Alpine Skiing and Biathlon 2018/19

Well, a new season already – here’s a quick reminder of how it all ended up last year!

Overall Points
Marcel Hirscher (1620)
Mikaela Shiffrin (1773)
Downhill
Beat Feuz (682)
Sofia Goggia (509)
Super G
Kjetil Jansrud (400)
Tina Weirather (461)
Giant Slalom
Marcel Hirscher (720)
Vikki Rebensburg (582)
Slalom
Marcel Hirscher (874)
Mikaela Shiffrin (980)
Alpine Combined
Peter Fill (140)
Wendy Holdener (150)

Now – the 2018/19 season starts at Sölden, with the Ladies Giant Slalom – the start list says that Federica Brignone will be first away, with last year’s slalom globe holder, Mikaela Shiffrin away second – 75 starters in all on the list with Britain’s Alex Tilley going 24th.  Looks a bit murky on the glacier, with snow falling – hope we get both races completed this year. Conditions seem to be acceptable, although the combination of the snow and some wind have meant a lower start for the women; 37 gates now? Brignone is safely down, but it could be trickier for the late starters. Now, there’s something you don’t see often – Mikaela Shiffrin with a red light on her timings – she’s 0.60 off the pace! Tess Worley into 2nd place; errors from Mowinckel too – she’s into 4th. They’re getting the racers out quickly; the forecast isn’t good! Vikki Rebensburg is away next – green lights at intermediate 1, 2 and 3 but she’s lost time on the final section – into 2nd, +0.24. Steph Brunner off the pace too, and so is Wendy Holdener – the transition from the steeper section to the flatter finish seems to be a good place to lose time! Marta Bassino is the first DNF of the day – she seems to be OK. That’s 10 away – Brignone leads from Rebensburg and Worley; then Shiffrin, Mowinckel and Brunner. First TV break and no change to the top 6. Lara Gut into 9th, but Tina Weirather is over 3 seconds off the pace here; the track is getting tougher. Impressed to see Kristin Lysdahl get into the top 10; she’s 8th at present.  Good start by Alex Tilley but a massive error just after the second intermediate has cost her lots of time – almost certainly no second run today. Nice run from K G Haugen to get into 13th; 30 away now and the top 6 remain unchanged. The start interval has halved and they really are getting them away quickly, but there doesn’t seem to be any change to the top 20.  Spoke too soon – that was an  impressive effort – Stephanie Resch (AUT) into 16th place! That’s it now – run 1 over, no further changes to the top 20.
Run 2: New course set by a Norwegian coach, again from the lowered start, apparently a tougher technical challenge! Eva-Maria Brem first away – nice to see her back. From the TV it looks as though the visibility is a bit better, at least at the top of the run. Haaser takes over the lead, by just 0.01; Truppe is going well, but she’s getting thrown around on the middle section – she leads by 0.75. Not for long though – Stjernesund (NOR) goes ahead with Grenier going into 2nd. Taina Barioz into 3rd; the wind seems to be getting up and the top 3 stay in place. Petra Vlhova had 0.52 in hand at the start, but she’s had a massive error lower down – game over. It seems very easy to lose time between intermediate 2 and 3, and even more on the final section, as both Schild and Veith have found out. Stephanie Resch green all the way to inter 3, but then lost well over a second to the finish – she’s 6th at present. That’s the half way point of run 2 – Stjernesund leads from Grenier (CAN), Barioz (FRA) and Liensberger (AUT). Michelle Gisin into 4th; the snow seems to be back and Meta Hrovat has gone from over 0.7 in hand to a second off the pace at the finish; Kristine Haugen (NOR) has had a very good final section, making up time there and she’s second. The Norwegians are making the most of their coach setting the course, and their skill over the final section! Mugnier into 4th; next is Frida Hansdotter, with 1.12 in hand – the light has gone red at inter 2 and she’s lost it – into 16th. The visibility is getting worse again – Lara Gut has an advantage of 1.19 at the top – she’s also just red at inter 2 and can only manage 6th. Sara Hector has lost her ski near the top of her run, and here’s another Norwegian – Kristin Lysdahl; she’s lost time on the way down, and isn’t the fastest on run 2, but she’s done enough to take the lead – an all Norwegian podium at present! Wendy Holdener (SUI) is gaining time on most of the course – lost a little later but again that’s enough to take the lead by 0.16. Steph Brunner is also going well – again not the fastest on this run, but that was a risky run and she’s into the lead! The Austrian fans like that! However – here’s another Norwegian – Ragnhild Mowinckel; quite a few errors but a brilliant final section gets her into joint first place – exciting stuff. Next – Mikaela Shiffrin – and she’s gaining time – she leads by almost a full second; that’s more like it. Tessa Worley is gaining even more time, she’s turned 0.34 at the start into almost a full second faster than Shiffrin – amazing run. Vikki Rebensburg has gone red at inter 2; she goes 3rd, just 0.05 behind Shiffrin. Just Federica Brignone to go – 0.40 in hand, but just into the red at inter 2 – she’s into 2nd place. So, Tessa Worley wins – the first French woman to win here! Brignone in second ahead of Shiffrin, then Rebensburg 4th, with Brunner and Mowinckel tied in 5th.

Sunday 28 Oct - well, the men's race at Sölden isn't having much luck - cancelled last year, and conditions were so bad overnight and this morning that it's been cancelled this year too! Here's the FIS statement: Winter has checked in with a lot of snow in Sölden. Overnight, a thick layer of white gold covered the race course (approximately 50 centimeters at the top and 40 in the finish). Since two in the morning snowcats and quads have been working to remove the snow, but strong winds at the top were continuously bringing more snow on the course. In addition to this, the weather forecast wasn’t announcing any decrease in the snowfall or the wind strength. It became clear that in those conditions, the safety of the race could not be ensured. This is why the jury, together with the local organising committee and the national ski association, took the decision to cancel today’s men’s giant slalom. After last years’ cancellation, the rule has been adapted and it is now possible to replace the opening race in case of a cancellation. The giant slalom will be taken over by another venue, that is to be announced early next week.

Levi – Women’s Slalom (17 November): Apparently a bit warm and windy, but the FIS reckon it’s all set for a 0915 (UK time) start! Right – pot of strong tea brewing; insulated mug ready (the one that can’t tip over and spill tea on the keyboard), and ……  Best laid plans etc. – start has been postponed; wind has picked up and the start has been lowered – new start at 1000 UK time. Looks a bit more promising this time – Mikaela Shiffrin is going first today, and she’s away! That looked good – Wendy Holdener next; just green at intermediate 1 but then into the red – she’s +0.70. Frida Hansdotter is also green at inter 1; she’s more in touch and goes 2nd, just 0.14 off Shiffrin’s time. Anna Swenn Larsson is even more green at inter 1, but it’s gone red on the steep – she’s into 4th. Bernadette Schild into 5th, despite the course being set by her coach; Petra Vlhova faster and into 3rd. Katharina Gallhuber into fourth; the Austrians will be a bit happier with that. Erin Mielzynski into 7th; Irene Curtoni goes 9th and then Chiara Costazza goes 9th, dropping Curtoni another place. That’s 10 away – Shiffrin leads from Hansdotter and Vlhova, then Gallhuber, Holdener and Swenn Larsson.  An odd mix of snow – apparently 80% of last year’s snow plus 20% from snow cannons; tricky, but Michelle Gisin goes into 9th despite the course beginning to cut up. On the plus side, the light conditions have improved! Nina Haver-Løseth right on the edge at times; into 8th; not for long though as Marina Wallner has taken that slot. Next away is Christina Geiger; looked good at inter 2 but sadly that was a clock error – just 16th! Not a good day for the Germans – Lena Dürr is the first to straddle today; DNF. Short delay to repair a gate; now 20 away and no change to the top 6. The wind is getting up, even at the lowered start; good effort by Maren Skjøld to get 15th place from start number 24. Now that is good – Katharina Huber into 11th. Thirty down – no changes to the top 10. This is looking exciting – Meta Hrovat (SLO); green at inter 1 and still in touch despite a few errors on the steep – she’s into 7th from bib 33, glad the Eurosport coverage included that run! Sadly we missed another great, late run – Magdalena Fjaellström (SWE) into 11th from bib 36; the second run list isn’t certain yet! Run 1 complete – no late changes to the top 10 since Hrovat.
Run 2: Still a bit windy as Carole Bissig starts, under the lights, on a course set by a Swiss coach – looks tricky! Schmotz was going well, but she’s straddled; Adeline Mugnier much faster, and she takes the early lead. Good recovery from Katharina Truppe on what looks a very icy steep pitch – she leads. Christina Geiger into 2nd, just 3 hundredths off the pace. Wind seems to be getting up; nice run from Sara Hector though to take the lead. She’s lost it to another Swede, Estelle Alphand! Right – half way though; Alphand leads from Hector and Truppe with the fastest 15 to come; 2 DNFs so far. Katharina Liensberger has taken advantage of the cleaned course – she leads by over a second! Michelle Gisin into 2nd; Bernadette Schild has taken over the lead. Ten to go – Schild leads from Liensberger and Haver-Løseth has just gone third. TV break with 8 to go; Mielzynski can only manage 5th and Hrovat has lost almost all her advantage by inter 1 – she’s 6th. Anna Swenn Larsson has built on  her advantage to inter 1, lost a lot of it by 2 and she’s into 2nd. Wendy Holdener has also gained to inter 1, lost time to 2 and now she goes 2nd. – easy to lose time on the steep. Same story for Katharina Gallhuber – almost a second in hand at inter 1, but red at 2 and into 4th. Petra Vlhova has gone from 0.84 in hand at the start to 1.11 ahead at inter 1 – still 0.42 green at 2 and she leads – a podium guaranteed! Frida Hansdotter has also lost time on the steep – into 3rd with just Shiffrin to come. Shiffrin has 0.59 in hand at the start – it’s 0.50 at inter 1, 0.66 at 2 – couple small errors but she’s in control – a win by a pretty massive 0.58! That’s Mikaela Shiffrin’s 33rd slalom win on the World Cup circuit. So, Shiffrin wins from Vlhova and Schild; Hansdotter in 4th, ahead of Holdener and Swenn Larsson.

Levi – Men’s Slalom (18 November): Well, this looks a bit more promising – not a lot of snow but the course looks good, if rather icy, and the weather is better than yesterday! Sadly I understand that Felix Neureuther, last year’s winner here, will not be starting today – he had hoped to do so despite his broken thumb (training accident, and apparently Svindal has done the same), but has returned to Germany for surgery. Dave Ryding is here though, and goes number 15 on run 1. Daniel Yule is first away today, from the top – the course is very much icier than it was in training! Seb Foss-Solevaag away next, on a course set by a Norwegian coach – nicely green but he’s out; an early DNF. Now here’s Marcel Hirscher – out of the gate like a rocket, full attack and he’s almost a full second up on Yule’s time. Andre Myhrer is losing time – he’s into 3rd, behind Yule. Now, Henrik Kristoffersen and he’s just green at inter 1, still ahead at 2, dead level at 3 – he goes 2nd just 7 hundredths off Hirscher’s time; it’s going to be an exciting second run! Michael Matt into 3rd (+0.55); Pinturault also a DNF. Lovely run from Clement Noel - he takes over third place (+0.38) and fellow French team member Victor Muffat-Jeandet is into 4th. Ooops – Manfred Mölgg has straddled; Manuel Feller into 6th. Now it’s Dave Ryding’s turn – he was fastest after run 1 here last year, but it’s not quite happening today – he’s into joint 8th, just over a second back from the lead. First TV break - Hirscher leads from Kristoffersen and Noel, then Victor M-J, Matt and Feller. Marco Schwarz into 8th; it’s time for another TV break, with no changes to the top 6. The course is rutting quite badly, which isn’t helping the later starters – Schwarz (bib 16) was the last to get into the top 10. DNFs are starting to increase too – 7 now from 30 starters so far (or 6 and a DSQ if I’m being pedantic).  Adam Zampa has straddled, and joins the DNFs, as does Mark Engel. Eurosport have extended their coverage to include Laurie Taylor (bib 36) – he’s safely down, and currently in 27th place. That’s the coverage over – no change to the top 6 so far, and Ryding is still in joint 9th. Impressive run from Tanguy Nef (SUI) from bib 40 into 15th and Anton Tremmel (GER) – bib 74 no less and into 17th! Sadly Laurie Taylor won’t get a 2nd run.
Run 2: Matej Vidovic (CRO) has got the second run started – looks like there are a couple really tricky sections in this course! Hmm – Timon Haugen didn’t last long; understandably disappointed after getting a second run. Marc Digruber is 5th away and he’s taken over the lead; not for long though as Loic Meillard is 0.36 faster. Stefano Gross into 2nd, but Johannes Strolz has just taken that place away from him; he was just 0.03 off Loic’s time too! Luca Aerni a bit lucky to finish, but the risks on the final couple gates paid off – he’s into 3rd. Nice run from Jean-Baptiste Grange to take over the lead; sadly Anton Tremmel (bib 74 in to 17th) hasn’t skied as well on run 2 – massive error near the finish and over 19 seconds off the pace. Julien Lizeroux is the final skier of the “lower half” of the start list – one error has cost him time but he’s 2nd – at the TV break it’s Grange from Lizeroux and Meillard. Tanguy Nef has made good use of his second run though – into 2nd; Dopfer has skied out just before the finish. Christian Hirschbühl into 2nd now; Ramon Zenhaeusern, probably the tallest skier on the circuit, has gone into the lead – good recovery! Andre Myhrer was just red at inter 2 but he’s made up time and takes the lead by just 0.04. Next away is Dave Ryding; just red at inter 1, redder at 2, recovered a bit by 3 but then lost some time on the tricky final gates – into 6th. Last 8 to go – Myhrer leads from Ramon Z and J-B Grange. Yule into 4th; none of the final 8 have upset the podium so far. Michael Matt keeping in the green all the way to inter 3, but he too has lost time through the tricky final section – he’s only 5th (+0.17). Victor M-J is also keeping in the green and he has over half a second left at inter 3 – a huge error before the finish has cost him a full 10 seconds, and he’s into 23rd place! Clement Noel has been gaining time between inter 2 and 3; he’s 0.80 clear at 3 and … he’s out at the same point as Victor M-J – looks as though there is a rut there from run 1? Henrik Kristoffersen next – slight hold while they try to repair that rut. Kristoffersen has almost a second in hand at the start; he’s lost a bit but then gained time to inter 3 and he takes the lead by a massive 1.32! That was a truly impressive run – just Marcel Hirscher to come – he’s gained time at inter 1, a bit more at 2, lost a little at 3 but he’s got enough – he wins by 0.09! Brilliant race – Hirscher wins, Kristoffersen 2nd and Myhrer in 3rd – then Ramon Z, J-B Grange and Dan Yule. Dave Ryding ended up 12th. I imagine Clement Noel and Victor M-J wish that rut had been worked on a little earlier!!

