“I am very happy! Now I know everything is fine. Nothing had went wrong during last summer“, says Poutiainen.

Opening race in Sölden is difficult to most skiers because of the long half a year break between seasons. Many skiers are nervous, and so was Tanja Poutiainen.

“This was not easier even though I have lots of experience“.

Tanja Poutiainen has always liked Sölden race, and she has received several medals there.

Before the second run Poutiainen was third. Race in Sölden is difficult and challenging, and for women it is probably the most difficult one in the whole world cup. The slope is steep and partly in shadows.

Tanja Poutiainen (FIN) was the first, Kathrin Zettel (AUS) second and Denise Karbon third (ITA).

Tanja Poutiainen didn’t have time to celebrate long because soon after the race she had to pack up and head back to Finland where she continues preparing for the second Alpine World Cup race in Levi in November 14th-15th.

Snow in October is not really unusual in the Alps, but when it snows the snowline is usually very high up. This time it snowed more or less straight for 6 days all the way to the valley and at least us skiers got very excited…

The first storm came in on Monday last week, at first fairly high up in the mountains, but on Tuesday the snowline dropped to 1000m or even lower in the Northern Alps. Most of the areas which profit from precipitation from the north had a snowpack of nearly 1m by then, which meant that there would be enough snow for the first real powder-turns for us. Unfortunately at this point of the season all the ski-resorts are closed, except of  the glacier-resorts. And because skiing off-piste on a glacier in October always is a game of crevasse-slalom we decided against lift-served skiing.

On Wednesday we grabbed our ski-touring stuff in Innsbruck, and left for the close (and closed) Resort Rosshütte in Seefeld. We figured out there would be a lot of snow like everywhere in the northern Alps, and the parking lot is at 1230m, which was high enough to start skinning right from the car.

The weather was nice as we started to follow a skintrack towards the topstation of the Härmelekopfbahn. Soon, we were quite happy that we did not have to break trail in all the soft snow which was getting deeper and deeper as we gained elevation. The snow-covered trees, the white mountains in all directions and the fresh snow on the ungroomed slopes made us feel like in the middle of winter. After two hours of skinning we reached the topstation and decided against climbing higher because the snow was very wind-affected above the treeline. After a break we skied our first powder-turns of the season 2009/2010. So we made our way back to the valley, a bit awkward at first, how you always feel if you do something you havent done in a while, and always careful because we expected more hidden rocks or other obstacles under the snow, then faster and with more confidence. We even had a few turns in the trees, where there is really just enough snow. The snowpack got thinner and thinner as we skied down but there was just enough to reach the car without major problems.

As we drove home with a big grin we decided to do something similar again tomorrow.So we are back at the parking lot in Seefeld on Thursday. This time to climb the “Seefelder Joch”. The snow has melted a bit in the valley but it starts to snow again just as we start skinning. We take our time and skin on the piste covered in fresh snow to the Seefelder Joch where we are entertained by two nosy alpine choughs during our break.

The descent is even a little bit better than yesterday and we don’t mind about having to carry our skis back to the car the last couple of meters.

The snowfall gets heavier during our drive back to Innsbruck and it is snowing even in downtown Innsbruck, which is only 580m above sealevel! We watch the snow flurry getting heavier and heavier all evening and decide to skin up to Seegrube in the Nordpark ski-resort on Friday. Even there at 800m there’s enough snow to start skinning from the car. We follow a flat forest-trail at first, where we pass some big, snow-covered wood-cutter-machinery and continue steeper, with a lot of switchbacks under the gondola. There was plenty of snow in Seefeld the last two days we were there, but it can not be compared to the masses of snow here in Nordpark, even at fairly low elevation. It is cold and snowing a bit, which gets me in the same kind of mood that I had last winter when I had some really great days at Nordpark. We even meet the same people we meet in winter after every big snowfall. But this time we meet on the skintrack instead of the valley station where everyone tries to get into the first gondola after a big snowfall when the bombing is done and the resort opens.

No, I’m not kidding, it’s October..

Just before we arrive at Seegrube, the clouds start disappearing. We have a short break next to the Seegrube gondola station before we start the descent.

