Winter Sports

[Mrs Smoker]

Any fans here? Hope so, would like to see the thread active during the season.

I personally am biggest fan of biathlon and alpine skiing, hardly ever miss a race from those. Do like to catch a curling match or two, and some ski jumps as well. Was a big fan of cross country skiing as a kid, but lately not so much, though, that can be quite fun as well.

The season for some of those sports already begun. Alpine skiers had a race already in October, in Soelden both men and ladies had a giant slalom race. More than a month pause before next race though, with WC continuing at next friday, with ladies giant slalom in Aspen.

Women's competition this season appears quite depleted from last one. Bunch of retirements or iconic skiers (Maze and Hosp among others), and winner of last two World Cups, Anna Fenninger, had a big injury and will miss the whole season. Hope is that Vonn will be ready this year, or young Shiffrin will take the WC without breaking a sweat.

Much better competition with men. Fantastic Hirscher will chase his fifth WC win, which would put him on top with Girardelli, but it wont be easy. Svindal is back, who missed almost whole last season, and another Norge will put up a great fight as well, Kjetil Jansrud. He was fanstastic in fast disciplines. Ligety again looks great in giant slalom, and there's a bunch of guys who can win in slalom.

As I said, it looks much better for men's competition.

Some of our Norge Caftards might be interested in biathlon season as well. They are always great there, and I personally hope some of them will be able to beat great Fourcade on a regular basis. With ladies, no more Makarainen unfortunately, but still, I expect lots of exciting races, as it usually is with biathlon. Biggest fan of Domracheva there.

Ski jumpers start their season tomorrow actually. Competition is in Klingenthal, and they start with Team event.

And Curling European Championship starts today as well. Now, that's a fun sport, no matter how it looks. Snookerchess on ice. Quite tactical.

Anyway, talk about any winter sport you like here. Hope the thread survives a bit.


Small calendar for some events:

Curling

20th November
17:30 Round 1 (W)

21st November
09:00 Round 1 (M)
14:00 Round 2 (W)
19:00 Round 2 (M)

22nd November
08:00 Round 3 (W)
12:00 Round 3 (M)
16:00 Round 4 (W)

23rd November
09:00 Round 4 (M)
14:00 Round 5 (W)
19:00 Round 5 (M)


Alpine Skiing

Lake Louise, Canada (M)
25th - 27th Downhill Training
28th Downhill
29th Super G

Aspen, USA (W)
27th Giant Slalom
28th Slalom
29th Slalom

Lake Louise, Canada (W)
1st - 3rd December Downhill Training
4th - 5th Downhill
6th Super G

Beaver Creek, USA (M)
1st - 3rd December Downhill Training
4th Downhill
5th Super G
6th Giant Slalom

Biathlon

29th Single Mixed Relay
29th Relay Mixed
2nd December 20 km Individual (M)
3rd 15 km Individual (W)
5th 10 km Sprint (M)
5th 7.5 km Sprint (W)
6th 12.5 km Pursuit (M)
6th 10 km Pursuit (W)

Ski Jumping

Klingenthal, Germany
21st Men's Team HS140
22nd Men's HS140 Qualification
22nd Men's HS140

Ruka, Finland
26th Men's HS142 QUA
27th Men's HS142
28th Men's HS142

Lillehammer, Norway
4th December Men's HS138 QUA
4th December Ladies HS100
5th Men's HS138
6th Men's HS138

 

[Simbo]

Love watching the skiing but I usually miss it all, is eurosport the only place that has coverage?

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Eurosport and a lot of national channels in most of Europe. Like ARD, ZDF, ORF, SLO, HRT,...etc.

 

[Tribec]

Another winter sports fan, though I don't see half as much as I used to, nor half as much as I'd like. I do however follow the Crashed Ice world champs and went to last seasons race in Belfast. Still not 100% if I'll try and make an event this year on the spur of the moment.

 

[Snowjoe]

I remember running the Lake Louise course regularly on my board. I remember hitting 100kph through the speed trap straightlining the steep section, I have no idea how they do well in excess of that speed on ice whilst still turning through gates, its unreal.

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Svindal took his first win in downhill after a long time, was pretty great, even with some slight mistakes. Jansrud had bigger mistakes, and disappointed. 12 guys inside a second. Today it's a Super G event.

With women, competition is way way weaker. Shiffrin won the slalom with over 3 seconds advantage! Quite ridiculous, though, kudos to young American.

Biathlon season starts today! My favourite sport. Just the relays today, single mixed one and normal mixed one.

 

[Samid]

Lund Svindal won again. Coming back after his second serious injury and still performing like a boss. Love the guy.

 

[Mrs Smoker]

You guys had a great day today. Both relays in biathlon, and super G.

Fairly certain you dominated all over weekend's cross country events too.

 

[Samid]

Great weekend indeed but the domination in cross country is getting boring now. It's killing the sport.

Alpine skiing, ice hockey and extreme sports, that's about all winter sports I watch these days. Used to watch it all but I'm fed up now. Even biathlon is boring except for world championships.

 

[Donut]

Now that Maze has retired it doesn't interest me too much anymore, although it could be a very interesting battle between Schiffrin, Vonn, and Feninger if they were all healthy.

 

[Samid]

The king is back! Bjørndalen with his first World Cup victory in almost four years!

 

[Mrs Smoker]

That was just awesome, fantastic shooting, and still quite respectable ski time.

Had a bet against him in duel with J. Boe, am not sad I have lost.

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Podium places yesterday...

Left - 16 years
Right - 43 years of age

Kasai still rocking.

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Bloody hell, Hirscher almost died tonight. Drone almost fell on him while on track.