Killington – Women’s Giant Slalom (24 November): Some decent snow in Vermont, it seems. First run set by a French coach. Well, a surprise early on – Stephanie Brunner (second away) has gone 0.23 faster than the first woman down the course – who was Mikaela Shiffrin! Wendy Holdener was nicely green but lost a bit on the section after intermediate 3 – into 3rd. Vikki Rebensburg next, and she’s also faster than Mikaela – mind you this is GS – so far only 0.25 between the top 4. Tessa Worley is green at inter 1, greener at 2, but then just drifting into the red – she goes 2nd, just 0.01 behind Brunner! Here comes Federica Brignone – green all the way and she had enough in hand to take the lead despite losing a bit on the final section. Very elegant stuff! All change is the motto today – next down is Ragnhild Mowinkel (delighted to see she is using a much better photo on the FIS site this year), and she’s even faster – 0.37 ahead! The wind is getting up near the start, but apparently it only affects the first 3 turns or so. The rate of change has eased – 10 away and Mowinkel leads from Brignone and Brunner; then Worley, Rebensburg and Shiffrin. First TV break – 15 away, a few changes to the top 10 (Bassino and Hector in), but not the top 6. Slightly disappointing run from Lara Gut, into 15th; Anna Veith green at inter 1 but only 8th at the finish. Interesting,  Estelle Alphand in touch at inter 1 and 2, only just in the red – lost a bit lower down but she’s into 8th, +0.85 – nice run! Second TV break – Alphand and Veith into the top 10; no change to the top 6, no DNFs so far. The video coverage is really weird – we keep missing bits after the break – buck up Vermont! Tania Barioz has just missed the top 10 – into 11th. Now – Alex Tilley and she’s green at inter 1, just red at 2; looks like she slightly hooked a gate – she’s 16th at present. Liensberger has also got hooked up, and has finished the run with just one pole – 23rd. Next break – no change to the top 10 since Alphand – and Eurosport switches to ski jumping! No great loss as nothing much changed – Valerie Grenier (bib 36) was the last to trouble the top 20, skiing into 19th.
Run 2 – set by an Italian coach: It’s a twisty course, probably more tricky than run 1 – lot of terrain to deal with! The wind is picking up too – this could be a good one! Hmm, another rather disappointing run from Lara Gut – I suspect she might prefer the faster disciplines at Lake Louise next week? First 5 away and Katharina Liensberger leads; that banana gate fairly early on in the course is taking its toll – with 10 away she is holding on to the lead, ahead of Mugnier and Gagnon. Frida Hansdotter into 2nd; Valerie Grenier is the first DNF of run 2. Mikaela Tommy had a great top section, but then it all went wrong – she’s safely down. Now it’s Alex Tilley; it’s not as good as run 1 – too straight on this course and she’s into 10th at present. Half way TV break, and after it Petra Vlhova takes the lead – good run although she did lose time on the final section. Hrovat out; Hector and Barioz rather off the pace, Marta Bassino into 4th. Just 9 to go – Vlhova leads from Liensberger and Hansdotter. That was close – Anna Veith into 2nd, just 0.03 behind – great final section! Wendy Holdener into the lead (by just 0.02!), and now it’s Mikaela Shiffrin – not perfect but its’s a good charge and she leads by 0.32 – five to go. Vikki Rebensburg well in touch but she’s spun out; Shiffrin, Holdener and Vlhova at present. Tessa Worley next – she isn’t quite as slick on the very final section and now she’s into 2nd – gap just 0.02! What a run from Steph Brunner – not error free but she’s recovered it on the last section and she takes over the lead by 0.21 – impressive; her first World Cup podium guaranteed. Ye gods – Federica Brignone is flying – 0.07 at the start, 0.16 at inter 1, 0.78 at 2 and a massive 1.30 at the final intermediate point – she leads by 0.78 (and, yes, it was her coach who set the course, but even so – very impressive skiing). Just Ragnhild Mowinckel – it’s red by inter 3 but she’s pulled some of it back – into 2nd place! So, Brignone wins, from Mowinckel and Brunner; Shiffrin in 4th ahead of Worley and Holdener – exciting stuff and a great run from Federica Brignone. Slalom here tomorrow. Over to the men’s downhill!!

Lake Louise – Men’s Downhill (24 November): Back to Nick and Finlay, and this is one of the venues that I have skied on. Sadly we start with bad news; Manny O-P has had a bad crash in training and is out for the rest of the season (and Erik Guay is retiring too – not sure when – seems pretty imminent?). Max Franz first away and he’s safely down, although the commentary team didn’t seem to think he’d stay there; Innerhofer goes into 2nd and Mayer 3rd.  Here’s a surprise – Kjetil Jansrud into 4th, and he’s a disappointing 1.41 off the pace! Kilde is marginally slower but Aksel Lund Svindal is a bit faster – into 3rd at present (+0.80). Thomas Dressen has just nicked 3rd from Aksel, by just two hundredths! Better run from Johan Clarey – he takes over third place (+0.64); 10 away and Franz leads from Innerhofer and Clarey. Nice run from  Dominik Paris – he has taken over 3rd place; Austria, Italy, Italy at present. Now – Beat Feuz is next; very quick in training, can he upset things?  No, is the short answer – over a second faster in training but he’s +0.67 here and into 5th! With the start interval and a 1:46 or so course time, this is taking a while! Bad news for my wife, who is a Svindal fan, as Vincent Kriechmayr has just gone 4th, pushing Aksel down to joint 8th.  OK – 20 down and the first TV break; Max Franz leads from Christof Innerhofer and Dominik Paris; then Kriechmayr, Clarey and Feuz. Obviously tricky out there – of the later starters Johannes Kröll (25) has got into 10th, just ahead of Steve Nyman (28). Em, and that was about it – no changes to the top 10 for the rest of the competition; well done Max Franz!

Killington – Women’s Slalom (25 November): Not such a nice day today – quite misty and gloomy and a bit wet too; course set by a Slovakian coach. Frida Hansdotter first away – the visibility is awful (I wonder if you can get away with a straddle in the thicker mist?). Not an error free run, it has to be said, and Bernadette Schild is 0.25 faster. Third away is Mikaela Shiffrin – beautiful on the top section and 0.38 up at inter 2 – amazingly she was 0.43 into the red at inter 3 (I think she was a little late on one turn, but it’s hard to see!), but she’s pulled it back and leads by 0.29! Swenn Larsson into 4th and Petra Vlhova away – she was +0.05 at inter 3, but where Mikaela was able to pull time back from there, she’s dropped a bit – into 3rd. It must be very hard to get that middle section correct as they can’t see the terrain; having said that Katharina Gallhuber has been luckier with the visibility – just green at inter 3 but then a big error and 6th place. Wendy Holdener off the pace a bit – just 7th. Hmm – while some sections are getting better visibility, closer to the finish it’s getting worse – top bit also fading. Irene Curtoni has been very unlucky – couldn’t see her at all in some places! Estelle Alphand has straddled, and she’s out – Erin Mielzynski out in almost the same place; luckily her scream seems to be from anger not pain. The first few skiers were certainly luckier – positions 1 to 6 occupied by bib numbers 1 to 6 (but not in the same order!) - it’s misty pretty much the whole way now. That’s 15 away and the first TV break – Shiffrin leads from Schild and Vlhova; then Hansdotter, Swenn Larsson and Gallhuber. Tina Geiger has skied out; fellow German Lena Dürr has made it and is into 11th place. That’s not bad – Ana Bucik into 9th (+2.31). The vis is much better at the top for a while, but there is some light snow! Next break and no change to the top 6; Bucik the last to get into the top 10. I’m not that good at lip reading or body language but I think I know what Huber said when she straddled! Adeline Mugnier also out – that’s 6 DNFs so far. As Emma C-A said “It’s been a long time since we saw someone smiling at the finish”. Meta Hrovat arguably best of the later starters – into 17th (bib 30); another break and end of coverage. Not a bad effort by Gabriela Capova (CZE, bib 42) – into 22nd place; we’re on start number 56 now, and no sign of Alex Tilley – I wonder if she decided not to race? No, she was number 57, and has sadly just joined the DNFs. That’s run 1 over – no change to the top 20 since Meta Hrovat.
Run 2: One snag with American venues –they clash with food time here! Visibility is a bit better it seems, but the snow is soft and the commentators reckon it will cut up later! The early lead is swapping around – first 5 away and Kristin Lysdahl leads; seems easy to get into the softer stuff if you aren’t careful! Not so much change now – Gabriela Capova was green all the way to inter 3, but has dropped to 3rd at the finish. Roni Remme has a massive advantage at the start, and she’s held on to 0.30 of it to take the lead! Ten away, Remme leads from Lysdahl and Paula Moltzan. Meta Hrovat is pushing hard and going well – massive error though and while she has finished she’s miles off the pace now. Costazza out; we’re half way and the top 3 remain the same. Ah, Laurent St-Germain into 2nd – Canada, Canada and Norway. Nina Haver-Løseth into 3rd; Katharina Liensberger away next – lost a lot from inter 2 to 3, but she’s pulled time back and she leads by 0.29! Lena Dürr just red at inter 1 and 2, but she’s well green at inter 3 (despite what the commentators have been saying) and she takes the lead. Irene Curtoni into 2nd; what a run – Katharina Truppe has really gone for it, and the risks paid off – she leads by a massive 0.74! Bucik out and it’s the last break – Truppe leads from Dürr and Curtoni (AUT/GER/ITA). Hold everything – Michelle Gisin is also flying – she’s gaining time – 0.66 at inter 1 and she leads by 1.39 at the finish; no wonder she’s happy! That was really tremendous skiing. Wendy Holdener can’t quite match that – she goes 2nd. Katharina Gallhuber is green at inter 1 and 2, but she’s drifted into the red at 3, and she’s lost momentum – into 3rd, just about 1 second behind. Anna Swenn Larsson is also gaining time on the upper section, but she too has gone red at inter 3 – great recovery and she’s got enough in hand to take 3rd at present. Frida Hansdotter has kept a good advantage all the way – she leads (0.85 ahead) – course seems to be holding up, it seems? Petra Vlhova gas gained a good bit between inter 2 and 3, and she leads by just over a half second. Just 2 to go – Bernadette Schild is just into the red at inter 2 and she’s lost time from there to inter 3 – she ends up third, for the moment. Right Mikaela Shiffrin has 0.54 in hand at the start; pretty much faultless – she lost a little from 2 to 3 but again she’s pulled it back. Shiffrin wins, (again – she’s happy, the crowd are happy!) that’s her 3rd successive win here. So Mikaela Shiffrin wins from Petra Vlhova and Frida Hansdotter. Schild in 4th, ahead of Gisin and Holdener! Another very exciting race – over to the men’s Super G!

