The 2003/4 Alpine Ski World Cup season looks set to be one of the most exciting and potentially closest ever championships. It could even be the best ever in modern times for British Skiers.
Though the blue riband, men's downhill looks set to be a 4 way, head-to-head battle for supremacy between the US skiers Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves, and the Austrian's Stefan Eberharter and Hermann Maier, 25 year old Scot, Finlay Mickel will be looking to move swiftly up the rankings. A lot is expected of Finlay this year and he will be looking to build upon his two points scoring finishes of last season.
Eberharter, who has won back-to-back Championship's, will start favourite, although Miller soundly beat him in the season opening Super G at Solden in Austria, where Maier finished a creditable 16th. Maier, known widely as the Herminator, dominated the Downhill series until a major motorcycle accident looked to have prematurely ended his career. He was told that he would never walk again, but in true Herminator style he’s back on the slopes and ready to give it his all.
Another Brit who will be looking to shine is Alain Baxter. Baxter has put the Olympic Games debacle behind him and will want to hit his best form early on in the season.
According to C4 commentator, former British Champion Nick Fellows, "If Baxter can break into the top 10 early in the season, everybody on the World Cup will be worried. They all know that he is one of the fastest Slalom Skiers in the world, and if he puts it all together, and the confidence flows, then there is no one out there better."
Strangely Baxter has predicted that the one rival he fears over all others is his younger brother Noel. The 22 year old has been tipped by many experts to be the best British skier ever. It's a big billing and one that will take some living up to. The reigning Champion, Finland's Kalle Pallender, will start the season as favourite, but he will know that the Baxter boys will be looking for any mistakes.
Another Brit who will be hoping to have a strong season is 21-year-old Chemmy Allcott. Chemmy began the season in great style, scoring points in the season opener at Solden. According to Fellows, "This is a very important season for Chemmy, one that we've been waiting for, for a couple of years now. She was the best in her age group in-the-world at 15, the same at 17, and now she is playing with the big girls, and this is the season where we will get an indication of just how good she is going to be. She is a tremendous athlete, very powerful and brave, she really looks to have it all."
The favourite though in the Women's World Cup will be the remarkable Janica Kostelic from Croatia, even though she is out injured until Christmas, having the 17th knee operation of her career. She is the only female racer who competes in all-4 Alpine disciplines, Downhill, Super G, Giant Slalom and Slalom. And she is arguable the only woman racer who would set the cat amongst the pigeons if she were to race against the men.
Fellows is left to sum it up, "We have a great season lined up on C4, we have the entire season with the best ski racers in the world. It could even be the year that British Ski racing comes of age. We certainly have the talent, now it will be up to them to put it into place and to make a name for themselves as world-class sportsmen and women in front of an ever-growing terrestrial audience. It's a tough sport but if they want to be the best then they have to beat the best. Now is the time to see if they really can."
For the latest information on results and standings visit the
FIS World Cup website.