View from Nordpark towards Innsbruck and the Stubai Valley, hidden by the clouds

And it is really deep today. With every turn I sink into the snow and get spray on my face. We are almost flying towards the valley. Had I forgotten what skiing is about during the summer I would have been reminded now at the latest, and in a quite impressive way. But despite the low temperature, the October sun is burning and the south-facing slope starts to get heavier down low. So we head into the trees. At first, we are not sure if there will be enough snow, but there is. This is the first time I get to ski trees in October. And then, way too fast, we are back in the valley, where we carry our skis back to the car on the forest-trail.

It is getting warmer during the day but the precipitation is increasing again. It is raining up to 1000m in the night, but not just raining. It is pouring down like the world is coming to an end. Naturally, we want to do another skitour on Saturday. We choose to drive to the Arlberg, and so we drive through heavy rain, then sleet and then snow towards the Arlbergpass. We cant manage the last short part of the passroad in St. Christoph without snowchains and after a short break we continue our drive towards Lech.

The snow looks pretty windblown at  the pass but better and better as we drive through Lech and finally park the car in Zug. We decide to skin up towards Kriegerhorn and start the ascent. It is cold, snowing hard, and it seems that no-one except us had the idea to go touring in the area, so we have to break trail right from the beginning. Slowly we gain elevation, sinking into the snow till the knees with every step. Everything looks like in February, except from the occasional sight of snow-covered broad-leaved trees and red berries on bushes.

We make our way higher, past the treeline, but decide against the summit and ski down from around 2100m because the snow gets windaffected higher up. And again the descent is good. Real good. I get so much snow in my face, that I have to stop every few turns to breathe and to wipe the snow off my goggles. I haven’t skied that much and that light snow since February.

I also learned about the effects of hidden logs and a massive amounts of snow.

Down in the valley I feel my legs burning from the breaking the trail during the ascent but despite that I’d like to go up again. Unfortunately it is too late in the day so we decide to head home and come back to Arlberg tomorrow.

The word about great snow is spreading around, or maybe it’s just the weather that’s supposed to get better, either way we are a way bigger group on Sunday. We start from Zürs towards the Zürser See. After a short ascent, we ski down towards Lech. The snow has settled a bit since yesterday but the skiing is still great. Visibility is way better than yesterday so we can ski faster and have a lot of fun again, so we decide to climb up again and descent towards the road from Zürs to Lech this time, from where we walk back to the cars in Zürs.

It is snowing again, as we drive home. The weather in the forecast is cold and sunny for tomorrow, then warmer from tuesday on. The days of this short winter-episode seem to be counted, so we decide to do another tour on Monday. Because it is supposed to be sunny, we want to start from the Hahntennjoch. Not only because we can start from almost 1900m, but also because the Hahntennjoch is closed during the winter, so the opportunity to go skitouring there is rare.

We start pretty early in Innsbruck in drive carefully on a slippery road up to the pass, where we need some time to get out of the car and into the cold. The air is clear and very cold as we start skinning. I’m wearing two jackets even though we have to break trail again.

We head towards Muttekopf, but the depth of the snowpack decreases as we gain elevation since the strong winds have been blowing the snow off. We decide to ski down on a big, open field from a random point. After a few last turns in the crippled trees, we reach the Passroad, and are back in Innsbruck around noon and on our way to university.

The mountains are still white, but temperature is rising, and it is supposed to rain up to 2400m this week. So I guess October reality with the occasional visits to crowded glacier resorts is back..

Photos & Skiers: Lea Hartl, Lorenzo Rieg

“Sufficient but very dry natural snow together with man-made snow is challenging the piste preparation crews. The weather forecast foresees cold temperatures on the glacier until at least middle of next week“, is reported in FIS-Ski website.

Right now the temperature in Sölden seems to be -2 Celsius degrees, and according to Sölden webcam 1, Sölden webcam 2 and Sölden webcam 3 there seems to be quite good snow in 2600 meters and 3000 meters.

First round of ladies’ giant slalom is scheduled to start on Saturday 9:45 am local time. Men’s race is scheduled to start at the same time on Sunday morning. The “white circus” has began.

Here you can see huge panorama pictures from Sölden, Austria.