Lake Louise – Men’s Super G (25 November): The weather is a lot better here, and much colder! Christof Innerhofer is the first away, on a course set by a German coach – probably it should suit the real speed merchants rather than the more technical. Well, the first away isn’t going to win today – Thomas Dressen is a full second faster! Now – yesterday’s winner – Max Franz; he’s just missed it – into 2nd, +0.08. Now – Aksel Lund Svindal (wife getting excited) – good run despite his thumb injury, he leads by 0.37. Bostjan Kline into 4th; wife is distraught – Vincent Kriechmayr has just gone 0.43 faster to take the lead! Peter Fill out on the top jump; a very aggressive top section from Kjetil Jansrud, and he’s nicked it by 0.14 – Norway regain the lead (Nick F is getting very excited!). Ten away – Jansrud leads from Kriechmayr and Svindal. Getting gloomier in our house – Hannes Reichelt into 3rd; Aksel off the podium. Matthias Mayer is down and into 5th; Feuz goes 7th. Nice run from Mauro Caviezel – well in touch and he’s into 3rd; looks as though the light conditions are a bit variable now. Apparently either Jansrud or Svindal has won this Super G every year since 2010! Twenty down - Jansrud leads from Kriechmayr and Caviezel; then Reichelt, Svindal and Mayer. The temperature is rising, but the track seems to be holding up at present? Ah, good late run from Sejersted (bib 26) into 8th – the Norwegians like it here! Except for Stian Saugestad, who has just fallen and nearly taken out a camera man – seems they are both OK! That seems to be it – well done Kjetil; Kriechmayr second and Caviezel third; then Reichelt, Svindal and Mayer – hope there are no late changes!! Well done to Ryan Cochrane-Siegle (bib 39) for getting into 12th!

Beaver Creek – Men’s Downhill (Birds of Prey), 30 Nov: All change at Beaver Creek – the schedule had a Super G today with the Downhill tomorrow, but apparently, due to weather constraints, they’ve swapped them! It doesn’t look very nice today, it has to be said – the start gate has been lowered, losing about 26 seconds of the course – and the storm predicted for this evening might be coming in early! Svindal has won here 4 times, including the last 2 occasions that the race has been held here, but as Nick has tipped him, he’s probably doomed! Finlay reckons it might be Kriechmayr, who goes bib 3? OK – Matthias Mayer is the first away, and it’s snowing; he’s safely down! “Interesting” start by Kilde, very close to the netting – good recovery though and he’s pulled back time to go 2nd, just +0.09. Now Vincent Kriechmayr is really pushing it; lost a bit lower down but he takes the lead by 0.65! Visibility seems to be getting worse too – Adrien Theaux has just nicked the lead though! Aksel Lund Svindal has lost a bit in the middle section, but he’s pulled it back – he’s 0.13 faster than Theaux. Bryce Bennett was fast through the speed guns, but he can  only manage 4th; and now it’s Beat Feuz – he’s dipped into the red a little at times  but he’s green at inter 3 and he takes the lead, by 0.08. Gisin into 7th and Dressen out; he was stopped by the nets but seems to be hurt; sadly you can actually hear him groaning, but the medics are on the scene – race interrupted. Thomas Dressen seems to be sitting up – nice of Nick to remind Finlay of his crashes (2nd time already today!). All still on hold – Feuz leads from Svindal and Theaux; Mauro Caviezel next to go – on the plus side, the snow has eased, although the delay means there might be some fresh snow on the track. Caviezel green at inter 1 and 2, but then just red – he goes into 2nd and my wife (an ALS fan) is not happy! Max Franz into 7th; Clarey joint 5th with Kriechmayr and Paris 8th – conditions have improved though. Surprise – Kjetil Jansrud was green at inter 1 but he’s blown it and ends up 11th; I think the snow is coming back? Yes, mist and fog back and it’s snowing – Carlo Janka has just gone into 8th. Andreas Sander into 17th – not easy after seeing your team mate crash. Peter Fill is the second DNF so far; not quite so spectacular but nasty enough – seems to be OK. Right – 20 away and Feuz leads from Caviezel and Svindal; Theaux 4th with Clarey and Kriechmayr in joint 5th.  Visibility is now so poor in patches that the FIS jury has apparently interrupted things – Patrick Küng away now, and into 13th. It sounds as though Dressen has a left knee injury; Ferstl has done well to get into 11th. Nice run from Steve Nyman – he’s into 8th; that’s 30 away – no change to the top 10 since Nyman. Marko Vukicevic out, but his “suit” has inflated and he seems to be OK; another interruption though which isn’t helping the organisers. Way to go Christian Walder (AUT, bib 44) into 8th! That’s it – race over well done Beat Feuz – I think he’s had more podiums here than anyone, but this is his first win? Caviezel 2nd and Svindal 3rd.

Lake Louise – Women’s Downhill  30 Nov: Well, Mikaela Shiifrin is competing, and looking good in training! No Lindsey Vonn though after a training injury to her knee – doesn’t need surgery though; Sofia Goggia also not here. Anyway – the weather is much better here – blue skies and pretty good vis. Michelle Gisin first away, and she is safely down; Ramona Siebenhofer nicely green early on, but she’s losing quite a bit of time lower down - +1.62! Tina Weirather has also started well, and more in touch – but it’s not enough – into 2nd, +0.44; Corinne Suter into 3rd. Connie Hütter has gone 3rd; and it’s gone quiet for a little while. Nadia Fanchini is going nicely on the upper sections, and nicely green but – she’s skied out, missing a gate. Welcome Back Ilka Stuhec;  - bit rusty but it’s good enough for 3rd at present – Steph Venier has had a good run – into 2nd. So, 10 away – Gisin leads from Venier and Weirather. Disappointing run for Vikki Rebensburg – just 8th. Now – Mikaela Shiffrin (bib 13) – hope she isn’t superstitious! Just green at inter 2, but red at 3 (+0.53) – she’s into 5th, she won’t win here this year. Fantastic run from Nicole Schmidhofer (fastest in final training) to take over the lead by 0.15. Well – 20 away – 20th to go is Kira Weidle (GER), who has gone 3rd!; so, Nicole Schmidhofer leads from Gisin and Weidle– then Venier Wierather, and Stuhec with Shiffrin down to 7th. Sadly, at this point the lurgy that’s been causing me problems all week cut in again and I missed the rest! Not a lot as it turned out – no changes to the top 6; Christine Scheyer (bib 27) went into 7th, Joana Haelen (bib 31) into 8th – Shiffrin ended up 9th , with Hütter 10th.

Beaver Creek – Men’s Super G,  1 Dec: Oh dear – not a good start – a 30 minute delay due to “weather conditions”  - oops, make that a full hour (which is only 30 minutes before the Women’s Downhill is due to start). It does look fairly nasty in Colorado – poor visibility and snow, with lots of workers on the course. Well, it’s on – after the first 5 away (and they really are getting them away quickly), Max Franz leads from Kilde and Dustin Cook – Dominik Paris into joint 2nd. Svindal is possibly still having snags with his injured thumb (?), but a great lower section gets him into joint 2nd (getting a bit crowded there). Kjetil Jansrud next – arguably unlucky with the conditions – into 5th. First TV break – Max Franz leads from Svindal, Paris and Kilde, who are sharing second. Back to the race, and Beat Feuz – bit disappointing by his standards – only 6th. Pinturault is racing – seeking overall points (as Hirscher isn’t here) – a creditable 6th place! Kriechmayr into 5th; this is better – Mauro Caviezel is into 2nd, all on his own – he’s having a good weekend! Reichelt isn’t – a fall just before the finish; great recovery but he’s 15th. Conditions seem to be getting worse as Eurosport shifts to Lake Louise! Matthias Mayer into 7th as we leave!! Looking at the FIS ticker – Theaux into 9th; good run from bib 27 by Travis Ganong into 10th. Thirty away and no change to the top 10 since Travis G. It’s not over yet though – Klemen Kosi has just gone 8th – even more impressive Christoph Krenn (AUT, bib 35) has gone 6th!! Ooh – Ted Ligety is racing – only 21st but nice to see him. Currently Franz, then Caviezel with Svindal, Paris and Kilde tied in 3rd; Krenn in 6th. Good win for Max Franz!

Lake Louise – Women’s Downhill,  1 Dec: It’s a lot nicer here! Ilka Stuhec away and safely down – not completely error free and Nadia Fanchini is 0.65 faster. Apparently Lindsey Vonn has “un-retired” and said today that she will race here next year, having missed it this time! Three down – 3 leaders, and it’s Michelle Gisin’s turn now. Tina Weirather next – nicely in touch and green at inter 3 (and 4) – rats, she’s skied out – good effort to miss the netting. Ramona Siebenhofer briefly green, and into 2nd; Nicole Schmidhofer is going well – very confident after yesterday’s win and she takes the lead by 0.47. Connie Hütter green at 3, but it’s slipped away – great recovery on the final section to go 2nd.  Ten away; Schmidhofer leads from Hütter and Gisin, then Siebenhofer, Fanchini and Weidle. Mowinckel into 10th, but she’s lost it to Tiffany Gauthier. Now – Mikaela Shiffrin, and conditions are very good – green at inter 1, 2 and 3 then a few errors and into 4th (+0.63).  Ester Ledecka into 7th; Vikki Rebensburg can only manage 12th. Steph Venier is into 7th now, but Corinne Suter has taken over, despite trashing a gate. Federica Brignone is 20th away – not the best top section and she hasn’t been able to pull it back – 14th. So, at present Schmidhofer, Hütter and Gisin; Shiffrin 4th ahead of Siebenhofer and Fanchini, and another TV break – lurgy playing up – not sure I’ll wait for too much more! I called it a day there, but it seems the only late change affecting that top 6 was Nicol Delago going into 5th (from bib 23).

Beaver Creek – Men’s Giant Slalom,  2 Dec: Busy day – 2 biathlon relays earlier on, this race now and a Super G for the women (what has the weather in store today?) Oh good – ski jumping on before the race; if it needs judges marks, I don’t like it, and it almost always over-runs! Ooh, exciting – man looking at flag; I’ve found the Beaver Creek video only feed though – Marcel Hirscher away 5th. Victor Muffat-Jeandet is first away on run 1 – down safely, but no commentary, of course! Can’t compare Manuel Feller, as he’s a DNF! On the plus side it’s a much better day – course set by a French coach and it looks very twisty. Commentary feed is on - not too much delay! Alexis Pinturault has just gone into the lead, by just 0.04; Kranjec goes 3rd. Next away is Marcel Hirscher – nicely green at inter 2, 0.33 ahead by inter 3 and he leads by 0.68 – very impressive. Lovely to watch. However, Henrik Kristoffersen is next and he’s just green at inter 1 and 2; he’s increased it at 3, but at the finish he’s just 0.02 slower – it’s going to be an interesting second run! Well, that was exciting – now, Matts Olsson into 3rd and Loic Meillard is drifting between red and green  - he’s taken over 3rd place. Stefan Luitz back from ACL injury and he’s going very nicely – green all the way and he’s faster than Hirscher! And, the next course will be set by a German coach. Ten away – Luitz leads from Hirscher and Kristoffersen, then Meillard, Olsson and Pinturault. Quite sad to see Ted Ligety 1.45 off the pace; in 10th at present. Manfred Mölgg into 5th; Tonetti into 10th; no other changes to the top 10 as we go to the next TV break. There are 72 starters today, with the Women’s Super G fast approaching; nice to see Fritz Dopfer go 11th; that’s useful – the FIS live feed has jammed with Kilde apparently in the start gate – once I cleared it, it seems that there has been no change so far to the top 10 since Tonetti. No change to the top 20 since Brian McLaughlin (bib 37) nipped into 18th.  That’s run 1 over.
Run 2: I was going to just do an update after the first 10 were down, but 10th away was Thomas Tumler (SUI) and he produced a really storming run to take over the lead – excellent. Windingstad (NOR) in 2nd and Zampa (SVK) 3rd. Tommy Ford into 3rd; Schmid goes 4th as we take a break with 12 to go! Leif K N-H (for heaven’s sake man, how many names do you need?) into 3rd; good stuff – Ted Ligety into 2nd at present! Pity – I like Ted but Mathieu Faivre into 2nd; 9 to go and Tumler still leads from Faivre, with Tonetti just into 3rd. Now 8 to go, and Victor M-J is next, with a massive 1.23 in hand; half gone by inter 1, almost all by 2 and he’s 5th – this is a tricky course and it’s getting rutted! Alexis Pinturault has also lost a bit to inter 1, more by 2 and red by 3 – he’s a disappointing 9th. Similar story for Matts Olsson on the top section, but he’s managed to get into 2nd after a better final section. Manfred Mölgg starts with 1.51 and he’s red at 2 – that’s 12th! It seems the combination of grippy snow and ruts are a serious test; Loic Meillard on track now and he’s just green at 3 – this is better, into 2nd. Now let’s see – Henrik Kristoffersen has 1.93 advantage at his start point – he is losing time but still has over a second at inter 2 – oops – just 0.17 left at 3, and he’s second!! Now can Hirscher do better? He’s gone from 1.95 at the start to 1.5 at inter 2, 0.79 at 3 – he leads – the man is a legend! I always used to prefer the speed disciplines but so far this season the Slalom and GS are proving much more exciting! Luitz going well, but he’s just in the red at 3 after an error – what a final section – he wins! What a race – Stefan Luitz wins, from Hirscher and Tumler, with Kristoffersen 4th ahead of Meillard and Olsson. What a way for Luitz to celebrate his return!

