Green light

The slopes are already looking world-class

The construction work in Saalbach is almost complete.

(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Preparations for the Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach are entering the home straight. An important step on the way to the World Ski Championships was this morning's official snow inspection. Markus Mayr, the FIS race director for the women's technical event, was able to give the green light without any reservations.

"We are very satisfied with the slope preparation," said Bartl Gensbichler, who is responsible for the sport in Saalbach. "The snow cover on the training and qualification slopes is optimal, and the Schneekristall and Ulli Maier slopes are perfectly prepared for the first training runs. We are very proud to be able to offer the world's best athletes first-class conditions."

The slopes are currently being modeled, while the starting areas are being prepared and the first parts of the race infrastructure are being set up. "Our dedicated team is working around the clock to ensure that the slopes are in perfect condition," continues Gensbichler.

Another important step is the delivery of the high-security infrastructure, where 56 km of safety nets - including 41 km of B nets - will be installed. "We are doing everything we can to set up the infrastructure at the highest level," emphasized Florian Phleps, project manager of the World Championships. "The service village has already been set up with 116 containers and the foundations for the mixed team parallel competition have also been laid. The final construction work will be completed in the next few days."

Additional ticket contingent for opening ceremony
Advance ticket sales for the opening ceremony and the mixed team competition on February 4 are going extremely well. "The rush for the opening day of the World Ski Championships is huge. For this reason, we have decided to also open the red sector in the finish stadium and issue an additional 1,500 tickets. This will allow fans to be even closer to the racing action and experience the opening ceremony up close," says Phleps, delighted with the strong response. 

At the World Championships, where eleven medal decisions will be made between February 4 and 16, the organizers are expecting up to 150,000 spectators as well as almost 1,200 athletes, coaches, outfitters and representatives of ski companies from 75 nations.