The popular Inferno Downhill and Cross Country ski races in Switzerland, which are open to all comers and attracts entrants from all over the world, have been cancelled this season because of Covid.
The 78th International Inferno Races in Murren were to take place from 20 – 23 January 2021 but the restrictions on major events put in place by the authorities due to the pandemic means the races cannot be held.
After last winter’s competitions finished early due to pandemic lockdowns, the FIS has announced that the 2020-21 Alpine World Cup will be starting a week earlier than originally planned.
PHOTO: pxhere
The opening races on the glacier above Solden in Austria will take place on the 17-18 October instead of the originally planned dates of 24-25 October.
by Lulu Sheard
The 2021 International Inferno Race in Mürren look set go ahead despite Covid after a recent announcement by the Swiss Government. On 12 August 2020, the government stated that events with more than 1,000 people would be able to resume from the beginning of October.
GB Snowsport has announced that the GB Alpine Championships 2020, due to be held in Tignes, France between 29 March and 10 April 10, have been cancelled due to the escalating cases of the COVID-19 virus in Europe.
Friday 21 February 2020
The final day of the English Alpine Ski Championships in Bormio saw the Under 14 and Under 12/10 racers enjoy a morning in the sunshine as they tackled a GS and ‘Stubby’ Slalom respectively.
Thursday 20 February 2020
PHOTO: Racer Ready Magazine
Day five of the English Alpine Ski Championships was a busy day for all, as the FIS racers, Under 16s and Under 10/12s raced across three of Bormio’s pistes today.
On the Stelvio piste the FIS racers took on two Super Gs. And it was two British racers, Jessica Anderson and Owen Vinter, who were fastest overall in both the Super G races, fighting off competition from two strong international fields.
Wednesday 19 February 2020
Day four of the English Alpine Ski Championships saw a surprise appearance from Great Britain’s World Cup athlete Alex Tilley as she competed in the FIS Giant Slalom, and the Under 16s raced two Super Gs on the Stelvio piste.
Tuesday 18 February 2020
Day three of the English Alpine Ski Championships in Bormio saw FIS racers take on a NJR Giant Slalom on the Stella Alpina and the Under 14s got the chance to race two Super Gs on the Stelvio piste.
Monday 17 February 2020
Day two of the English Alpine Ski Championships saw sunny skies and warm temperatures again as the FIS racers tackled the NJR Slalom on the Stelvio piste and the Under 14 and Under 16 athletes also took on a Slalom on Stella Alpina.
Sunday 16 February 2020
The English Alpine Ski Championships began today in Bormio, Italy with hundreds of young racers battling it out across two race pistes.
The action started with the FIS Slalom on the Stelvio piste and U10/U12 GS races on the Stella Alpina piste, with both slopes in spring like condition with the warm weather.
Snowboarding was introduced into the Winter Paralympic programme in 2014, with GB’s first riders – James Barnes-Miller and Owen Pick – competing in 2018.
GB Snowboarder Owen Pick
But while a handful of men are targeting further success in Europa and World Cup races this season, there are currently no female equivalents. Therefore GB Snowsport hopes to find female athletes who could join the GB Para Snowboard programme with the aim of them competing in the 2022 and 2026 Winter Paralympics.
Following Lindsey Vonn and Aksel Lund Svindal earlier this year, Austrian ski racer Marcel Hirscher confirmed his retirement from the sport at the age of 30.
Marcel Hirscher
Hirscher is the current overall World Cup champion, a title he has won eight times from 2012 through to 2019 winning more Crystal Globes than anyone else in history.
WINTER Olympic snowboarder Billy Morgan recently undertook a whistle-stop tour of some of Scotland’s mountain snowsport areas to meet some of his fans and to experience two of the mountain ranges there.
Following in the footsteps of Jenny Jones who won snowboard slopestyle bronze in Sochi, Morgan held his nerve on the final two jumps while some of the biggest names in the sport couldn’t handle the pressure.
Showcasing the best rising freestyle ski and snowboard talent in the country, the English Indoor Slopestyle Champs has always been one of the key dates on the UK snowsports calendar, and the 2017 edition saw young riders from aged 7 battling it out for the English titles.
Three World Cup athletes, six Europa Cup athletes, one FIS athlete and 17 Under-21 athletes will make up the 27-strong Delancey British Alpine Team during the 2017/18 season which will also see the staging of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea (9 to 25 February 2018).
English Indoor Moguls Championships
The English Indoor Moguls Championships begin this weekend at their new home of Snozone in Castleford, with entries open until 18th May. Taking place on Saturday 20th May, the country’s best Mogul skiers will descend on Yorkshire to tackle the purpose-built moguls course and show off their impressive skills.
HRH Earl of Wessex Prince Edward Delancey British Alpine Ski Champs 2017 – Credit: Vanessa Fry Photography
His Royal Highness, The Earl of Wessex, KG, GCVO, is the new royal patron of British Ski and Snowboard, the National Governing Body for Snowsports.
The announcement of British Ski and Snowboard’s new patronage follows the most successful ever season for British Ski and Snowboard, which included 15 World Cup podiums, of which two were wins from GB Park and Pipe athletes, three World Championship podiums, three X-Games medals, Great Britain’s best ever Cross Country World Championships result and the best finish in an Alpine World Cup from a British skier in 35 years.
Snowsport England has appointed James Knock as new Head Coach of the England Alpine Squad. He will follow in the footsteps of Jo Ryding who held the position for two years.
Knock, who is from Sheffield, began his coaching career at 16 with his local club Sharks Ski Club, before working part-time and learning his trade with both BSA and Ambition Racing. He then spent six years with Team Evolution, coaching National Champions in every age group from Under 10s to Under 21s. After taking some time out to pursue a career in physiotherapy, Knock will now take charge of the England Alpine Squad, which covers athletes aged from Under 14 up to Under 21.
British Speed Skiing
British Speed skier Jan Farrell concluded his season with some strong skiing in the final World Cup in Grandvalira, Andorra, meaning he finished 9th overall in the World Cup standings. In the three final races, Farrell clocked one 12th place and two 13th places, with his top speed being 192.70 kmph.