Whistler Mountain, BC

Mountain Zone Cybercast
December 3-6, 1998

December 2, 1998
I left for Whistler at 4am with a Coke in one hand and a latté in the other, expecting to arrive around 9am. Big, early season storms over the Northwest are giving me faith that La Niña will be our friend this year, but downhill races weren't meant for powder days.

Thus, the first training run for the opening men's downhill race was cancelled today. We've seen this before here as the last two years' downhills have been cancelled due to too much snow.

"You've seen them 20 times, but you still go the 21st time and everybody wants to know why he's riding against this same cactus..." — Günter Hujara, FIS Chief Race Director

Chief Race Director for the International Ski Federation (FIS) Gunter Hujara compared the cancellation trend to a Western flick.

"It's like a John Wayne movie," said Hujara. "You've seen them 20 times, but you still go the 21st time and everybody wants to know why he's riding against this same cactus."

But Hujara's quick to point out that there are still two training days before Saturday's race, and devoted employees are working extremely hard, around the clock, to get this World Class course to come alive again.

Racers and coaches were actually pleased with the course this morning, however mid-mountain fog obscured visibility. At speeds of 70+ miles per hour, fog is a health hazard.

The last time the downhill was in Whistler was in 1995 when Italian Kristian Ghedina won. In 1996, organizers moved the downhill race to December and a gate has not opened since.

But people here are determined the show must go on. Underneath this shroud of fog lay a ripping course complete with "Triple Trouble" rollers at the start, from which skiers head through "The Funnel" then drop into the steep fall-away section called the "Weasel" which claims to separate the men from the boys. Then it's onto "Coaches Corner" before launching into "Heinz's Hop" and "Hot Air" where racers pop jumps of over 100 feet (who says World Cup skiing is boring? Under it all, this is just a fast big air contest).

After spending $4 million in terrain improvements and snowmaking equipment, and another $120,000 this year on safety upgrades, race organizers and Whistler/Blackcomb resort have got to maintain nerves of steel this week and hope that Mother Nature cooperates. We want a race.

Here's the hoped for schedule of festivities:

Wednesday, Dec. 2:	CANCELLED
Thursday, Dec. 3:	Official Training
Friday, Dec. 4:	Official Training
Saturday, Dec. 5:	Men's Downhill Race
Sunday, Dec. 6:	Men's Super-G Race

Going skiing...

—Michelle Quigley, Mountain Zone Staff