Preview
The heavy snowfall which has plagued the alpine countries over the last few weeks has affected the men's World Cup races planned for this weekend in Germany's largest ski resort, Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Since it was impossible for the competitors to train for Saturday's downhill, the organizers and the race jury have postponed the super-G for one day.

Weather permitting, the downhill will take place on Sunday afternoon after a training run to be held in the morning. So far the weather forecast is not very optimistic: more snow and rain showers are expected throughout the weekend. And the International Ski Federation (FIS) seems ready to wait until the middle of next week before cancelling these speed events.

The bad weather may directly affect the fight for the overall World Cup which, since January, has pitted the defending champion Hermann Maier against Norway's hero, Lasse Kjus, and his friend and teammate, Kjetil Andre-Aamodt.

These three racers clinched four of the last five World Championships titles in Vail. They have also won three overall World Cups over the past five winters and each of them aims for a second success in the most prestigious award presented by the FIS.

Only a few points separate the three champions after the last World Cup races in Kitzbühel where Kjus won the downhill and Aamodt the combined. From now until the finals, to be held in three weeks in Spain's Sierra Nevada, the site of the 1996 World Championships, each race has a vital importance for these top athletes.

A total of 10 competitions should take place before the end of a World Cup season — three downhills, three super-Gs, two giant slaloms and two slaloms. Maier can score in the speed events and in GS, yet his rivals can in all 10 events.

"The Herminator" doesn't mind the extra pressure and he will be motivated after his excellent results at Vail where he was stoked to win the most important race for him — the downhill. He is happy to come back to Garmisch-Partenkirchen where he celebrated his very first victory on the World Cup tour in February 1997.

But Kjus, who set a record in Vail by grabbing five medals in five events, is also very determined. The Norwegian only hopes to remain healthy until the end of the winter.

"I'm having great fun right now, it's very exciting to fight for the overall World Cup against Maier," Kjus said at Vail. "I didn't expect such a possibility at the season's start. I feel really relaxed since I won so many races this winter. I'm more than satisfied and I have nothing to lose now. The overall World Cup means a lot for Kjetil and me and we will give our best to win it again."

A smooth glider, Kjus doesn't mind competing on a softer course which could create problems for Maier, an aggressive and powerful racer who excels on hard and icy slopes.

But other racers will aim for revenge. Stephan Eberharter, the only skier who has beat Hermann Maier in a super-G in the last two years, leads this list which also include racers such as his teammates Fritz and Josef Strobl and Andreas Schifferer, winner of the downhill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen last year.

Since the early years of the World Cup, no athlete from Scandinavia has ever won a World Cup race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The great Ingemar Stenmark himself couldn't do better than 3rd here in a slalom in 1976. Kjetil Aamodt was 2nd in a slalom in 1993 while Lasse Kjus was 3rd in super-G in 1997 and 1998. So far Maier is the only skier to have won the super-G twice a row, in 1997 and 1998. He was also 2nd in his first appearance here in February 1997 behind France's Luc Alphand. The Frenchman is the only skier to have won two different races on the same weekend here when he won a downhill and a super-G in 1997. In the 1980's Canada's Steve Podborski won the downhill three consecutive times from 1981 to 1984.

— Mountain Zone European Ski Correspondent