The Zermatt-Cervinia downhill against the backdrop of the Matterhorn was set to become the first cross-border event in Alpine skiing’s World Cup history Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Two men’s World Cup downhill ski races that were to start in Switzerland and finish in Italy have been called off owing to a lack of snow on the final 300 metres of the course following an unseasonably warm autumn.
This content was published on October 22, 2022 - 14:19
AP/ts
Added to the calendar this season, the Zermatt-Cervinia downhill against the backdrop of the Matterhorn was set to become the first cross-border event in Alpine skiing’s World Cup history.
The Swiss-based International Ski Federation (FIS) said on Saturday that the October 29-30 races had to cancelled “due to the lack of snow and the safety situation on last section of the racetrack” and would not be replaced.
A decision on two women’s races schedule on the same course for November 5-6 was expected on Tuesday.
The four-kilometre Gran Becca course starts in Zermatt at an altitude of 3,700 metres and finishes in Laghi Cime Bianche above Cervinia at 2,835 metres.
While most of the course is covered by over a metre of snow, mild temperatures in recent weeks hindered snowmaking for the lower part.
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