Rediscovering the Nationale slope

Thirteen years after the last men’s World Cup race in Crans-Montana, the world’s top skiers returned to the legendary Nationale slope on Thursday for the first training ahead of Saturday’s downhill race. “It’s fun to ski, with lots of terrain variations that make it interesting,” said Stefan Rogentin. The Swiss skier, who won bronze in the team combined event at the Saalbach World Championships alongside Marc Rochat, made the fastest time in this first timed run, finishing ahead of Austrian Stefan Eichberger and Italian Mattia Casse.

Rogentin completed the 3,800-meter course in just over two minutes, making it one of the longest tracks on the circuit. For the first time since the 1987 World Championships, the race starts from the summit of Bella Lui. However, it doesn’t burn the legs as much as Wengen’s Lauberhorn. Here, race times are closer to those seen on Kitzbühel’s Streif or Val Gardena’s Saslong. “It has a bit of Wengen and a bit of Val Gardena, but this track remains unique,” said Ryan Cochran-Siegle. “It’s a fun and cool course where you can really play with the terrain.”

Six Skiers Already Present in 2012

The American is part of a small group of six skiers who were already competing here in 2012, including Italians Christof Innerhofer, Mattia Casse, and Dominik Paris, as well as Germany’s Romed Baumann and World Cup veteran Adrien Théaux of France. “Honestly, I had a blast,” said Théaux, who had previously made the podium in the super-G here. “It’s not the steepest or most intense course, but it has its own characteristics, and it’s really enjoyable to ski.”

Even for those who have skied the Nationale slope before, rediscovering its nuances requires a fresh approach. “It’s like discovering a new track—you have to pay close attention and take extra time during inspection,” admitted Adrien Théaux. “We need to get our bearings, understand the course, and build up speed from top to bottom,” added James Crawford. The Canadian, who won the legendary Kitzbühel downhill this winter, confirmed: “You can have fun on this course.”

“A Downhill That’s Not So Easy”

For Vincent Kriechmayr, Saturday’s downhill “won’t be so easy,” contrary to what some racers on the circuit might think. “Every course is tough because generating speed is never easy,” echoed Adrien Théaux. “If the weather is clear, the track is great to ski, but if the sky is overcast, things can get tricky when pressing into turns. It’s easy to make trajectory mistakes that can cost a lot of time.”

It’s hard to predict a winner for this downhill race, but one thing is certain: the show promises to be spectacular in the Valais resort.