Stubai Glacier offers a lot for a piste skier

The Glacier offers a wide variety of pistes, mostly aimed at beginner to advanced skier. There are only a few black pistes available. Compared to a lot of other resorts the pistes are usually well groomed and taken care of. Piste-carvers will be happy to note that the pistes are also nice and wide. The base of the resort is at 1750m while the top lift takes you to 3200m. Here’s the slope map for a general idea about the area:

The offpiste has some nice but short runs

The offpiste area in Stubai is fairly easily observed from lifts. There are not many runs that won’t be easy to spot from the lift. The terrain is not very steep, it’s a glacier after all. A very serious offpiste skier might want to look into other options such as Chamonix or Verbier but for a normal skier Stubai Glacier will do just fine. On a powder day it’s usually best head straight up to the four-seater chairlift “Rotadlbahn” and have a look at the options around and under the lift. If you’re more into mellow glacier-skipping then the new “Daunscharte” T-bar is worth checking out. Be aware of the hidden crevasses lurking below the snow, especially in autumn, early winter and late spring! There are plenty and falling into one wouldn’t be nice. Consult locals or hire a mountain guide and carry proper equipment and know how to use it. For the experienced the touring options around the resort are plentiful, including the highest mountain of the Stubai Alps, Zuckerhütl. There are also many alpine huts that offer great skiing (see photo below) within a days tour.

Getting to Stubai Glacier resort, accommodation & best times to visit

Stubai Glacier is some 25 kilometers away from Innsbruck and its airport. The flights to Innsbruck can be expensive so another option is to fly to Munich, which is 2 hours away from Stubai if the roads are clear. From Munich you can get to Stubai valley by either renting a car, getting a flight taxi or taking the train to Innsbruck and a bus from there.

The busiest times at Stubai Glacier are the European school holidays but especially the last weeks in the end of November and beginning of December when other resorts normally haven’t opened yet but people are already getting into “ski-mode”. The lift lines during this time can be very long, and if you do decide to come during the high autumn season then take my advice and take the lift down from the glacier before 3pm. This will save you a long wait in a line. But really the best time to ski Stubai would be during the late season, the weather is usually great and snow still plentiful. Crowds are also non-existant during the late season.

The base of the ski area is not in a village. There’s just a big, ugly parking lot and one hotel. Most of the guests skiing Stubai stay further down the valley, in villages such as Neustift or Fulpmes. There’s a free skibus running from the villages to the glacier quite often. The ride takes about 20-30minutes depending on which village you stays in, but during high season the bus can be very packed. If you’re staying in the Stubai valley there’s couple other resorts that are included in the Innsbruck Superski pass and are close by, such as Schlick and Elferlifte. Stubai Glacier is also part of the Snowcard Tirol.

For more information about the Stubai Glacier click here. For an article about skiing close to Innsbruck check Ville’s Resort Review of Innsbruck Area and more information about the villages and accommodation in Stubai Valley check out the tourist information site Innsbruck and its holiday villages.

Got questions about Stubai or was something not mentioned? Drop us a comment and we’ll answer soon!

Albrecht lost control Thursday after flying through the air for over 40 yards, landed on his back and came to a stop near the finish line. His velocity right before the crash was 140 km/h (87 mph). He actually crashed in the same legendary Streif downhill course as Scott Macartney last year, which forced Macartney quit his season. Organizers lowered the final jump of the course after Macartney’s crash and clearly marked the natural wave so racers would be able to better time their jump.

25 years old Daniel Albrecht has been pretty successful and is currently holding 8. position in Alpine World Cup. He is the present world champion in combined. Albrecht won his first World Cup race in late 2007, a super-combined held in Beaver Creek, USA, followed by a giant slalom in the same location a few days later. It is possible that he cannot continue the cup anymore, but we will probably hear more news during the next couple of days.

Latest news of Scott Macartney tell that he is recovering and is not unconscious anymore. Scott Macartney suffered concussion, but didn’t breake any bones or suffer other injuries. Scott Macartney is still in hospital in Innsbruck and doctors expect him recovering 100%.

As Scott Macartney approached the last jump of the run, commentator in television was singing “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to..“, but quickly stopped when Macartney crashed. The day when Scott crashed was his 30 years birthday. Scott Macartney lost his control in the last jump, fell on ground with 140 km/h speed and hit his head heavily on Streif slope.

Scott Macartney was born in January 19th. in 1978 in Seattle and grew up close to Crystal Mountain in the state of Washington. While Scott went skiing every weekend, his parents were members of the volunteer ski patrol organization of the mountain. With almost no funding Scott Macartney worked his way up through regional teams and became one of the skiers in the Alpine Skiing World Cup.

