142 journalists and photographers as well as 160 employees of radio and television stations are accredited this year in Val Gardena/Gröden. This is 20 more than last year, which shows that the interest in the Ski World Cup is rising, even in more “exotic� countries. The races on the Saslong will be broadcast live in China and for the first time CNN, the largest TV station in the world, will be here, too.

CNN serves about 350 households around the world and will produce two segments for the Alpine Edge program from Val Gardena/Gröden. Because of the different time zones, the reports from Val Gardena/Gröden will be broadcast at four different times. “We are in our fifth season and for the first time we have the possibility to show our international audiences the beauty of the Dolomite region and this classic Downhill race in Val Gardena/Gröden.� says producer Ursin Caderas, adding, “we are looking forward to it.�
Val Gardena/Gröden is thrilled about the reverberations of the CNN reports, not only on TV but also online, including www.cnn.com/AlpineEdge and on CNN’s social media with 62 million Twitter followers and 25 million Facebook Likes. NBC Universal will be broadcasting live in the USA from Val Gardena/Gröden, along with RAISport1, ORF, ARD, SRG and Eurosport in our neck of the woods. This year around 200 million TV viewers are expected from around the world.

Tickets are still available at www.saslong.org for those who would rather experience the atmosphere of the Saslong on Friday and Saturday up-close. Start of the races is at 12:15 pm. The VIP packages in the Saslounge are almost sold out and only a few tickets are still available.