World Cup start for Karl

The boarder king feels like a ski star in China

Benjamin Karl is going for the crystal hat-trick, starting on Saturday in China.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

In addition to Olympic and five World Championship gold medals, Benjamin Karl also won the big crystal globe for the overall Alpine World Cup and the small one for the parallel giant slalom last season. This year he is even planning the triple pack, the starting shot is on Saturday in China - what he was presented with there, why he has to get up particularly early and what he likes about China despite everything...

"KRONE": You'll be skiing on snow in China for the first time since your Olympic victory in 2022 at the World Cup opener in Mylin on Saturday - a good feeling?
Benjamin Karl: Yes, you arrive here with the memories of Beijing. Minus 20 degrees, dark blue sky, perfect artificial snow conditions. Then, everything is different: strong winds, snowfall and a slope that has to settle and harden because it has only just been covered with fresh snow. All in all, the most difficult training conditions of this year's preparation. Nevertheless, there is something good about it: you become a bit humble and not overconfident before the first races. But all in all, it's cool here. 80 percent snowboarders on the slopes and autographs and photos from Chinese fans every day. You almost feel like a ski star in Austria. (laughs)

Benjamin Karl will be boarding on Chinese snow from Saturday.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

How do you do it with a seven-hour time difference? Do you keep your "own time" like the formula drivers do?
Yes, jet lag is hardly an issue for me. My strong head probably helps me there. I sleep when I'm tired and don't look back. By that I mean that I don't think about the time back home. That helps me adapt more quickly.

Chinese food or your own meals?
(laughs) Chinese food is an adventure. I've eaten more unfamiliar food in the last four days than in the last five years before that, but most of it tastes good. And when they're not trying to recreate a schnitzel, but simply cook traditionally, it's 90 percent delicious!

Watching videos of Mylin, there seems to be a lot going on on the slopes in China. Has that affected you?
Indeed. We train before the public snowboard race starts. We wake up at 5:45 am. 6:30 a.m. to the gondola and then up the mountain in the dark with 80 km/h wind. Comfort zone looks different, but I like it cold anyway. Dress warmly - and then enjoy the clear air. Love it!

In a recent video, you talked about your goal of winning all three crystal globes this year - the overall, giant slalom and slalom World Cup...
This goal is extremely challenging for me! A lot of things have to fit together. A lot has to work well at the first attempt. Last season was already extremely challenging and somehow I hope it will be easier this year. I'm just going to give it my all, regardless of losses - and in the end we'll see what the bottom line is.

"Benji" already has five world championship golds at home, and more could be added this season.

(Bild: ServusTV / Leo / Neumayr)

Have you made any changes to your equipment? And are you actually still riding with your old yellow shoes that you wore for years?
We continued to develop the equipment in the summer. We've actually left no stone unturned. It has already worked very well in training. We'll see where I stand at the weekend. The term "old" yellow shoes would offend Hansrüdi Amann from Mountainslope, who produces the shoes. The color remains the same for recognition value. Everyone can see the shoe from a hundred meters away and knows which brand it is. An ingenious marketing tool. But of course, even if the color doesn't change, the shoes are new every year!