Press Center
For Immediate Release
November 27, 2008
Media Contact:
John Dakin
(970) 949-1999
SWISS MEN LOOKING TO REKINDLE THE FIRE OF PAST WORLD CUP SUPREMACY
AS TOUR HEADS TO BEAVER CREEK FOR AUDI BIRDS OF PREY
BEAVER CREEK, Colorado—It has been 16 years since a Swiss man has hoisted the overall World Cup crystal globe at the end of the season, signifying ski racing supremacy and national pride. The year was 1992 and the skier was Paul Accola.
Also, seemingly gone were the glory days of the 80’s; the days of Pirmin Zurbriggen and his four overall titles, along with the exploits of teammates such as Peter Mueller, Karl Alpiger, Franz Heinzer and Michael Von Gruenigen.
To make matters worse, prior to last winter, the Swiss men had been uncharacteristically “neutral” on the White Circus, enduring a three-year individual victory drought, dating back to 2004.
However, Switzerland seems to have righted their ship as a brand new crop of stars are looking to rekindle the fire of past glories as the tour heads to Beaver Creek for the 2008 Audi Birds of Prey World Cup Week December 4-7.
“If you take a look at the history of World Cup ski racing,” explained Michael Imhof, Vice President of Sales and Operations for the Vail Valley Foundation, “you begin to see that things really are cyclical. The U.S. Team had great success in the early 80’s and then the Swiss really came to the forefront, only to be replaced by the Austrians. While some might argue that it’s the American’s time again now, there’s no doubt that the Swiss are certainly on the rise.”
The resurgence began at the 2007 World Alpine Ski Championships in Are, Sweden as Switzerland claimed a total of five men’s medals, courtesy of Daniel Albrecht, Marc Berthod, Didier Cuche and the recently retired Bruno Kernen. Albrecht mined gold in Super Combined and silver in Giant Slalom, while Cuche (Giant Slalom), Berthod (Super Combined) and Kernen (Super-G) each collected bronze medals.
Enter the 2008 season and Birds of Prey. Albrecht picked up the first two World Cup individual victories of his career in Super Combined and Giant Slalom, while Cuche was third in both Downhill and Giant Slalom. The Swiss would end the winter with a trio of racers ranked in the final top ten of the World Cup overall standings with Cuche in third, Albrecht in seventh and veteran Didier Defago in ninth.
That momentum has obviously carried through the summer months as Albrecht and Cuche delivered a potent one-two punch last month in the opening World Cup Giant Slalom in Soelden, Austria.
“Albrecht and Cuche really made a statement in Soelden,” Imhof continued. “They were truly skiing head and shoulders above the rest of the field.”
With the top Swiss Slalom result in the recent World Cup in Levi, Finland coming in the form of a fourth place effort from Silvan Zurbriggen, the team heads to North America with Albrecht currently sitting in third in the overall rankings, while Cuche holds down the fourth place spot and Zurbriggen tied for seventh.
Add to this group a solid mix of seasoned veterans and new young talent, including 22-year-old Carlo Janka, and the Swiss may well be assembling a men’s team to rival the squads that dominated the World Cup twenty years ago.
Given their success in Beaver Creek last winter, one would be foolish to count the Swiss out this time around. And, if the planets continue to align, Accola and Zurbriggen may soon have some company in the Overall World Cup Champions Club.
The 2008 Audi Birds of Prey World Cup Race Week in Beaver Creek includes the Super Combined event on December 4, Downhill on December 5, Super-G on December 6 and Giant Slalom on December 7. All races are free to the public.
The Audi Birds of Prey World Cup is a project of the Vail Valley Foundation. For more information on Birds of Prey, visit www.bcworldcup.com. For additional information on the Vail Valley Foundation, check out www.vvf.org.
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