Lake Louise – Women’s Super G,  2 Dec: Not quite as nice as the previous 2 days, but still OK – Vikki Rebensburg first away; safely down but “not faultless” apparently. Good enough to beat Steph Venier though, who goes into 2nd. Elena Curtoni is very fast through the speed guns, but goes 3rd; Nadia Fanchini into 4th. Lara Gut- Behrami goes 2nd; now, Anna Veith is gaining time on the lower section after a couple early errors – very fast through the final speed gun and she goes 2nd (+0.07). Nasty crash for Tessa Worley, but the air bag has inflated and she seems OK. That’s 10 – Rebensburg leads from Veith and Gut-B. Slight delay as Worley clears the course, and Federica Brignone into 5th; Mikaela Shiffrin is next  and nicely green at inter 3 – she leads by a truly amazing 0,83 – a very happy crowd, although Vikki looks less enthused! Ilka Stuhec into 6th; Nicole Schmidhofer isn’t going to get the triple this time – 7th. Some significant changes - Ragnhild Mowinckel (19) has gone into 2nd, Romane Miradoli (25)has gone 4th, but has been dislodged by Ramona Siebenhofer (28). Nasty crash from Christine Scheyer – looked as though she might need a helicopter, but in the end she seems to have skied down on 1 ski to clear the course – hope she’s OK doing that! To re-cap – with 30 down Shiffrin leads, from Mowinckel, Rebensburg, Siebenhofer, Miradoli and Veith. Another change – Valerie Grenier (CAN, 32) into 5th, and Nina Ortleib out but hopefully OK. That seems to be it for the coverage? Not a lot after that – Marie-Michelle Gagnon the last to break into the top 20 at present. That’s it - Mikaela Shiffrin has won a World Cup event in all 4 disciplines! Mowinckel 2nd and Rebensburg 3rd; Siebenhofer in 4th ahead of Grenier and Miradoli.

Pokljuka – Single Mixed Relay – 2 Dec: Well, nice to be back, although the IBU website doesn’t seem to be very friendly at present – why must people “improve” things every year? Some bad new – the IBU have apparently charged 4 Russian athletes (Evgeny Ustyugov, Svetlana Sleptsova, Alexander Pechenkin and Alexander Chernysev) for doping violations, based on analysis of samples collected between 2012 and 2015 – not the ideal start to the season! Right – I seem to have remembered where the data center [sic] is and I’ve eventually got it to display the pages I wanted – longer than I thought since the last race! Twenty five teams today, but sadly no Brits this year. Conditions look fairly good, although the range can be tricky here. Some well-known names – Austria sticking with Simon Eder and Lisa Theresa Hauser; France have Anais Chevalier and Antonin Guigonnat; Germany using Franzi Hildebrand and Eric Lesser – Norway trying Thekla Brun-Lie and Lars Helge Birkland. New season is away – Chevalier into the early lead ahead of Hauser and Franzi H, but it’s a modest pace (probably only twice what I ever managed!!). In for shooting 1 – prone and flat calm conditions – Chevalier has used 2 spares, but poor Anita Gasparin has used all 3 spares and ended up doing 2 penalty loops as well. So Merkushyna (UKR) leads out, ahead of Kaisheva (RUS), Brun-Lie, Sola (BLR), Sanfilippo (ITA) and Hildebrand. Thekla B-L leads in for S2; again Merkushyna is fast and doesn’t need spares – she leads out; Chevalier 2nd, then Kaisheva, Bankes (CAN), Hildebrand and Tachizaki. Straight into the first exchange – so UKR lead, then FRA/RUS/CAN/GER/JPN. Norway in 9th, Austria 10th. I see both Italy and Belarus were on the loop at S2. Men already in for their first shoot – Guigonnat has cleared easily and leads away from Gow (CAN), Tyshchenko (UKR), Lesser and Birkeland, but there’s only 14.1 seconds between the top 10 – I see Lapshin (KOR) has done a penalty loop! All change at S4 – Birkeland leads out, ahead of Tyschenko, Lesser and Gow; Garanichev up to 5th and Lindström 6th. Guigonnat has had a bit of a melt down and ended up with a penalty loop, dropping him to 10th; Lapshin has done another loop! Straight into exchange 2 – NOR/UKR/GER/CAN/RUS/SWE; technicians already working on the skis for the next leg! Women in for S5 – Brun-Lie leads out, ahead of Merkushyna and Hildebrand (all using no spares), Hauser (clear this time) up to 4th and Chevalier has got up to 5th, despite that penalty loop. Hauser is pushing the pace now, and she’s gone into the lead – let’s see how that plays in S6! Right – last shoot for the women – Brun-Lie clear and leads out, ahead of Merkushyna. Hauser needed 1 spare but is still 3rd, ahead of Franzi H. Chevalier needed 1 more spare but holds on to 6th, just 16 seconds back. So, final exchange in those positions and the men are soon in for S7. Simon Eder clear and away, ahead of Tyschenko and Birkeland (+2.8). Guigonnat is in 4th (+13.9) and Eric Lesser, who was pushing on the way into the range, has ended up on the penalty loop – he’s 5th, just ahead of Garanichev and Gow. Leading 3 in for the final shoot – Birkeland clear and away, Eder slow but he’s also clear and out 2nd (+7.6). Tyschenko used 1 spare, out 3rd (+10.2) ahead of Guigonnat (3 more spares), Gow and Garanichev. So, first race is over – great work from Norway (0+4) to take the win, ahead of Austria (0+5), Ukraine (0+1), France (1+9), Sweden (0+10) and Canada (0+10). Germany in 8th after Eric’s disastrous prone shoot!

Pokljuka –Mixed Relay – 2 Dec: Now, this is a bit more like it – Doro Wierer, a couple of Bøs, Martin Fourcade! No Koukalova this year though (and she seems unsure if she will return at all), and Laura Dahlmeier has health snags at present. Despite what they say, I can’t see Eurosport coverage starting on time; Nordic combined 10 Km from Lillehammer still running; luckily there is video only – hmm, Lukas Hofer on the final leg for Italy; don’t recognise Horn (leg 3 Germany) and the IBU seem to have no photo of him for the start montage! Right – the first leg is away; at 1.4 Km Vanessa Hinz leads (just) from Vittozzi, Fialkova, Bescond, Solemdal and Starykh. From what I saw Susan Dunklee seems to have lost a pole and a ski – not sure what happened there (Collision with a Swede apparently). OK – shoot 1; Vittozzi clear and out, ahead of Fialkova (SVK), Solemdal, Semerenko, Hinz and Tomingas (EST) – just Maeda (JPN) on the penalty loop. Dunklee has got a new ski, and she’s out 23rd (+1:16). In for shoot 2 – Vittozzi again clear and out – nice shooting! Bescond clear this time and out 2nd, then Starykh, Crawford, Mari Eder (FIN, was Laukkanen) and Vitkova (CZE). Patrick already on form – it was Franzi P who did the SMR for Germany, not Hammerschmidt, but I take the point about the strange German team choice for this relay. Right – exchange 1 – FIN/FRA/ITA/CAN/RUS/GER; someone called Kaisa Mäkäräinen is leading them out, ahead of Braisaz, Wierer, Tandy, Herrmann and Yurlova-P. The leading 3 have a quite nice gap at this point. The wind seems to have got up, quite noticeably as they come in for S3 – Kaisa has cleared the lot, no spares; Doro W is 2nd, but +18.9 (2 spares), Haecki (SUI) 3rd, then Yurlova-P, Braisaz and Herrmann. Kaisa is in for S4; 1 spare and away – Doro has cleared the lot, really fast – vintage stuff! So, Kaisa leads from Doro, Braisaz, Herrmann, Haecki (3 spares used) and Yurlova-P. Now – France are only 19.6 behind after S4, and have some lad called Martin Fourcade on leg 3 – interesting team sequence!? Kaisa is flying – no one can accuse her of not doing her bit for Finland. Not sure what has happened to Norway - only 5 spare rounds used but they are 3 minutes adrift (early fall?)! Exchange 2 – FIN/ITA/FRA/GER/SUI/RUS. Seppala leading at 1.2 Km, ahead of Windisch and Fourcade (going at it!), then Horn, Weger and Malyshko. In for S5 – Seppala used 1 spare, but leads out, Martin F clear and 2nd, Benni Weger out 3rd, ahead of Windisch, Malyshko and Horn – both Italy and Germany having to do a penalty loop here! Tarjei Bø has used 1 spare and is 11th, having made up some 11 seconds only. In for S6 – Martin F has closed so that he will settle just as Seppala starts – the Finn started well, very focussed but he’s has missed his last shot and can’t get it with spares – he’s on the penalty loop. Martin F leads out, Weger up to 2nd, Seppala still holding on to 3rd; Malyshko 4th ahead of Windisch and Horn. Good final section from Weger, holding on to Fourcade – exchange FRA/SUI/FIN/RUS/ITA/GER. I missed that – Austria have done 3 penalty loops so far (0,2,1). Simon Desthieux leading away from Finello, Hidensalo, Loginov, Hofer and Doll. Finello has gone off fast – he’s pulled back 6 seconds in the first 1.2 Kms! S7 – Desthieux looking like a machine and he’s clear, but Finello needed 1 spare which has lost him 10 seconds. Lukas Hofer has also cleared and he’s out 3rd, ahead of Hidensalo, Loginov and Doll. Desthieux in for his last shoot – he’s missed 2 but got both with spares, Finello also with 2 spares and Lukas Hofer has used just 1 spare to come out 3rd. Loginov out 4th, passing Hidensalo – Doll had the chance to pass him too, but he has gone onto the penalty loop instead (what is wrong with the German men?), so JoBø (who we haven’t really seen so far) is up to 6th! That’s pretty much it – great work by the French (0+5) to get the win here, ahead of the Swiss (0+9) and Italy (1+8). Russia (0+6) 4th, ahead of Finland (1+11) and Norway (0+7). Germany (2+11) in 7th thanks to the men doing a loop each! Austria racked up an amazing (3+16)! Well, that’s it for a couple days, then the Individuals!

Pokljuka – Men’s 20 Km Individual, 5 Dec: Well this is going to be a long afternoon - 20 Km, and 110 starters! Ah, quite foggy in Pokljuka – the jury have delayed the race by 20 minutes as you can’t see the targets from the mats – bit of a snag! Rats – cancelled; the coaches can’t see the fall of shot, zeroing isn’t safe and the race director reckons that even if they did start, it wouldn’t be a fair competition, especially as it starts to get dark. They aim to run this race earlier tomorrow, before the women’s event! Short afternoon, after all!

