During the first downhill training session on the Saslong, the focus was not only on Marco Odermatt’s standout run, but also on the difficult visibility in the upper section of the course and the jumps at the Camel Humps. We spoke briefly with South Tyrolean stars Dominik Paris and Florian Schieder about the conditions.

Paris, who finished the training session in third place, described the conditions as challenging but familiar: “The slope is basically the same as always—it’s no secret that these conditions don’t necessarily suit me. But I try to adapt and ski well even in these situations.”

According to Paris, the upper section proved particularly demanding. “Visibility wasn’t easy, there were a lot of bumps, and I got knocked around twice. The fact that several forerunners crashed naturally created a certain level of uncertainty. Overall, though, the slope is very nice, and I’m happy with my run.”

The first training session did not go entirely smoothly for Schieder either. “It wasn’t easy today, especially when you hear at the start that some of the forerunners didn’t make it to the finish,” said the Kastelruth native. “It was snowing heavily at the top and visibility was sketchy. But the skiing itself went better than expected.” Schieder ultimately finished twelfth.

In the finish area, several athletes engaged in in-depth discussions about the conditions on the course, including Paris and Marco Odermatt, who set the fastest time in training. One key topic was the Camel Humps. “We athletes discussed it at the finish because we’re currently having trouble clearing the third jump at the Camel Humps,” Paris explained. “There are still unanswered questions about the approach and speed. We need a solution that works for everyone, but I’m confident the situation will be clarified by the next training session.”

Schieder also sees room for improvement at the Camel Humps. “There’s definitely still some fine-tuning to be done there. Once those details are addressed, we can have another good training session tomorrow.”

The second downhill training session is scheduled for Wednesday at 10:30.