The men’s World Cup ski season belatedly gets underway in Zermatt-Cervinia this weekend with the prospect of a thrilling match-up between Marco Odermatt, the two-time Swiss holder of the crystal globe, and his Norwegian runner-up Aleksander Aamodt Kilde.
Provided that the forecast snow and wind allow the stage, which was canceled last year, to go ahead, the Gran Becca promises to be a mouth-watering duel.
It will be the first cross-border race in the history of the World Cup, starting in Switzerland and finishing in Italy, a majestic setting facing the Matterhorn.
The event, however, which takes in two downhills on Saturday and Sunday, has been overshadowed by environmental issues as the diggers work away on the ever-dwindling glacier.
This new destination, which will have two women’s events next weekend, is a response to the more technical course of Soelden in Austria, where last week’s men’s giant slalom was cancelled because of the weather.