Pokljuka – Men’s 20 Km Individual, 6 Dec: Well, let’s hope this is a bit more successful! Conditions do look better, but there is still a lot of cloud about. Martin F is going number 87 – very late, especially as he was in group 1 in yesterday’s draw. Right – the race is away; Yeremin (KAZ) is the first to start. At certain of the higher points of the course, it’s still quite foggy – hopefully it won’t drift back onto the range. The early starters are at S1 – remember that this is the old style competition – np penalty loops, just a full minute added to the time for each miss. At S1 there are a few clear scores – Erik Lesser included, but poor Serafin Wiestner (SUI) has missed 3! Jesper Nelin clear at S1 – this is the chap who cleared 15/15 at the Olympics and then missed 3 of his last 5. Fastest at S1 at present – Erik Lesser, then Iliev and Nelin; as I type Benedikt Doll has gone 0.5 faster. Vladimir Iliev skiing quickly, but he’s missed 2 at S2; Lesser has missed 1 – Johannes Kühn the first to go clear at S2; V S Christiansen also clear and a fraction faster – Jesper Nelin even better. Klemen Bauer has missed 2 at S2; Scott Gow clear and currently 2nd here. Ah, JoBø is away and fastest at 3.4 Km! He’s in for S1 – all clear and Johannes leads out, ahead of Hofer and Doll. At S3 Johannes Kühn is clear, as is Christiansen but Nelin has missed 1. At S2 Schempp is now fastest, ahead of Loginov and Nelin, all 10/10 there. At S4 Johannes Kühn is 20/20; Christiansen has also managed it, but he’s 41 seconds slower; Lesser and Nelin have missed 1 more each, and the IBU datecenter has dropped out! Oops with the data dropping out I didn’t see JoBø miss at S2, and he’s just missed 2 more at S3. At the moment Johannes Kühn leads at the finish line; back at S1 Martin Fourcade is clear but just 10th fastest. At S4 Simon Schempp has missed his last shot! Now, Jakov Fak has cleared all 5 at S4, but he missed 1 at 3 – even so he’s only 19.1 slower than Kühn; Simon Eder has just gone 20/20 and he’s just 5 seconds slower than Kühn! Back in the field Martin Fourcade is losing time – bad choice to start so late, it seems (although they are measuring him against the leader at that point, not Kühn). Seb Samuelsson over the line – fast ski speed but poor on the range today with 2 misses. That’s odd – the timing showed Fourcade as being about 40 seconds off the pace, but as he leaves S2 (10/10) he’s just 7.2 behind – that’s the problem with comparing him to the leader at that stage – many of them have missed later on and dropped out of the running. Patrick and Mike confused, and so am I! Eder losing time on the track – he’s into 2nd place – currently it’s Kühn (0,0,0,0), ahead of Eder (0,0,0,0) and Fak (0,0,1,0), then Schempp, Semenov and (amazingly) JoBø (0,1,2,0)! Martin F in for S3 – 15/15, faster than Birkeland was there, speaking of whom – Birkeland looked a threat after S3 but he had a miss at S4. Fog seems to be coming back – shouldn’t be a problem for this race but a bit of a worry for the women. Right – Martin F has cleared all 20, and now the split times are against the lead at S4. Martin F is actually 16.3 faster here than Kühn was – he’s lost some though, as it’s 7.8 at 18.7 Km; 8.8 at 19.4 however and he’s upped the work rate. All a bit close at the end; Martin Fourcade wins but only by 4.2 seconds! Johannes Kühn gets his first podium, with Simon Eder in third. Fak 4th, ahead of Schempp and Semenov – JoBø in 7th despite his 3 misses. Highest number of misses – 11 for Angelis (Greece); fastest on the range seems to have been Lapshin (KOR).

Pokljuka – Women’s 15 Km Individual, 6 Dec: Quite a few “names” going relatively early; Susan Dunklee 3, Doro Wierer 5, Kuzmina 14, Franzi Preuß 18. Bescond and Braisaz both going late though – maybe the track will be faster later but it is still rather cut up after the men’s race! Race is on – Rosanna Crawford first away. Early starters are now at S1 – Doro is clear and fastest at present ahead of Persson, Innerhofer and Dunklee. Tandrevold among those who have missed one here; Kuzmina has just joined them. Denise Herrmann has just gone fastest at 2.4 Km; Preuß is second after S1 now. Innerhofer has missed 3 at S2, Doro has missed 1 at S2; interesting, Herrmann is leading after S1 having hit all 5 there. At present at S1 it’s Herrmann, Haecki and Wierer; at S2 Dunklee, Persson and Kryuko – the only 3 who are 10/10 so far. Hanna Öberg has just gone fastest at S1, but Kaisa has somehow managed 4 misses. Franzi Preuß clear at S2 and leads, but Franzi H has missed 1 here. Dunklee is 15/15, but she’s only 7 seconds ahead of Doro who has missed a target. Herrmann has missed 1 at S2. That’s a great start - Hanna Öberg is 10/10 and 30.3 faster than Franzi P, who has just gone clear at S3, although her ski speed isn’t exactly noteworthy! Rats, Denis Herrmann has missed number 15 – her second miss. Susan Dunklee has missed 1 at S4, and leaves the range behind Doro, who missed another here. Linn Persson has missed her 20th; ten through S4 and no one clear so far. Öberg has just missed 1 at S3, and she’s tripped leaving the mat; Karo Horchler has missed her 20th too. Kuzmina (1,0,1,1) is 5th after S4, just over one minute back despite 3 minutes of penalty – largely I suspect because that compares her to Doro, who has missed 2! This is getting interesting – Vittozzi out after S4 5.6 ahead of Doro; Franzi P has missed her 20th too! Back at S1 Marte Olsbu Roeiseland is clear and in touch. Interesting, Paulina Fialkova (SVK) has split the two Italians after S4, despite 2 misses, one second faster than Doro. Just to complicate things Baiba Bendika (LAT) has just become the first person to clear 20/20, and she leads Vittozzi by 14.1. Currently at the finish it’s Vittozzi, Wierer, Öberg, Preuß , Dunklee and Kryuko. All very close, and getting more so – Monika Hojnisz was 15/15 and in touch as she came into S4 – she missed number 16, but has still come out in the lead, by just 0.2. Fialkova is flying on the final lap – she’s overtaken Bendika. Fialkova leads at present from Bendika (+1.3) and Vittozzi, but Hojnisz is also turning on the afterburners – she’s ahead of Fialkova at 13.7 Km and gaining time – she leads! Now, back at S3 Marketa Davidova (CZE) is 15/15 and just 0.5 behind Hojnisz’s time. At S4 Davidova has missed her 19th – out 3rd, +9.2. Just 3 perfect scores at present; Bendika, Yuliia Zhuravok (UKR) and Venla Lehtonen (FIN). Yuliia Dzhima has just joined the 20/20 group and leaves the range in the lead by 15.3 – not sure she has the ski speed; she’s quite small and the snow is deep and very cut up, but it is getting colder. Valeriia Vasnetcova (RUS) has also gone 20/20 but she’s only 10th as she leaves the range. Dzhima is at 13.7 Km – 15.3 advantage has become just 2.1. However, at 14.4 the gap is back out to 3.3 – she’s done it!! So Yuliia Dzhima (UKR, 0,0,0,0) wins from Monika Hojnisz (POL, 0,0,0,1) and Marketa Davidova (CZE, 0,0,0,1). Fialkova (1,1,0,0) in 4th, ahead of Bendika (0,0,0,0) and Vittozzi (0,1,0,0). That was a superb race – Dzhima’s first World Cup win, I think! Doro fastest on the range; Kaisa quickest around the course ahead of Herrmann and Fialkova.

Pokljuka – Men’s 10 Km Sprint,  7 Dec: Slightly warm conditions – you wouldn’t really want to be going later on – Martin F goes number 7 today! One who is going late – hoping that it all freezes – is Jacov Fak – let’s see if it works! Race is away – Scott Gow of Canada the first away. Jesper Nelin has stepped in to replace Freddie Lindström, who is unwell. Well, back to the normal scheme of penalty loops today, after the Individuals. At 2 Km Martin Fourcade has gone through in 3rd – a gentle start! Dominik Windisch seems to be first into the range – where has Scott Gow gone? Ah, he’s missed 2 and is on the loops – sadly Arnd Peiffer has also missed 2 – he’s just become a father (6 weeks early?) so perhaps his mind is wandering? Martin F has missed his first shot! At present Garanichev leads after S1, tied with Krcmar and with Windisch 3rd. Birkeland has also missed 1, Desthieux 2, Yeremin 3. At present Martin F isn’t making up time on the lap. Luka Hofer has missed his 5th; QFM has missed 1 at S1 and Windisch has missed 2 at S2. JoBø on the track, and currently fastest at 2 Km. Martin F is clear at S2 but he’s 17.8 behind Krcmar who has cleared all 10. Tarjei Bø currently fastest after S1, 7.2 better than Krcmar. Hmm – it’s a family affair – JoBø has just gone even faster – 11.5 better than Tarjei. At S2 Sean Doherty is 10/10 and close behind Michal Krcmar; Simon Desthieux is ahead of Fourcade despite one extra loop – which seems odd? Missed that – Simon Schempp has missed 3 at S1; Benedikt Doll clear though. Simon Eder is 10/10 and leads at S2; Tarjei has missed 1 here. Martin F certainly isn’t going to win today – he didn’t gain much at all on his final lap and is currently 3rd, behind Krcmar and Garanichev. JoBø has missed his first at S2, but his ski speed is amazing! He leaves the range 20.9 ahead of Eder, who hit all 10! Doll has also missed 1 at S2 – I can’t see anyone beating Johannes Thingnes Bø; at the finish at present Desthieux leads (despite 2 misses) ahead of Eder (0 misses) and Krcmar (0), then QFM, Eberhard and Hofer. All change – Tarjei takes over the lead, until young Johannes takes over – 31.2 faster! I have to think that Martin F is exhausted after the Individual and his late start. Doll into 3rd, behind the Bø brothers. Looking back to S2 – Loginov and Guigonnat are both 10/10 and some 20 seconds behind JoBø – maybe not a Bø one/two today after all? Loginov just holding off Guigonnat on the lap times – Guigonnat into 2nd, and amazingly Loginov has lost 6 second from the final split and goes into 3rd. Looking back to S1 Emilien Jacquelin has gone clear and he’s about the same time as Loginov. Pity – he’s dropped 2 at S2. Probably the last threat to the top 6 is Sindre Pettersen (NOR) who is clear after S1 and still in touch at 6 Km – he’s clear at S2 and out in 5th, +25.4 (faster than Tarjei!). He’s into 6th and it’s only his second World Cup race!  So JoBø (0,1) wins, ahead of Guigonnat (0,0) and Loginov (0,0); Tarjei (0,1) in 4th ahead of Doll (0,1) and Pettersen (0,0). Martin Fourcade isn’t even in the top 20, which is amazing; he’s +1:12.2 and he’s lost the yellow bib. The pursuit should be interesting!

Pokljuka – Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 8 Dec: Conditions look quite good – not much wind at present. The US kit looks awful – what were they thinking? Right – the race is on; a lot of well-known names going fairly early. Early starters at S1 – first two clear, Dunklee leads out and she’s a lot quicker than Vitková. Tandrevold has missed her 5th, and Kuzmina has also missed 1; Nadine Horchler clear and closer to Dunklee’s time; Puskarčíková into 3rd after S1. Nice shooting from Ekaterina Yurlova-Percht; she’s the new leader at S1. Dunklee has missed 2 at S2; Kaisa M is clear at S1 and almost 10 seconds ahead of Yurlova’s time. Nadine H has missed 1 at S2; Doro Wierer is clear at S1 and marginally ahead of Kaisa. Kuzmina has missed another at S2 but she’s skiing very fast – she leads at present – Tandrevold is no slouch on skis but with her 2 misses she’s 22.2 slower. Eva Puskarčíková is 10/10 and just behind Kuzmina’s time; Yurlova-P has missed 2 at S2. Impressive – Kaisa has gone 10/10 and leads after S2, but Doro W is doing her “get the rounds away” speed and she’s also 10/10 – 2.6 faster than Kaisa - Doro gained 15 seconds on that fast shoot! Back at S1 Vittozzi is clear and in touch – so is Braisaz. Vittozzi has missed her 10th; Kaisa M has finished and she’s well clear of the competition; Doro W is into 2nd, +15.0, with Frolina (KOR) in 3rd – all 10/10. Franzi H isn’t looking happy on that last descent – quite shaky and she’s into 12th. Ah, that’s why she was looking less confident – she had a fall earlier in the lap. Braisaz is 10/10; 3rd after S2 at present. Finish at present – Kaisa M, Doro with Vittozzi into 3rd, ahead of Gasparin (E) and Egan. Back at S1 Karo Knotten (NOR) is clear and in touch. One of my favourites, Vanessa Hinz, is 1,1, but still the best of the Germans in 11th place at present! Justine Braisaz into 3rd; Knotten has missed 1 at S2. Odd – Solemdal is 10/10 but way off the pace – I wonder if she’s had a fall too? Paulina Fialkova was in touch at S2, but she’s missed 1; Starykh has gone into 5th. Mona Brorsson clear at S1, but +19.1. Fialkova into 5th, which will help her position in the standings. Franzi Preuß (1,0) in the top 10 after S2; she’s been pushed down by Hojnisz and Vasnetcova who are both 10/10. Now, Evgeniya Pavlova (RUS) has gone 10/10 and she’s faster than Vittozzi. Preuß over the finish line, currently in 6th – best of the Germans. Hojnisz is gaining places on the lap; Vasnetcova going backwards. Interesting, Anna Weidel (GER) also 10/10 and out of the range in 7th. Margarita Vasileva (RUS) is 10/10 and out after S2 in 4th. Julia Simon 10/10 and very unlucky with the rifle – needed to manually feed 1 round. Pavlova into 6th; Weidel is over the line in 8th. A few more changes – Kaisa leads Doro W, Braisaz still in 3rd, but Julia Simon is into 4th (and could have been on the podium except for that rifle snag), then Vittozzi and Fialkova. Pidhrushna (UKR) into 7th, ahead of Pavlova. Vasileva has gone backwards after S2 and is currently 13th. Well done Kaisa – very impressive! Doro almost 30 seconds ahead of the competition, so tomorrow should be interesting – lots of pressure!

