Gudiberg opens: Felix Neureuther on maiden voyage

posted:

16/12/2010

In snow-covered Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Felix Neureuther inaugurated the new double chair lift and the widened racetrack

„Today is a very important day for us. There have been doubts from several sides that we would be able to finish Gudiberg in time for the World Ski Championships. Now, the new lift is ready for operation, the operating license is on hand, the new functional building is finished and at Christmas, the slope will also be fully primed. We are absolutely on schedule with our preparations“, says a pleased Peter Fischer, Director of the Organisation Committee of the World Ski Championships.

A double chair for all world champions

During the World Ski Championships, the competitions slalom and super-combined will be carried out in the Gudiberg-Arena. Double chair number one bears the name of Felix Neureuther, who won the World Cup slalom at Gudiberg in 2010. Chair number two was dedicated to his father, Christian Neureuther, who succeeded at Gudiberg in 1974. The Champions of the World Ski Championships 2011 will also be eternalized on one of the double chairs. The new double chair lift is replacing the old draglift. With the new lift, artificial snow and the preparation of the trail of the original draglift is no longer necessary. It will bring approximately 500 people to the starting area within a few minutes. On its 580 meters track, the lift bridges an altitude difference of 202 meters.

Ideal track for competitions and training

Since 2007, various modifications have been conducted at Gudiberg in order to adjust the course profile to the newest ski-technical standards and optimize it for training and competitions.

The slope was widened in order to enable entry to the racecourse. The finishing area no longer leads into the Olympic Ski-Stadium but into the new Slalom Stadium at the foot of Gudiberg. This will heighten the exciting atmosphere for athletes and spectators alike. The men will be starting their Slalom from a higher point than at the World Cup final. The Slalom starts with a medium decline and leads into the bluff, at the top of which the start used to be, via a sharp right turn.

World Ski Championships 2011