*Official* Snow and Ice Sports Season 2006-07

[Samuel_Vimes]

On almost popular demand (i.e. one other person who promises to read it once) I present the thread for winter sports in 2006-07, which despite almost non-existent coverage in cricketing countries are HUGE on the northern end of the European continent - Norwegian and German TV show some 8 hours of it every weekend - and are even stretching down beyond the Alps thanks to the effort of Silvio Fauner, Maurillio de Zolt, Enrico Fabris, Alberto Tomba and other Italian champion Winter Olympic athletes.

The season of individual sports has been underway for more than two months, and despite the lack of snow hosts around Europe have been doing a fabulous job of getting events completed. (US resorts are buried in snow, but moving the entire professional circus from Europe to compete in front of zero crowds is not desirable).

The weekend had a number of memorable performances, particularly for Dutch, Czech and Norwegian viewers:

Biathlon: Norway dominate the men's events. The relay, sprint and pursuit all go to Norway, with the sprint ending 1-2-3 for Bjørndalen, Hanevold and Svendsen, and the mass start won by Bjørndalen (who hit 20 of 20 targets) ahead of Svendsen. Bjørndalen's 70th biathlon World Cup victory puts him back on top of the overall standings. No one really impresses among the women.

Ski jumping: Anders Jacobsen, Norway's youngest Four Hills Tournament (in Germany and Austria) winner, won the ski flying event in the Vikersund hill - right next to his home town of Hønefoss. It's his first start in ski flying. Gregor Schlierenzauer, the 17-year-old who was runner-up to Jacobsen in the Four Hills, doesn't start.

Speed skating: 20-year-old Dutchman Sven Kramer continued his long-distance domination by playing with the European élite in the European Championships held in the Italian village of Klobenstein; he beat hometown favourite Enrico Fabris by half a point in the allround standings, but could have won by much more. He skated the two last laps of the 10 km at a pace normally seen in a 1500-metre race after letting Carl Verheijen up to his neck with two laps to go. Eight of a possible ten outdoor world records are broken during the championships, and Fabris registers the fastest time ever seen in Europe on the 1500 metres, despite skating outdoors (at lower temperatures with more air resistance). The women's allround is won by 19-year-old Martina Sáblíková, who beats her 15-year-old brother Milan over 5000 metres, and takes the first major Czech victory in speed skating ever - despite trailing Ireen Wüst by 13 seconds with 2 km to go. It's also the first time since 1974 that Germany don't make it to the podium.

Alpine skiing: Slalom specialist Mario Matt wins the classic combination event in Wengen after finishing 30th in the combined downhill, more than two seconds down on the best downhill skiers. Bode Miller, who has crashed out of almost half the races so far, takes the downhill by almost a second despite falling over the line.

Fire away with questions, really, if there's anything you're curious about. It'll be updated once a week until March (or closed) anyway.

[PY]

Sorry, the 2006/07 has been postponed due to lack of playing surfaces.

This may seem an odd question but how much money is there in winter sports? It always seems to be very flashy on TV but always wondered whether it was a glamourous high-paid job or just something people get paid to do and enjoy so much.

[age_master]

In the unlikely event that any Aussies happen to do anything remotely good, please let us know

[superkingdave]

I'm only really interested in the Skiing (coz that's what i do myself, not racing mind just recreational) but i've not really watched it for a couple of years (when i was at Uni my flat mate was Austrian and she was really into it)

[ash chaulk]

STEVEN BRADBURY

[Pratters]

Wow good stuff Hakon. Looking forward to reading more..

[Samuel_Vimes]

Originally Posted by PY

Sorry, the 2006/07 has been postponed due to lack of playing surfaces.

Indeed. Last week's biathlon was held on crushed ice from the fishing harbour of Bremerhaven.

Originally Posted by PY

This may seem an odd question but how much money is there in winter sports? It always seems to be very flashy on TV but always wondered whether it was a glamourous high-paid job or just something people get paid to do and enjoy so much.

Latter, I think. Top athletes get a fair bit of money out of it - Norway's ski jumping champion Jacobsen has earned £150,000 so far this season, there was about £500,000 totally available for the Tour de Ski earlier this month - but it's only really the top 10-15 or so in each sport that can make without grants from the federation. It varies a lot tho. The most money is (AFAIK) in snowboarding and alpine skiing, the least in curling (which is basically totally amateur)

Originally Posted by age_master

In the unlikely event that any Aussies happen to do anything remotely good, please let us know

Jacqui Cooper winning a world cup event in freestyle aerials should count as "remotely good". She's leading the overall world cup after five of nine events, too. Dale Begg-Smith won a moguls event in Canada as well, but is third overall.

Also, Michelle Steele finished second in the skeleton (that's "sliding down a hill head first") World Cup event in Nagano.

There's a few Aussies competing in the Snowboard World Championships as well, while the sole Aussie representative in cross-country skiing, Ben Sim, is not doing too good.

Finally, the successors to Bradbury can be viewed at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival at Baulkham Hills this weekend.

Originally Posted by superkingdave

I'm only really interested in the Skiing (coz that's what i do myself, not racing mind just recreational) but i've not really watched it for a couple of years (when i was at Uni my flat mate was Austrian and she was really into it)

There's a Brit girl doing rather well now. From the snow-rich Twickenham. Maier's lost form though, getting old.

[Johnners]

Originally Posted by Samuel_Vimes

Jacqui Cooper winning a world cup event in freestyle aerials should count as "remotely good". She's leading the overall world cup after five of nine events, too. Dale Begg-Smith won a moguls event in Canada as well, but is third overall.

Not only did Cooper win the event, she posted a World Record score for a single jump so yeah, she's decent.

Begg-Smith is a champ, even though he's a Canadian, i'll take any Aussie success we can get in Winter Sports

[Jungle Jumbo]

Oh crap, have I got to read all of this? TBH wouldn't 'Winter Sports' have been a better title?

[Jungle Jumbo]

Originally Posted by PY

Sorry, the 2006/07 has been postponed due to lack of playing surfaces.

I think Hakon may have told me this, but when there isn't enough snow (due to global warming), they make snow, using carbon dioxide. Which adds to global warming.

From what I've seen so far this year, the Norwegians (read Bjorndalen before last week) the Germans (pick from several) and in recent weeks the Russians (through Kruglov and Iaroshenko) have been very stong.

[Samuel_Vimes]

Originally Posted by Jungle Jumbo

Oh crap, have I got to read all of this?

Search for biathlon colon.

Originally Posted by Jungle Jumbo

TBH wouldn't 'Winter Sports' have been a better title?

Rugby is a winter sport, is it not? Anyway, soon they'll make snow to last all year round.

[ash chaulk]

how is the jamaican bobsled team going?

[Steulen]

Eagerly awaiting my own trip to Val Thorens, the highest altitude resort in Les Trois Vallees in France at the end of March. Gravity, here I come .

As for the speed skating...horrible sport. Too bad the Dutch are so good at it.

[The Baconator]

Any high profile bob/luge going on? Best winter sports.

[Samuel_Vimes]

Originally Posted by The Baconator

Any high profile bob/luge going on? Best winter sports.

Guaranteed to be won by the one with the best sleigh.

There's a bobsleigh event on in Igls, Austria this weekend; as a curiosity, a British team (Wright/Roberts) finished third at a Europa Cup (second-tier) run in Winterberg, Germany yesterday. As far as luge goes, they're also in Altenberg, Germany for their seventh of nine World Cup weekends.

Biathlon news for the day: Bjørndalen skips the weekend in Pokljuka for training, leaving Alexander Wolf as shock winner of the sprint - even more surprising: he hits all targets on the way to victory.