Val d”Isere – Men’s GS, 8 Dec: Doesn’t look nice – cold weather which is good but poor visibility and wind, and it’s snowing. The start has been lowered, and this piste is fairly notorious for steepness – seems the race is going ahead. Big fuss about Stefan Luitz taking oxygen last week – not illegal but he might be DQ’d – not sure how the FIS could do that? Anyway – all set to go but the FIS referee has held the start; not sure Marcel Hirscher is impressed as he was actually in the gate – and the track is getting a covering of fresh snow. Right he’s away – that is steep! He’s down; Alexis Pinturault next  so we can get an idea of how fast Marcel Hirscher was – Pinturault is 1.31 slower! Henrik Kristoffersen away bib 3 – he too is well into the red and goes 2nd, +1.20. Matts Olsson next and he’s a bit closer – he goes 2nd; +0.99, so at least he’s within a second! Better still – Zan Kranjec has taken over 2nd place. +0.71. The FIS are getting people down the hill – short start intervals and no TV break – if anything the weather is getting worse. Ten away; Hirscher leads from Kranjec and Olsson, then Kristoffersen, Pinturault and Feller. Impressive to see Felix Neureuther, back from ACL injury, skiing today with a broken thumb – sadly only 9th. Loic Meillard the next to change the top 6, getting into 6th place. Steve Missillier has gone into the netting – hope he’s OK. Thirty away and no change to the top 6 since Loic Meillard and that’s how run 1 ended. Best of the later starters possibly Marco Odermatt (32) into 12th?
Run 2: It has to be said that it doesn’t look any better here! Right – missed a bit as I had to sort some deliveries, but with the first 10 down Erik Read leads for Canada; Filip Zubcic has just gone into 2nd with Schmid in 3rd. Felix Neureuther is still not at full power – just 7th! The later starters seem to be losing time pretty much all the way – the course is getting very rutted. Now Riccardo Tonetti is going rather nicely – kept it in the green all the way and gained time from inter 3 to the finish, and he leads. Victor Muffat-Jeandet into 4th; the visibility is getting worse as the storm comes in. Now Marco Odermatt (SUI) did well on run 1, and he’s going well here too – he takes over the lead by 0.07. Not for long though, Tommy Ford going well all the way to inter 3; he’s lost a bit of time from there, but he’s enough left to take the lead by just 0.03. Mathieu Faivre into 4th; Loic Meillard has put in a good run, and he leads. Alexis Pinturault is drifting from red to green and back – good final section and he leads. Now it’s Henrik Kristoffersen; lost a bit at the top but then he started to gain time – bit risky at times, but he now leads by 0.28. Three to go – Matts Olsson in touch and he’s skied a better final section, but it’s not enough – into 2nd.  Zan Kranjec is losing time steadily and he’s red at inter 3; disappointing final section and he’s just 8th! Just Hirscher to go – ye gods he’s gaining time to inter 2; lost a tiny bit to inter 3 and he’s kept it there – win 60 for Marcel Hirscher, by 1.18! An absolute master class.  So Marcel Hirscher wins, Kristoffersen 2nd, with Matts Olsson third. Pinturault in 4th, ahead of Meillard and Ford.

St Moritz – Women’s Super G, 8 Dec: Well, what a contrast – it’s quite nice here, although it was snowing a little earlier on – seems amazing that the women’s races scheduled for Val d’Isere have been cancelled due to lack of snow!! Apparently they will go to Val Gardena in two weeks’ time, instead? Anyway – it’s a lovely day for the Super G; Elena Curtoni will open the action today, on a course set by a Norwegian coach. Curtoni safely down, and next should have been Tessa Worley but she isn’t starting today (fallout from last weeks’ crash?). Federica Brignone next but she’s had a big crash – she’s back on her feet and skiing down. The race is back on, and Wendy Holdener is away – red at the first 2 intermediates, then green and she takes over the lead by 0.03. Anna Veith has had a problem with the little jump, and she’s a DNF. Ramona Siebenhofer next and nicely into the green but she’s missed a gate. She was bib 6 – we have one DNS, 3 DNFs and just 2 finishers so far! That’s more like it – Tina Weirather has not only got down, but she leads by a massive 1.43! And again – Lara Gut-B on course and despite being red at inter 3 she takes over the lead by 0.14. Steph Venier goes into 3rd, despite taking the long way round on the upper section! TV break after 10 – Lara Gut-Behrami leads, from Weirather and Venier. Michelle Gisin into 3rd; here comes Mikaela Shiffrin – just green at inter 2, better at 3 and she takes over the lead, by 0.28. Apparently she is the only person who has won a world Cup event in the main 4 disciplines, plus the combined, with a parallel slalom event to round off the list! Joana Haehlen into 5th; Ragnhild Mowinckel well in touch at inter 3, but a tiny mistake has dropped her to 4th; big sigh of relief from Shiffrin! Rebensburg into 7th; Nadia Fanchini out and taking an interesting line under the advertising boards – I think she’s OK – apparently she is; good news. Twenty away – Shiffrin leads ahead of Gut-B and Weirather, then Mowinckel, Gisin and Haehlen. No changes for a while; top 10 still the same with 30 away. Change at last – Marie-Michele Gagnon (36) into 6th! That’s it – Mikaela Shiffrin has just won her second Super G in as many weeks! Lara Gut-Behrami is the runner up with Tina Weirather getting the final podium spot!

Val d”Isere – Men’s Slalom, 9 Dec: Seems to be cancelled! Yes – due to strong wind gusts, no slalom today

St Moritz – Ladies Parallel Slalom, 9 Dec: Well despite the FIS saying this starts at 1230 local they seem to have already had the first run of the 1/16 final - winners Shiffrin, Holtmann, Haver-Løseth, Gritsch, Mugnier, Swenn Larsson, Liensberger, Truppe, Brunner, Danioth. Remme, Vlhova, Gallhuber, Dürr, Irene Curtoni and Holdener. Now, can the same names win on run 2? Looks a bit misty and it’s snowing a bit – here we go on run 2. Shiffrin well clear of St-Germain and through to the next round. Holtmann (NOR) has also won again and has the dubious pleasure of meeting Shiffrin in the next round. Haver-Løseth has increased her lead and wins her round; Bernadette Schild has fallen so Gritsch gets an easy win. Mugnier has won against Brignone again; Mielzynski the first to overturn the result of run 1, beating Swenn Larsson. Liensberger through; it’s windier and the visibility is going – the gates are being flattened! Truppe through, as is Brunner, but Danioth (SUI) has lost to Ferk. Roni Remme just wins again; Vlhova cruises through. Gallhuber wins again, so does Dürr; Irene Curtoni has only just held off Meta Hrovat. Just Holdener v Hansdotter to come – Frida Hansdotter has fallen, which settles that one!
On to the 1/8th final: One run only at this stage. No surprise that Mikaela Shiffrin is through to the quarter finals. Nina Haver-Løseth has started well, and she’s beaten Gritsch – she won’t be stealing this event! Mielzynski has beaten Mugnier; Truppe is a DNF so Liensberger is through – that was close until the fall. Brunner has narrowly beaten Ferk; Remme a DNF and Vlhova through. Dürr has just pipped Gallhuber, Wendy Holdener has delighted the crowd by beating Curtoni – that was all very fast!
Quarter finals: Good close battle but Shiffrin takes it against Haver-Løseth. Liensberger has pipped Mielzynski; an even closer race next, which Vlhova has just won – this is all very close. Holdener has beaten Dürr.
Semi Finals: Shiffrin v Liensberger; Vlhova v Holdener. First however the ranking points need sorting between the losing QF pairs. Nina H-L has beaten Erin Mielzynski by just 0.09! An even closer one – Brunner beats Dürr by just 4 hundredths. Now the QF winners – Shiffrin has convincingly beaten Liensberger; Vlhova has gone through against Holdener by just 2 hundredths!
Finals – small final first: The race for 7th and 8th first; Mielzynski v Dürr – the Canadian takes it. Now to sort 5th and 6th; Nina H-L v Steph Brunner – Norway take this one. Now – the final place on the podium is at stake; Wendy Holdener takes it, to the delight of the crowd, Liensberger into 4th. Well, the final is Vlhova v Shiffrin – what a surprise! That was a cracker – Shiffrin having to recover from a mistake, but she’s taken another win! Shiffrin wins, ahead of Vlhova and Holdener. Quite an exciting format – still not sure if I like it!

Pokljuka – Men’s 12.5 Km Pursuit, 9 Dec: Not so sunny, but not bad conditions. JoBø will be the first away; Martin F is 1:12 behind. The top 3 are fairly close, then a little gap and then a really close packed field – could be some surprises, although you have to wonder if anyone can catch JoBø unless he really fouls up the shooting. Right JoBø away; Guigonnat and Loginov away almost together and then Tarjei Bø and the flood gates are open! At 1.2 Km JoBø has converted a 16 second lead to 25.8; it’s 28.1 at 1.9 Km!; Martin F at 1:13! JoBø is making it interesting – he’s missed 1 at S1; Guigonnat and Loginov both clear, as are Desthieux and Tarjei. Fourcade has also missed 1. At S1 then JoBø leads but only by 7.2 from Guigonnat and Loginov; Tarjei in 4th ahead of Eder and Desthieux. Doll has missed 2, and Fourcade is 22nd, +1:13.4. JoBø has pulled out another 10 seconds on the lap; Fourcade has lost another 4 seconds. In for S2 – Johannes has got his rhythm and is clear, but so are Loginov and Guigonnat; the Russian is 2nd, +19.9. Doll has missed another, but so has Fourcade who is now 28th, +1:51 – painful to watch! The Germans don’t seem to be hitting the targets well today, with the exception of Arnd Peiffer. One of the better movers is Seb Samuelsson who is 10/10 and has gone from 14 to 8; Garanichev up from 22 to 11. First standing shoot – that’s pretty quick from JoBø, all 5 down! Guigonnat and Loginov have both missed 1; Eder and Tarjei clear but Seb Samuelsson has missed 3. Out Johannes, Simon Eder (+44.3!), Loginov, Guigonnat, Tarjei, Quentin Fillon Maillet. Peiffer missed 2 here and Doll has racked up 5 misses so far! Julian Eberhard has missed 1, but is up from 15 to 8. Martin F clear here but 24th and +2:08.6. The chasing group of 6 are now 44 seconds back from Johannes, who is in for his final shoot – fast shooting but he’s showing off and he’s missed the last 2! Guigonnat has also missed 2 but Loginov is clear. Out in order – Alexander Loginov leads but he’s only got 1.2 seconds over JoBø; QFM close in 3rd (+2.7) then Eder, L’Abee-Lund and Tarjei. The leading 3 are dropping Eder; Martin F is (1,1,0,2) and 29th. At the final split time Johannes leads by 0.4, then Loginov and QFM; Eder is 11 seconds ahead of Eberhard. Rats, Loginov has tripped. A really impressive finish – QFM is right up with Johannes, The race timing has given JoBø (1,0,0,2) the win, by 0.1 over QFM (0,0,0,0) with Loginov 3rd. Simon Eder is 4th, ahead of Julian Eberhard and Tarjei Bø. Gainers include Eberhard (15 to 5), Lukas Hofer (19 – 8), Bjøntegaard (21 – 12), Jacquelin (36 – 16) and Windisch (35 – 20). Going backwards, the list includes Guigonnat (2 to 10), Pettersen (6 – 13), Desthieux (7 – 15), and Doll (5 to 18, with 6 misses). Now, it seems Martin Fourcade pulled out after S4 and so hasn’t finished the race – no points! Oh dear Germany – Lesser 5 misses, Kühn 6, Horn 2 but slow, Schempp 2 (but he did go from 40th to 26th), Peiffer 3, Doll 6 – a session with the coach, without coffee, looms! Guigonnat fastest on the range, ahead of Eberhard and Loginov; Doll fastest around the tracks, ahead of Johannes Bø and Lukas Hofer.

