Heavy rains made matters worse by liquifying most of the blanket of snow that covered Saslong, especially near the arrival area.  Last Friday though, the snow returned and was like a gold rush for everyone:  80cm at high altitudes and 15 at the arrival area.  This was just the right motivation for the teams of about 30 volunteers coordinated by  director of the slopes, Horst Demetz and director of the race, Rainer Senoner, "shovel in hand, they're all ready for the forseen preparations before training begins."  The final and most delicate part of this job is to smooth out the contours of the run, a task that requires a great deal of ability and above all expertise.