Sunday, March 20, 2011

Fog ruins Lindsey's chance for Alpine World Cup title

The battle for the Alpine World Cup title between Lindsey Vonn and Germany's Maria Riesch is over. In the end, weather determined the winner: Riesch by three points.

The much-anticipated finale that would have given Vonn her fourth straight overall World Cup title was canceled by officials due to fog and soft snow in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. She never even got on course.

"Win or lose, I just wanted the chance," said Vonn. "I feel devastated. But I'm extremely proud to have been in the fight in what was one of the most exciting seasons in ski racing history."

Such a shame! But anyone who has skied in Europe knows that weather is a huge factor. Fog, clouds, rain can deteriorate snow conditions in an instant. As I write this from my beautiful Colorado where fog and rain are virtually non-existent in our winter mountains, I wonder why the FIS stages most of the races in Europe. Well, I know why—Europeans support ski racing like we worship football. In the U.S., ski racing is a niche sport, and it's too bad. Because we offer the best playing fields in the world!

 

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