Nickerson to race Soelden

Warner Nickerson gained a World Cup start today after a two-man time trial to fill an open spot on the U.S. World Cup roster for the opening race in Soelden this weekend.
Nickerson, the country's 13th ranked giant slalom skier, beat friend and teammate Dane Spencer. It will be Nickerson's third World Cup giant slalom start and his first since 2006.
Since Bode Miller and Jimmy Cochran elected not to race the season opener, an extra spot was available, and since Spencer and Nickerson, the only other two guys in the U.S. with a world rank under 100 that were not already racing, they got the go-ahead to duke it out.
Spencer, who has been coming back from a serious neck injury in 2006, has seven top-15 finishes in World Cup giant slalom and was ranked 20th in the world in the discipline before his crash. The U.S. Ski Team gave him a year to come back before cutting him from the team.
The two have been training together with the Croatian national team in Hintertux, Austria in preparation for the upcoming season. Neither Nickerson nor Spencer are named athletes to the U.S. Ski Team, but both are competing this season in Europa Cups, Nor-Ams - whatever races might lead them to the World Cup.
"When we woke up this morning our day consisted of us being completely silent to each other for the entire time we scraped our skis, the drive to the mountain, and most of the three gondolas to the top. It felt like eternity," Nickerson wrote in an email to friends and supporters.
Originally, the U.S. Ski Team wanted the two athletes to drive seven hours to Saas-Fee to do the time trial, but apparently Thomas Erhard convinced Ski Team coach Sasha Rearick to set the best 2 of 3 run ordeal in Hintertux.
Nickerson said the conditions were soft and the course was torn apart, but that he was able to ski a fast first run.
"I went first since my points are slightly better. I sat in the start, went through my routine, rubbed my knees, got my legs active, focused on bending my ski at the top of the turn, and pushed out of the gate. The Croatians weren’t kidding there were some big holes, but I put down a pretty solid run on the top and really nailed the line coming onto the flats," Nickerson said. "It hasn’t quite set in, but I’m just psyched to still be skiing and ready for whatever comes."

Soelden: Vonn, McJames in top 15

Racing got underway on the World Cup today in Soelden, Austria. The women raced high on the Rettenbach glacier, despite thinner than normal cover. The men take to the hill tomorrow.
It's always exciting to watch the first race of the season. We get to see how new skis react to the conditions and we get a sense for who's well-prepared for the long string of races ahead. Soelden is always a bit of a crap shoot. You could argue that each race has it's fair share of the unexpected, but we tend to see the most abberations right at the beginning of the year. Rogue athletes who do well in the first few races can score enough points to get in the top 30 and stay there, while big crashes in the first few races can toss those on the cusp into a tough position. In other words, you had better be on your game right away.
The US women seemed to have things pretty dialed in. Lindsey Vonn finished 9th and Megan McJames got off to a terrific start finishing 14th. Race favorite Julia Mancuso struggled a bit and ended up 17th and Sarah Schleper, Jessica Kelley and Stacey Cook failed to qualify.
Schleper came closest finishing the first run 38th - it was her first since 2006. She is on the road with her son, Lasse, who watched with his grandmother from the finish. Schleper has been skiing fast in training, so expect to see her back in the top 30 soon.
Vonn, typically a speed skier, powered though the course to 10th after run one. Vonn admitted to skiing some sections better than others, but her effort lead the US team. Just imagine what will happen when she puts a whole run together. Listen to what Vonn had to say after the race below:


Video courtesy U.S. Ski Team

Glacial ice makes for ski prep nightmare

In the days before the race, the entire World Cup field descends on Soelden. The hill is divided into training lanes and each team gets a time slot to prepare. Sometimes, teams share a spot since space is so limited. Glacial ice always takes a toll on skis, dulling down edges more quickly than normal and causing damage to the skis base.
This year, the ice in Soelden was particularly nasty due to a lack of fresh snow. Rocks and dirt, mixed in with the ice made it so bad that during training racers had up to four pairs of prepped skis on the hill. After about two runs edges were so dull, that technicians took the skis to sharpen mid-session.
Deciding what skis to use in any given race is always a factor. Conditions vary and racers usually have an array of skis to choose from. When ruining your best pair of skis before the race becomes a possibility, athletes will generally try and preserve them at all costs - but that affects familiarity with the skis and feel, which can play into the results.

For official results click here.