Pokljuka – Women’s 10 Km Pursuit, 9 Dec: Well, I hope this is as exciting as the women’s parallel slalom from St Moritz. Kaisa nicely clear today, just Doro Wierer within 40 or so seconds – at 1.4 Km it’s Kaisa, Doro (+21.6), Braisaz (+45.7) and Vittozzi (+51.9). Kaisa in for S1 – wind has died since the men’s event; she’s clear. Doro has also cleared, quickly which has closed the gap to 12.7. Braisaz has missed 1, Simon 2. So, Vittozzi out 3rd, ahead of Fialkova, Pidhrushna and Franziska Preuß. On the lap the gap to Doro has gone back to 25 seconds; Braisaz back up to 5th, Marte Olsbu Roeiseland into 6th from 23! Kaisa clear at S2 again – so is Doro. A few changes – Vittozzi out 3rd (+55.1), ahead of Fialkova, Weidel (GER, from 10th) and Hojnisz (from 11th). In for the first standing shoot – Kaisa clear again; Doro has done another very fast shoot, pulling back 14 seconds here! Vittozzi also clear, so is Fialkova; Hojnisz has missed 1, Hinz 3. So, after S3 Kaisa leads, ahead of Doro (+14,4), Vittozzi, Fialkova, Kryuko, and Pavlova. Preuß and Weidel have both missed 1 here, so has Egan. Final shoot – that was a bit quicker by Kaisa and she’s got the lot! Doro also 20/20 and out 17.1 behind. Vittozzi and Fialkova continue their battle – both 20/20 with the Italian out 2.3 seconds ahead, Marte Olsbu-R out 5th, ahead of Kryuko. Kaisa cruising to the finish, but still gaining time – the battle here is for the final podium place; Fialkova through Vittozzi at 9.4 Km, and Clare Egan up to 5th! A well-deserved win for Kaisa M; Doro takes 2nd and Fialkova gets the final podium place. Vittozzi in 4th, ahead of Roeiseland and Egan. Gainers include Roeiseland (23 – 5), Egan (15 – 6), Kryuko (17 to 7), Haecki (33 – 13), Yurlova-P (48 – 17), Hauser (50 – 20) and Hildebrand (38 – 23). Going the wrong way the list includes Braisaz (3-12), Simon (4-14), Pidhrushna (7-27), Kuzmina (18-36) and Nilsson (26-38). No surprise that Doro was fastest on the range, ahead of Haecki and Weidel; Egan fastest around the course, ahead of Kaisa and Marte O-R. Some very impressive shooting!

Hochfilzen – Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 13 Dec: Lovely looking day – blue skies and good looking tracks! 102 starters today – I wonder if the tracks will get faster later on? Eva Puskarčíková is the first away; Kuzmina has gained 9 seconds on her by 1.4 Km; Innerhofer only +3.4 though. At S1 the wind is a bit tricky; Franziska Preuß has gone clear and leads away but Kuzmina has missed 2 and Franzi H has missed her first. Katharina Innerhofer also clear and faster than Preuß.  Pity – Paulina Fialkova has missed her 5th shot, and not by a little bit! Anais Chevalier is clear and just 0.5 behind Innerhofer; Marte Olsbu-Roeiseland now fastest at 1.4 Km, but she’s missed 2 at S1. Kuzmina clear at S2, but Preuß has missed 2; Kryuko leads after S2 at present, 10/10, with Kuzmina only 12.2 behind despite her 2 penalty loops. Back at S1 Kaisa M is clear and away; Innerhofer has missed her first and last at S2. Fialkova is clear at S2, and out in 2nd place.  Back at S1 Dunklee, Nilsson and Öberg are clear and in touch. Chevalier has missed 1 at S2, but she’s fast enough on the skis to lead here even so. Öberg is at S2 – she’s missed 2; Kaisa has missed 1, but she’s still 23.5 faster than Chevalier. Marte OR is (2,2) and out of it today; Dunklee has missed first and last at S2. Tandrevold is clear at S1, and out in 4th; Aymonier has just taken over that place. At the finish it’s currently Kryuko (0,0), Fialkova (1,0) and Chevalier (0,1) on the podium. Back at S2 Hojnisz is 10/10 and out 2nd, +9.7 (nicely ahead of Chevalier). Tiril Eckhoff clear at S1 and even faster than Kaisa there! Tandrevold has missed 2 at S2, and also had to hand feed 1 round. Ah, Doro Wierer is at S1 – very fast (bit lucky with 1) and all 5 down – she’s out 3.5 ahead of Eckhoff.  At S2 Aymonier has missed 2; Eckhoff in for her standing shoot – bit scrappy and she’s missed 2. Vittozzi right in the centre for the first 3 at S1, then missed the 4th; Doro at S2 and machine gun speed again – but she’s missed her final shot (bit unlucky). So, at S2, it’s Doro leading, then Kaisa (+11.4) and Hojnisz (+21.1). Back at S1 Sanfilippo and Yurlova_P are clear and also in touch; Yurlova has gone clear at S2 as well, and she’s faster than Hojnisz as she leaves the range. Doro losing a bit on the final lap – gap down to 6.4 at 6.1 Km, and it’s 3.0 at 6.4 Km; commentators reckon Kaisa faded a tiny bit at the very end though? Here comes Doro – Kaisa watching closely – what a final hundred metres, Doro gets the lead by 0.6! Meanwhile Yurlova is losing time to Hojnisz, but she too has really given it full gas on the final section – at present it’s Wierer, Kaisa M and Yurlova-P on the podium. Sanfilippo has missed 2 at S2, but Vittozzi is flying on the final lap – she’s into 4th, just 0.9 behind Yurlova. Looking back at S1 – Denise Herrmann has the speed to change things but not after 3 misses in the prone! Everyone is through S1 now – can’t see any upsets there. So, well done Doro Wierer – great win! Kaisa in 2nd, ahead of Yurlova-Percht, Vittozzi, Hojnisz and Kryuko (+38.5). Vanessa Hinz (0,0) best German in 11th, ahead of Franzi H (13th) and Karo Horchler (joint 14th); Eckhoff best Norwegian in 16th.  Doro fastest on the range, ahead of Kaisheva and Julia Simon. Kaisa fastest on the tracks ahead of Eckhoff and Wierer.

Hochfilzen – Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 14 Dec: Another very nice looking day – 110 on the start list today! Julian Eberhard is first away today; French (Guigonnat & QFM) seem to have fast skis today? Certainly Fillon Maillet and Guigonnat are faster than Eberhard in the early stages. Tarjei Bø faster than both the French at 1.9 Km, but Desthieux is also just ahead of QFM’s time. Eberhard has missed 1 at S1; QFM has missed his first shot, but has cleared the rest; Garanichev has missed 2. Johannes Thingnes Bø has started – Beni Weger fastest at 1.9 Km. Antonin Guigonnat is the first to get 5/5 at S1; Tarjei has missed 1 but Desthieux is clear. Weger has missed 1 as well; Scott Gow clear. That was quite fast shooting – Simon Eder clear at S1 and currently fastest there. Back at 1.9 Km JoBø is 9.8 faster than Weger; Eberhard is at S2 and clear this time, to the delight of the crowd! JoBø is at S1 and clear (bit lucky with the 5th) – he’s out 22.7 ahead of Eder; that’s a full penalty loop in hand! Meanwhile Guigonnat is the first to go 10/10; Tarjei is (1,2), QFM (1,1). Back at S1 Jakov Fak is clear and fractionally faster than Eder; Schempp also close to them but JoBø is just so much faster. Benedikt Doll is clear at S1 and out 2nd, Arnd Peiffer also clear and away 5th. At present the standings at S1 are JoBø, Doll (+19.3), Fak, Eder, Peiffer, Schempp (+24.0). Eder has missed 1 at S2; so far just Guigonnat and Dombrovski (LTU) clear after S2; JoBø has missed his final shot at S2 but he’s still away 10.6 ahead of Guigonnat. Back at S1 Emilien Jacquelin is clear and faster than Doll; Schempp has just missed his 10th shot and he’s 49.9 behind JoBø as he leaves the range. Fak has cleared all 10 and is away 3rd, +24.1; Martin Fourcade clear at S1 and out fractionally behind Jacquelin. Doll is 10/10 and out after S2 in 2nd, ahead of Guigonnat but 6.6 behind JoBø. Peiffer also 10/10 and out 4th, +20.1. JoBø is flying on the final lap – he’s gained about 20 seconds on Guigonnat. Doll has lost 5 seconds to Johannes by 7.7 Km. JoBø (0,1) is over the finish line to take the lead, although he’s lost 5 seconds or so to Guigonnat on the final section. Jacquelin was looking very relaxed at S2 but he’s missed the last two! Standings at S2 at present JoBø, Doll (+6.6), Guigonnat, Peiffer and Fak. Just as I write, Martin Fourcade has gone 10/10 and is out 0.8 behind JoBø! Benedikt Doll (0,0) is over the finish line – into 2nd, +10.2; Peiffer into 4th behind Guigonnat. Martin F has lost a little on the first section of the final lap – 0.8 has become 4.6, then 8.5. Seb Samuelsson has missed 1 at S2; Martin F still losing time, +11.3 at 8.9 Km. Martin Fourcade has crossed the line, into 2nd, +8.6. At present it’s Johannes Bø (0,1) leading, then Martin F (0,0), Doll (0,0), Guigonnat (0,0), Peiffer (0,0) and Eberhard (1,0). Looking back at S1 Lesser and Christiansen are both clear and about 20 seconds back on the leading time. Not sure what happened to Schempp’s ski speed – with 1 miss he’s slower than Kühn who missed 2. Back at S2 Lesser has missed 1; Christiansen clear but shooting slowly – he’s out joint 8th with Eberhard. I think that might be the end of any challenge for the top 6? Christiansen has just crossed the finish line – he’s 10th! So, well done Johannes and nice to see Martin F a bit more normal! Lapshin fastest on the range, ahead of Guigonnat, Lesser and Doll; no surprise that JoBø was quickest on the tracks, ahead of Fourcade and Desthieux.

Val Gardena (Gröden) – Men’s Super G, 14 Dec: Again, conditions look good here; Adrien Theaux first away and safely down. Mauro Caviezel is the Super G red bib holder and he’s going well here too – he takes the lead, despite some errors on the upper section. Beat Feuz is 5th away – he’s into 2nd, behind Caviezel with Theaux in 3rd. Christof Innerhofer is well green at inter 2, and just over a second ahead at inter 3 – he leads by exactly a second! Hannes Reichelt has gone 2nd, +0.87; Dominik Paris has missed a gate – DNF. Good run by Kjetil Jansrud but not quite good enough – 2nd, +0.22; Josef Ferstl into 3rd and that’s 10 away. Kilde into 3rd; Norwegians going well, let’s see how Aksel Lund Svindal can do. He still has tape on one hand – fractionally green at inter 1, dead level at inter 2, fractionally red at inter 3 – he’s done it – Svindal leads by just 0.05! So, Svindal leads from Innerhofer, Jansrud and Kilde. Mayer tucked in behind Ferstl, and Sejersted behind him – 5th – 7th. And that was almost it – except for a late charge by Johan Clarey (FRA) from bib 50 into 4th place – very impressive! Svindal wins, ahead of Innerhofer with Jansrud getting the final podium place; then Clarey, Kilde and Ferstl.

Val Gardena (Gröden) – Men’s Downhill, 15 Dec: Since the FIS site can’t seem to sort out it’s CET timings, this started an hour before I expected it, overlapping with the biathlon! Adrien Theaux was first away, overtaken by Mauro Caviezel (bib 3), and then Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. Max Franz into 2nd, and Steve Nyman has just gone 3rd. Jansrud only 9th at present and Mayer is a DNF. We have video coverage, and it looks another very pleasant day; Kilde leads from Franz and Nyman. Great lower section from Bryce Bennett has got him into 3rd place at present, but we still have Feuz and Svindal, among others, to come. An interesting mix of snow conditions, according to the commentary team! Here comes Feuz, but he looks to be off the pace – a full second behind at inter 5 but he’s picked up speed lower down – he goes 3rd, +0.92. Nasty crash for Marc Gisin on the camel bumps – race interrupted. Looked like he caught an edge, but that was a heavy looking impact after the bump. The helicopter is on site very quickly, the medical teams even faster, but no news at present. Eurosport going overboard with the adverts! This is a long hold – not going to help Svindal who is due to go next! They’ve just shown Kilde’s run again – very impressive, no wonder he leads by 0.86! Right, helicopter is away, race referees checking the course – the blue lines are being re-done. Svindal is getting his race skis back on, and his team are taping his left pole onto his glove. No fore-runners, Svindal at the start – quite a long hold. Aksel Lund Svindal is away – red at inter 1 and 2; he’s in touch but still red, then an error – rats, he’s only 6th. So, at present – Kilde, Franz, Feuz, Bennett, Nyman, Svindal. Josef Ferstl into 10th; now we are into names I don’t immediately recognise. Johannes Kröll has skied out – looks as though he might have hurt his back on a landing? Ben Thomsen (CAN) is bib 30 – he’s just managed to ski into a very creditable joint 9th place, with Reichelt! This isn’t over – Travis Ganong into 6th (good effort, but it’s a pity he’s knocked Svindal down a place!) – that’s 3 Americans in the top 6! And, that was it – no late changes to the top 10 – congratulations to Kilde.

