Sölden Alpine Trail closed due to weather

The International Ski Federation (FIS) closes the racecourse in Sölden one day before the opening of the Alpine World Cup. Vertilhøva threatens to slip this weekend.

– The Norwegian women’s team had climbed the Rettenbach glacier on Friday and a practice track was ready, but the message came from the road closure, sporting director Claus Ryste told NTB.

The speed team with Ragnhild Mowinckel in the lead went through speed training before it closed. The men’s team had a bare-court practice on Friday morning.

The weather forecast for Sölden on Saturday, when the women will be in action, is not particularly good. There is a great chance of precipitation and later in the day the wind will also pick up.

The Alpine World Cup begins with the women’s giant slalom race at 10 a.m. with the second run three hours later.

In a press release on Friday morning, the FIS wrote that it was closing the race track to best preserve conditions. As a result, no one will be able to train or ski the course before the women’s giant slalom.

The opening of the alpine huts was canceled in 2017 and 2018.

– It will be hard not to start. But we’re running an outdoor sport and we have to make sure that’s the way it is. It has to be safe for the athletes, and hopefully it will be good enough for that, he says.

The men will start on Sunday with the 1st round at 10 a.m. The weather promises to be mild, but the wind is expected to be strong.