Hardly anyone else knows the Saslong as well as the former ski racer Peter Runggaldier. The 49-year-old from Selva/Wolkenstein, who climbed a World Cup podium twelve times in the 1990s, took a close look at the race week for us.

Greetings here from Val Gardena/Gröden from the course of the World Cup were we are once again at the downhill event. We are on Ciampinoi along the course where we can see the flat section right after the looping compression that will get us within the 50 second mark to Sochers. Of course I remember the time when i raced. Back then, we did two training runs per day ahead of the races, today - the day of the first training - athletes only do one per day because these runs are ever more precise and you require a lot of preparation so you do only one run which means there is a lot of warm up in the morning so that you are ready for the training at noon. The course has stayed more or less the same, the Camel Humps, the second jump long and high taking you over the third jump. The entry into Ciaslat is somewhat still the same as when I raced it but it’s wider, more spacious and the gates are still where they used to be. It’s still very very difficult but there is more corrugated terrain compared to how it used to be and so there is more room to change the course with the artificial snow compared to when I raced but I think that’s intended. The equipment in downhill is still more or less the same, too, maybe a few cm shorter shorter. I was forerunner four years ago so I haven’t noticed a lot of change, maybe a little more stable, particularly at high speed, like at more than 100 km/h.

I look forwarding to seeing you all on Friday and Saturday at the finish area for the downhill to cheer on all the racers.