In January 2006 Scott Macartney became second at the Super G race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The 2006 Winter Olympics were his second Olympics. Now in January 2008 Scott Macartney crashed in Kitzbühel, but has quickly regained consciousness and is recovering from the accident.

Scott Macartney crashed on his 30 years birthday. He lost his helmet, glided over the finish line and unconsciously on ground. Scott Macartney’s body was shaking and cramping when doctors arrived. He was given first aid and transported to hospital by helicopter.

Even though Scott Macartney’s crash looked very bad, he is now in relatively good condition. According to the news, Macartney suffered concussion, but does not need surgery. He is being monitored in hospital in Innsbruck.

Scott Macartney was second skier in difficult Streif slope. His crash caused half an hour break in the race. In the same spot where Macartney lost his control, also Werner Heel and Bode Miller had difficulties, but were able to keep their control. Kitzbühel race is known as very challenging. Scott Macartney was fifth skier who has injured in this slope this year.

Kitzbühel downhill winner was Swiss Didier Cuche who also took the leading position in in the alpine skiing world cup. Second position in Kitzbühel was shared by American Bode Miller and Austrian Mario Scheiber.

Kitzbühel race is different from other races, because the prizes are much higher and there is more audience than in other races. Total amount of prizes is 550.000 euros and the amount of audience is 85.000 to 90.000. Total budget in Kitzbühel race is about 5 million euros.

Gold medal in Reiteralm was a true surprise to many of us, including Marc Gini himself. His best position before this one has been ninth in Kranjska Goran slalom this year. “This is awesome, amazing result. I never expected this“, said Marc Gini to Finnish media. Marc Gini’s victory was surprising for Kalle Palander as well, although Palander said that the Swiss have been fast in training.

The next race will be held in Lake Louise in Canada on November 24.-25.

Image source.

Marlies Schild’s gold medal was 16th. for her in the world cup and 14th. in slalom. In the last season she won seven out of nine slalom races, and it looks like she might do it again. The situation in ladies world cup after Reiteralm race is as below.

1. Marlies Schild 112 points

2. Denise Karbon 106 points

3. Nicole Hosp 102 points

4. Tanja Poutiainen 82 points

5. Kathrin Zettel 74 points

6. Resi Stiegler 66 points

FIS officials  said that they couldn’t be sure of the slope base holding up through the whole race. Especially the steep parts of the slope didn’t have enough snow to impress the FIS controllers. Most likely at least the last racers would have suffered too much from the softened and/or very rough course (those world cup courses are usually pretty close to concrete hard snow - this making the conditions more even for every racer)

All in all, the estimate is that the snowmaking was only late for about one day. Talk about bad luck with the weather!

This won’t be the last an alpine skiing race in Finland is canceled

This won’t be the last time when races are going to be canceled/moved. I guess that in the near future this is going to be even more common. Sharp weather changes seem to be more common every year (whether this is due to permanent climate change is yet to be seen IMHO). Anyway, Levi has a contract with FIS until 2011/2012. So, I’m pretty sure we’re going to see another race next year (next year’s race is also planned to be one week later in November).

The CEO of Levi Area, Jouni Palosaari, says that the biggest lost is made for the general image of Lapland as a very snow-sure place. Also, when all the losses are calculated together one can talk about tens of millions of Euros.

The alpine skiing world cup race will be moved to Reiteralm, Austria. If I’m trying to be positive: good for them, and good for skiing in general that Austria is already having nice conditions. Last year we had good snow up north through the year but the whole central Europe was from suffering the warmest autumn/early winter for about 1000 years!

Second place was taken by American Ted Ligety with time 2.18,19 and the third one was Finnish Kalle Palander with time 2.18,26. Kalle performed almost perfect skiing with a couple of mistakes in the beginning of the track, but it was not enough to win Ligety. I was a bit surprised with Palander’s third place because as Kalle says, training season has been difficult.

American Bode Miller was 17th. after the first round but finally climbed to the fifth place. It will be interesting to see if Miller is going to stay among the top skiers.

American Julia Mancuso took the second place with time 2.23,54 and the third one was Austrian Kathrin Zettel with time 2.23,73. Finnish Tanja Poutiainen led the race in the beginning but was not able to keep the first place until the end of the race. She took the fourth place with time 2.23,78.

See Denise Karbon skiing in Soelden in the video below. Interview is in Italian.