This piste is really steep! The ground suddenly falls away almost vertically under your feet into the valley. At the same time, you gain respect for the sportsmen who fight down a forest of slalom poles once a year to the finish line at speeds of around 70km/h. This is the “Night Race”, a classic in the calendar of the Alpine Ski World Cup.
In February 2013 (4th to 17th), the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships will take place at the Styrian ski resort of Schladming. More than 650 athletes from 70 nations will compete in 11 disciplines.
The Green World Championships in Styria, the Green Heart of Austria
The organisers promise that it will be a “ski festival with heart”. The infrastructure has been modernised and expanded everywhere ? from lifts to hotels. The public and private sectors invest a total of EUR 400 m into improvements in and around Schladming during the World Championships. In doing so, economic and ecological sustainability is of main importance. Schladming would ?like to be known as an international benchmark for “Green World Championships” and you can ?take a holiday from your car throughout ?the World Championships, as all ?”hot spots” are within walking distance and accessible by foot. The race slopes themselves are located around ?Planet Planai?, the newly built valleystation. This is also of advantage for ?normal? skiers, as 85% of the pistes are available for uninterrupted use during the World Championships.
The region scores equally high in culinary terms. In the mountains, the ski huts provide winter sports enthusiasts with a range of tasty options. And in the valley, restaurants treat guests with regional specialities.
More information: www.schladming2013.at / www.steiermark.com / www.schladming-dachstein.at