A conversation with President Rainer Senoner about His Role, Office and Outlook.

Since the end of May this year, Rainer Senoner has been President of the World Cup Val Gardena/Gröden along with his existing title of Race Director. The races in mid-December are the first ones to be organized under his leadership, which is reason enough for us to check in and get a feel of his state-of-mind. And more…

This year, the FIS World Cup celebrates its 50th anniversary. The ski circus has been entertaining sport fans from all over the world for more than half a century. In Val Gardena/Gröden, the 2016 edition will be the 49th World Cup weekend, so our 50th celebration is just around the corner: with ski pioneers, former and active athletes, and all those enthused with the sport of skiing.

New this year is the “Camel Humps FORST Village� for our spectators. It offers a unique and unobstructed view of the Camel Humps and also the chance to experience the unique atmosphere of the World Cup Classic up-close.

Ciampinoi (2,249m):
Local mountain of Selva-Wolkenstein is reachable by the Ciampinoi cable car from Selva-Wolkenstein and Saslong cable car and Sochers chair lift from Ruacia.

While the jump over the Camel Humps is probably the most thrilling part of the Saslong, the passage on the pickle-hard washboard of the Ciaslat is the one that requires the highest level of skills. If the racer doesn’t get the turns just right, he might as well go packing.

The first to take the leap over the humps was Uli Spieß from Austria 36 years ago. In 1980 he was the first to jump over them as up to then - and even afterwards - racers opted to around them. The record jumps - or rather flights - are nowadays over 80 meters long and four to six meters high.

Altogether, there have been 36 different winners in 53 races so far on the Saslong. 17 time it was an Austrian who stood at the top followed by 14 times for Switzerland with no clear leading nations after that.

On today’s agenda of the Raiffeisen FIS Challenge Val Gardena/Gröden are two downhill races following yesterday’s Super-G events.

The Austrian youth racers dominated today's Super-G in the Raiffeisen FIS Challenge at Piz Sella in Val Gardena/Gröden. The 25-year-old Sebastian Arzt from Bad Gastein won in 1:26.13 minutes before his Styrian countryman Johannes Kröll (+ 21/100) and 22-year-old Christoph Krenn (+27/100) "It was important not to make any gross mistakes because the course contains many gliding passages� says the winner, adding "even if I got off the course a little in the first turn.�

49th Saslong Classic with Super-G and Downhill Introduced. First Time South Tyrol Ski Trophy and Vertical Race - 200 Million Viewers Worldwide. 

While the winner of the South Tyrol Ski Trophy is determined and awarded only after the races in Alta Badia, the winner of the Super-G will be honored on the Antonius square in Ortisei/St.Ulrich on Friday evening.

Aksel Lund Svindal dominated the Saslong last year and he did so in two consecutive races. The Norwegian was at the top of the podium on Friday in the Super-G as well as in the classic Downhill race on Saturday - a feat that has not been accomplished before.

New this year is the South Tyrol Ski Trophy, which combines the four Men’s World Cup races in Val Gardena/Gröden and Alta Badia into a single classification. 

Saslong Classic Club is hosting four FIS races in Val Gardena/Gröden on November 28th and 29th, including two Super-G and two Downhill races. The venue of the competitions is Piz Sella above Selva/Wolkenstein.

Young talents are important not only in the ski circuit, but also for the organizers of the Saslong Classic. This year, middle school students from Ortisei/St.Ulrich get a chance to look behind the scenes of this mammoth event which takes place right in front of their doorstep.

Just three cold days is what the lift company Saslong A.G. needs to completely cover the World Cup course with snow in Val Gardena/Gröden. This is a technical masterpiece as at least 80,000 cubic meters of snow have to be produced. This corresponds to around 6,000 truckloads.

Saslong Now Completely Renewed!
The modernization of the Saslong has come to conclusion with today's completion of the widening of the Nucia turn. In recent years, all narrow sections have been widened and safety measures updated. The work allows for even more spectacular TV pictures of the Downhill and Super-G races on the traditional course in Val Gardena/Gröden.

The Organizing Committee of the Ski World Cup is presenting a new and interesting event with VAL GARDENA - GRÖDEN VERTICAL UP.

An Interview with Chief Race Director Markus Waldner

Markus Waldner has been FIS chief race director since 2014. The 53-year-old South Tyrolean was in Val Gardena the end of July to meet with his assistant Hannes Trinkl (AUT), Saslong Classic President and Race Director Rainer Senoner as well as Course Manager Horst Demetz and representatives of the television production agency Infront to perform a site inspection on the Saslong which will host a Super-G and a downhill in December. On this occasion, www.saslong.org has met up with Waldner.

Photo (from left): Armando Carenini (TV Production/Infronstsports),Walter Mussner (Catering), Horst Demetz (Course Manager), Hannes Trinkl (FIS Race Director), Markus Waldner (FIS Chief Race Director), Rainer Senoner (Präsident Saslong Classic Club/Race Director), Michele Boniello (TV Production Infronsports)