Val Thorens ready to host double SX action

We are back in Europe in the at 2300m highest ski resort in Europe – Val Thorens, France – and to top that awesome fact off with something even more exciting: We are back, and so are the fans and spectators! What unbelievable joy to see people cheering on their favourite athletes in the finish area, when they are coming down this fast, big and technical course named after Val Tho’s most successful ski cross athlete and Sochi 2014 Olympic Champion – Jean-Frederic Chapuis.

Val Thorens is covered in snow, just like a real Winter Wonderland these days, which not only adds to a beautiful landscape, but also gave the course builders enough to work with and to build an amazing ski cross course. With a slightly different line in the middle section and some changes to the course, we can expect some real ski cross action with a new touch. And all of that with not one, but two races this weekend.

After the Olympic test event in China, which was an entirely new course for all the athletes, it will be interesting to see how they will be sending it on this adapted but in general well-known Val Tho course.

Overall, the back-to-back races in Val Thorens are the kick-off to an intense ski cross phase, consisting of 6 competitions (5 individual races and one mixed-team event) within 12 days and three countries.

The odds are in who’s favour?

As for the women, looking back at Val Thoren’s past results dating back to 2012 (time really flies), where the most decorated ski cross athlete Fanny Smith of Switzerland won the first competition and a total of three times on the French course so far, it is actually Canada’s 2019 World Champion Marielle Thompson who leads the list with most wins here (a total of four victories).

Thompson is back in action after missing out the Olympic test event in China, so we are looking forward to see her performance on one of her facourite tracks.

2021 World Champion and current World Cup leader after her season-opening victory in Secret Garden (CHN), Sandra Naeslund counts a total of two wins, which were back-to-back victories in 2019. Naeslund sat out last year’s first half of the season and therefore wasn’t in the game to add to her successes so far.

However, it is actually Austria’s Katrin Ofner who is entering the competition as the title defender, as she won last year’s second competition here on French soil. Having finished fourth in China, Ofner showed that she is on fire again this season and we must definitely count her in for the podium battle.

Podium spots battle on the men’s side

Looking over on the men’s side of things, the list of winners in Val Thorens couldn’t be more mixed up. We have Canadian veteran Chris Del Bosco and France’s Jean-Fred Chapuis in the lead with two wins each. Other then those two, there were different winners each race, which makes for a beautiful mixed list of victories.

What we can say though is that Canada counts the most wins. A total of six times a Canadian athlete stood at the top of the podium, making it the number one nation of winners here in Val Thorens.

It is also last year’s crystal globe winner, Reece Howden from Canada, who is the entering the competition as title defender. He took his first win of last season exactly on this course. Will he be able to repeat his performance?

For sure the Frenchmen will have something against it. Especially Jonathan Midol, who won last year’s first competition here and of course no other than Jean-Fred Chapuis will want to be crowned winners on their home soil. And we cannot forget to mention Bastien Midol, who is always to be counted in for podium spots, especially after his third place in China two weeks ago.

And one Russian gentleman is also on our watchlist, as he is currently the owner of the leader bib following his amazing win in Secret Garden (CHN) and this gentleman’s name is Sergey Ridzik.

Well, as far as weather predictions go, it doesn’t look too promising with heavy snowfall in the forecast, but we are an optimistic bunch, so we are hoping for some good racing action in good conditions.

Also, there are some options in place to adapt the program, should the weather really be too bad to race. As first option, there is a second start gate installed from a lower section of the course, which would be plan B and as another option, there is a reserve day planned on Sunday, December 12. Nevertheless, the organizing committee is doing their best and trying everything to hold the races, as originally planned.

Val Thorens title defenders from December 2020: Katrin Ofner (AUT) and Reece Howden (CAN).