 

[Kasper]

Great atmosphere at the Four Hills Tournament in Oberstdorf. Freund the first German winner there since Hannavald I think.

 

[ctp]

Did anyone see Innerhofer's crazy run in Bormio?

 

[Grylte]

I'm following cross country and biathlon, sometimes watch ski jumping and alpine aswell.
Sort of lost interest cause "we" win everything, and it's getting boring

 

[Grylte]

The Norwegian biathlon girls have really become bad the last couple years.
I miss the days of Liv Grethe Skjelbreid Poiree and her sister, then we won someting

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Eckoff is promising. Too many missed shots though.

You guys lost Svindal for the season yesterday, deadly Kitzbühel. Three fell on the same place.

 

[Samid]

Aksel will come back strongly. Never seen such sheer determination.

 

[Blackwidow]

Keep the fingers crossed for the second leg in the Night Slalom of Schladming for the guy on the right...

After the first leg:

1. Felix Neureuther (GER) ...... 48,30
2. Stefano Gross (ITA) ......... 48,83
3. Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) .. 49,40
4. Alexander Koroschilow (RUS) . 49,43
5. David Chodounsky (USA) ...... 49,57
6. Mattias Hargin (SWE) ........ 49,63
7. Fritz Dopfer (GER) .......... 49,79
8. Alexis Pinturault (FRA) ..... 49,84
9. S.Foss-Solevaag (NOR) ....... 50,02
10. Patrick Thaler (ITA) ........ 50,07
11. Manfred Mölgg (ITA) ......... 50,15
12. Julien Lizeroux (FRA) ....... 50,37

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Felix with such a disappointing season so far. Topped it off with that lousy straddle (that the word?) yesterday. Hirscher with massive problems in first run, goggles got foggy, couldn't see much and ended 22nd, +2.59 behind Neureuther. But excellent second run (still with some mistakes after half the course) got him second place at the end!

Kristoffersen and Hirscher seem class of their own in slalom this season. More so Norge, of course.


Is Felix really an United fan?

Janka is for sure. Jansrud is a weirdo, fan of Liverpool.

 

[Blackwidow]

Is Felix really an United fan?

He is a Bayern fan.

And a Germany fan. And a fan of his buddy Schweinsteiger. I guess the last bit makes him to a United fan.

 

[Grylte]

@Mrs Smoker i like that you write Norge instead of Norway, didnt't think many outside Scandinavia knew


Just bought new skiis today, eeeeexpensive!
Going to do alot of alpine skiing in the future. Just did it for the second time since 1999, last weekend, and it is great fun. Living on the west coast og Norway, I have plenty of places to go skiing.

 

[Grylte]

Great weekend for us Norwegians in biathlon

Gold for Johannes Thingnes Bø, and bronze to the 42 (!!!) year old Ole Einar Bjørndalen!
Wicked!

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Awesome race, so glad Johannes outraced Fourcade. And yeah, yet another medal for Ole! Magnificent.

 

[Grylte]

Johannes has so many 4th places, really well deserved to get a win in the last race at home.

He was asked on Norwegian TV how the party is going to be, and replied "I better enjoy the gold now that i remember it"

 

[Samid]

Amazing finish to a great World Championship.

Women's relay gold is what I will remember the best. So unexpected and wonderful.

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Ustiugov with 6 wins and one second place in Tour de Ski. That's pretty big deal, right? And this seventh stage, what a brutal climb last two km.

 

[Grylte]

Ustiugov with 6 wins and one second place in Tour de Ski. That's pretty big deal, right? And this seventh stage, what a brutal climb last two km.

I find it weird that several Russian athletes were suspended cause of suspicion of drugs/doping (not sure what word you use in English), and noone question him dominating the Tour.

 

[Dyslexic Untied]

Kristoffersen with a two second win margin in the slalom today. Insane.

 

[Kasper]

A german has won downhill in kitzbühel

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Second surprise German win of the season in fast disciplines.

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Johannes Thingnes Bø, just awesome this weekend.


Though, women's world cup is way more interesting.

 

[Grylte]

Lots of people taken by the police after a doping control in the cross country WC.
Aparantly a couple from Austria, and Poltoranin, one of the favourites today, did not ahow up for the 15km.

 

[Grylte]

The Austrians are supposed to be Baldauf and Hauke, who came 6th in the team sprint, plus Andreas Veerpalu and Karel Tammjarv from Estonia and Aleksej Poltoranin from Khazakstan, did not show up for the 15km today.

http://www.tellerreport.com/sports/...onships-in-seefeld-and-germany.SyxYigNLN.html

 

[Kasper]

Winter sports are due to a massive doping scandal. It's all well and easy to point at the Russians (rightfully, mind) but I'm sure other athletes in those heavily endurance reliant sports are full of it as well.

 

[Samid]

Just a decade ago I used to consume winter sports like there was no tomorrow, these days I can't even be bothered tuning into world championships.

Think global warming and the lack of broader interest will kill off the Nordic events within 10-12 years. Biathlon will survive a few more years because of the Germans. Alpine skiing under no real threat as of yet imo. In general winter sports are dying a slow and painful death.

 

[Dyslexic Untied]

Winter sports are due to a massive doping scandal. It's all well and easy to point at the Russians (rightfully, mind) but I'm sure other athletes in those heavily endurance reliant sports are full of it as well.

There have been quite a few massive scandals in winter sports tbf. Muhlegg for Spain, the Finland cross country team is almost still picking up the pieces after Lahti, Russians every now and then, the Austrian (Duur?) a couple of years ago etc. The best female and male skier of the last couple of years (both Norwegian) have also served suspensions for doping related cases recently. Skiing does not lack doping scandals.

 

[Grylte]