The downhill course has successfully hosted the first day of official training
The first day of official training for the downhill discipline (DH) kicked-off the Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals Andorra 2023 this Monday. A multidisciplinary team of approx. 400 people has worked against the clock to get the Àliga course in El Tarter in optimal conditions so that the best speed specialists can get used to the course. Monday's sunny weather has been a great asset for the technical preparation of the course after a few days when everyone has been keeping a constant eye on the weather. The Àliga course has passed the test to host the men’s and women’s DH races on Wednesday, 15th March.
First contact with the Àliga course
A total of 25 male skiers and 26 female skiers completed the Àliga DH descent, which is 2.6 kilometres in length, has a vertical drop of 710 metres and an average gradient of 28.2%. The best times from this first official training session were posted by the Austrian Marco Schwarz with 1:29.34 and French racer Laura Gauche, with 1:32:33. The maximum speed reached on the Àliga was recorded by Frenchman Johan Clarey, who reached 119.23 km/h.
After the descent, the Italian Frederica Brignone, who in fact achieved her first victory in Super-G at a World Cup event in 2016 in the Grandvalira ski area, acknowledged that the Andorran resort is her favourite venue on the entire circuit. Brignone praised the organization for its warm reception and was surprised by the result of the “magnificent work” that has been done on the ground despite the fact that the weather over the last few days has not worked in our favour.
Skiers with 20 nationalities
For the second time in the last four years, the best men’s and women’s skiers in the world have already started arriving in the Grandvalira ski area to compete at the World Cup Finals and collect the 2023 Crystal Globes. Skiers from a total of 20 nations will compete in the races across the different disciplines, among which Austria, Switzerland and Italy stand out.
In contrast to the 2019 Finals, the big news this year is that there will be an Andorran participating in the competition for the very first time. Highlighted by the current Minister of Culture and Sports in Andorra, Sílvia Riva, on visiting the arrival area of the Àliga course on Monday , “This year we are going one step further with the presence of Joan Verdú at an event that enjoys a high level of national involvement. This is a source of pride and another reason for us to achieve all the objectives that FIS requires when a country hosts events of the highest level.” This Tuesday, 14th March, Andorran Constitution Day, is a national holiday in the Principality and the organisation urges its public to come to El Tarter to cheer on the best skiers in the world.
Logistics in action
With the arrival of the skiers and the first downhill training session begun all the logistics for the event has been set in motion. At the finish area of the course, television broadcasting, timers and other technical details have been checked. The press centre has been located in El Tarter, with more than 350 registered media professionals. Team Hospitality, more than 300 volunteers and technical teams from all areas are working at full capacity to ensure organisational success.
Before the second day of downhill training on Tuesday, the big occasion is the opening ceremony for the Andorra 2023 Finals that will take place this Monday at 19:30h on the Avet course platform.
Calendar for Tuesday, 14th March
- Women’s DH Training (10:00h, Àliga track, El Tarter)
- Men's DH Training (11:30h, Àliga track, El Tarter)
- Après-ski at L'Abarset with Swowo and Patricia Mantovani (from 16:00h to 22:00h, El Tarter)
