have had to close. As an association, we are required to do basic work to get as many children as possible into training."

In Styria, the closure of the Dachstein glacier is extremely painful: "There are almost no speed training tracks left anyway. We have to switch to Hintertux, Sölden, Pitztal and the Stilfserjoch." Somehow understandable: now that lift tickets are getting more and more expensive, tourists don't want to know about closed-off training routes.

According to Kröll, there are fewer opportunities for racers, especially in the fall due to climatic shifts: "We will therefore react and make sure that we get our ski days in Mölltal and on the Kitzsteinhorn in the spring, when there are good conditions on the glacier until May. It's just not the way it used to be!"