Hochfilzen – Women’s 10 Km Pursuit, 15 Dec: Well – Doro Wierer’s good ski speed and phenomenal shooting speed versus Kaisa’s deliberate shooting and blazing ski speed; and, of course, this is a pursuit so watch for people gaining places. Not such a good day today, much more cloud, but very little wind as they zero. Race on and Doro is staying with Kaisa; Kuzmina up from 10th to 6th. Leading 2 are in for S1 – Doro has missed her first and one more, Kaisa has missed 1. Yurlova-P has cleared, so has Kuzmina, among others. Out in order Yurlova, Kaisa (+1.7), Kuzmina (+12.0), Fialkova, Chevalier, Hojnisz (+16.4). Julia Simon up from 23 to 10! Some discussion about whether Kaisa’s skis are as well prepared as Doro’s? On the lap Kaisa has the lead back, Kuzmina up to 2nd having made up over 8 seconds, Doro in 5th. In for S2 – second prone – Yurlova has missed her first; Kuzmina her last shot. Vittozzi and Hinz have both missed their 10th as well; Doro clear this time. Kaisa leads out, ahead of Paulina Fialkova (0,0; +3.5), Doro W, Hojnisz, Kuzmina (+22.6) and Simon (from 23rd). On the lap Fialkova is hanging on to Kaisa; Doro and Kuzmina closing a little. In for the first standing shoot – Fialkova in lane 1 – leading 3 have all missed the first shot; Kuzmina has missed her last shot – Hojnisz the first to go clear here. Hinz and Preuß have both missed 2 here. So, after S3, the order is Fialkova, Hojnisz, Kaisa, Doro, Anais Chevalier, Kuzmina. Julia Simon missed one this time, but she’s still in 8th. Linn Persson has gone from 30 to 11 with 15/15 while Denise Herrmann (0,0,1) is up from 60 to 25! In for the final shoot – Fialkova has missed her first; Kaisa and Doro have also missed 1 each. Chevalier has missed 2, Simon 1, Persson has missed her last shot! Hojnisz has cleared the lot, and leads out, ahead of Fialkova (0,0,1,1; +11.6), Kaisa, Doro, Kuzmina (0,1,1,1; +17.6) and Starykh. On the lap Hojnisz has tightened up as Kaisa and Doro hunt her down; Kuzmina has made up 10 seconds! Looks like Kaisa has kept something in reserve; Doro and Fialkova fighting for second, Hojnisz off the podium but hanging on. Great finish – Kaisa (1,0,1,1) has taken the win by just 1.5 seconds from Fialkova (0,0,1,1), who pipped Doro W (2,0,1,1) for 2nd. Hojnisz (0,0,0,0) in 4th ahead of Kuzmina and Vittozzi. Franzi Hildebrand the best German in 9th, from 13th. Among the gainers, Fialkova (7 to 2), Kuzmina (10 – 5), Sanfilippo (19-7), Simon (23-10), Persson (30-11), Öberg (35-15), and Herrmann (60-26). Losing ground, the list includes Kryuko (6-12), Yurlova-P (3-20, 4 misses), Hinz (11-21), Brorsson (12-22), Horchler (15-36) and Frolina (14-47; 7 misses). Doro not the fastest on the range by any means – Julia Simon was quickest there, ahead of Haecki and Crawford. Kuzmina fastest around the track, ahead of Tandrevold, Wierer, Eckhoff, Aymonier and Kaisa.

Hochfilzen – Men’s 12.5 Km Pursuit, 15 Dec: Leading 3, JoBø, Martin Fourcade and Doll, separated by just 10 seconds! Race on – JoBø looking very relaxed and fast too, he’s gained 3.4 seconds by 1.6 km. Johannes in for S1 – he’s clear, so is Doll, who is faster than Martin F in clearing the 5. Out JoBø, Doll (+12.3), Fourcade, Desthieux, Loginov, Hofer (+52.9). A few have missed a target – Guigonnat, Eberhard, Peiffer and Weger among them. Johannes is flying on the lap – he’s 20.7 clear of Doll at 4.1 Km, Eberhard up to 5th. Second prone shoot – JoBø has missed 3; Doll has 1 miss but Martin F is clear. So, out from S2 – Fourcade, Doll (+18.9), Loginov, Guigonnat, Christiansen and Peiffer (+30.1) – Bø in 7th, +35.3. Martin F is pulling away from Benedikt Doll; JoBø in a bit of traffic – Klemen Bauer up to 13 from 21. Fourcade in for S3 – fairly quick and he’s clear. Doll and Guigonnat have missed one each, so has Loginov, JoBø another 1. Out in order Fourcade, Christiansen (from 10th; +33.1), Peiffer, Weger (from 11th), Doll and Guigonnat (+54.1). Peiffer and Christiansen fighting for 2nd and 3rd; then a gap to a chasing group of 6, including JoBø. Final shoot of the race – Martin F has cleared the lot, and the fist pump is back! So, who else will be on the podium – Christiansen and Peiffer both clear here with the Norwegian out just in front. I think Guigonnat might have forgotten to do his penalty loop?? JoBø is not shooting well (0,3,1,2), and Doll isn’t much better (0,1,1,3). So after S4 it’s Fourcade (0,0,0,0), Christiansen (0,0,0,0; +36.1), Peiffer (1,0,0,0), Weger, Hofer and Loginov. Martin F takes the win; Peiffer has managed to hold off Christiansen to take 2nd. Julian Eberhard has taken 4th, ahead of Hofer and Weger; JoBø in 9th Those gaining places include Christiansen (10-3), Hofer (12-5), Weger (11-6), Schempp (25-8), Tarjei Bø (28-12), Finello (29-15) and QFM (39-20). Going backwards – JoBø (1-9), Guigonnat (4-16), Doll (3-17) and Samuelsson (13-35). Lapshin fastest on the range ahead of Eliseev and Scott Gow. JoBø fastest around the tracks ahead of Eberhard, Eder, Hofer and Weger.

Alta Badia – Men’s Giant Slalom, 16 Dec, Run 1:  Update - Marc Gisin has broken ribs, and a cracked pelvis and is on his way to Switzerland to recover – serious but not as bad as many feared. Conditions here in Alta Badia are pretty much perfect, which is just as well as this is a tough one – steep and long! Course set by a Slovenian coach, I think. Apparently Stefan Luitz has been DQ’d from the race he won earlier, in Beaver Creek, for using oxygen, which may not be illegal – the FIS say it was “on the field of play” which they think makes a difference! I can see the CAS case already; Luitz and the DSV have 2 weeks I think to make their protest to the FIS. Anyway – Luitz is first away today, presumably without oxygen this time – all the press attention isn’t going to be helping! Henrik Kristoffersen is next and he is faster – he leads by 0.42, having lost a little time on the final section. Zan Kranjec goes into 2nd; Alexis Pinturault goes 3rd. Matts Olsson has made a couple errors, and is red at inter 2 and 3, but he’s produced a very fast final section, and he’s 0.39 faster than Henrik Kristoffersen. Manuel Feller very risky and fast on the top section – lost a little lower down and he’s into 2nd, +0.09. Next away Marcel Hirscher – he’s won 5 times before here, and he’s 1.06 faster at inter 3 – he leads by 0.94 (that’s 1.33 faster than Kristoffersen!). That’s 10 away – Hirscher leads from Olsson, Feller, Kristoffersen, Kranjec and Pinturault. Sad to see Ted Ligety out. Interesting to see Kilde on the more technical skis – into 14th! Gino Caviezel into 10th; apparently there are 81 starters today! Just when you think the top 6 is settled for run 1 – great run by Marco Odermatt (SUI, bib 27) into 3rd place, +1.00! Charlie Raposo (GBR) is down but a massive loss of time on the final section means he won’t get a second run. Incidentally – does anyone know what has happened to Dave Ryding this season? Anyway, that’s run 1 complete – no late changes to the top 10.
Run 2: Impressive flypast by the Italian “Red Arrows”  equivalent! The new course set by a German coach, apparently quite tricky; conditions still look good. First 10 away – Luca de Aliprandini leads, from Mathieu Faivre and Ryan Cochran- Siegle; Kilde has just gone into 4th, which is impressive from a speed specialist! Marco Schwarz, who had bib 71 but got a second run, is losing time on the course and he’s fallen – pity. Nestvold-Haugen into 2nd; Thomas Tumler has taken that place away – looks very easy to lose time on this course, especially on the lower section! Thomas Fanara better on the top section and holding on lower down – he takes the lead. Loic Meillard into 3rd; I think oxygengate is preying on Luitz’s mind – he can only manage 12th. Tommy Ford seems pretty focussed though – into 2nd.  Victor M-J into 5th; Alexis Pinturault much more steadily in the green until the final section – not sure where he lost time, but he goes 2nd. It’s Fanara, Pinturault and Ford. Zan Kranjec into 6th; Kristoffersen losing time too – red by inter 2 and he’s being bounced around – he’s only 11th, which must be his worst result for a while?? Feller is next and he too is red at inter 2; somehow he’s just green again at 3 and into 3rd! Some amazing recoveries there; I do wish I could lip-read in French! Marco Odermatt has made a couple impressive recoveries but can’t get the last one - he is a DNF. Two to go – Matts Olsson is away, and he’s lost almost all of his 0.96 advantage by inter 2 – he’s stabilised it but then  lost time on the final section – he’s 5th!  Marcel Hirscher has 1.90 in hand as he comes to the start gate – he’s actually gained time to inter 2. It’s 2.66 at inter 3 and he wins by a truly massive 2.53 – that must be really depressing for the rest of the field! That’s Marcel Hirscher’s 6th successive win here, Fanara in 2nd and Pinturault gets the final podium place. Feller in 4th, ahead of Ford and Olsson. Amazing to see Kristoffersen in 14th.

Alta Badia – Men’s Parallel Slalom, 17 Dec: Annoyingly the FIS live data feed is only showing the start list for run 1 of the 1/16 final, and isn’t telling us who has won which head to head – Eurosport commentary to the rescue – Pinturault has beaten Cochrane-Siegel; ah, re-loading the FIS stream has got it working: Hirscher beat Leitinger; Tonetti beat Jansrud, Victor MJ beat Tumler, Luitz beat Schwarz, Kilde beat Feller; Leif Haugen beat Odermatt; Tommy Ford beat Max Franz (DQ); Olsson beat Trikichev; and the FIS stream has crashed again! Faivre beats Zurbriggen; de Aliprandini beats Kriechmayr; Kristoffersen beats Schörghofer – looks like Mayer beat Mölgg (?); Caviezel beat Fanara?; Kranjec beat Brennsteiner; Meillard beat Favrot. Right – run 2 – Hirscher wins again to qualify; Jansrud has pulled it back to qualify too. Tumler has knocked out Victor M-J, overturning run 1; Luitz through, so are Kilde, Leif K N-H (by just 0.03), Franz (overturning run 1??), Olsson, Pinturault, Mölgg, Caviezel, Brennsteiner, Favrot, Faivre, de Aliprandini and Kristoffersen (by only 0.02!).
1/8 Finals – just 1 run this time, faster qualifier chooses the course – red or blue. First race is Hirscher v Jansrud – Marcel Hirscher gets it, but he had to work for it! Luitz has beaten Tumler; next is an all Norwegian affair – Kilde v Leif K N-H; Kilde gets it!  Slight delay as the referee isn’t happy – for some reason Ford is there rather than Franz, who I thought won the previous round, and checking back it now shows Ford as the winner against Franz?? Anyway, Olsson has beaten Ford. Pinturault beats Mölgg; Caviezel has beaten Brennsteiner. Quite a surprise – Thibaut Favrot has beaten Faivre. Kristoffersen has beaten de Aliprandini, again by just 0.02!  Looks as though the red course might be just a tiny bit faster?
Quarter finals: We start with Luitz v Hirscher; Hirscher stumbled at the start but takes it by 0.08. Now – Kilde v Olsson; Olsson has taken this one. Caviezel has missed a gate, so Pinturault is through (and he was ahead anyway!). Ah, the giant killer strikes again – Favrot has beaten Kristoffersen!
Semi Finals: An odd mix as they sort out the placings too. First is Luitz v Kilde – Luitz wins by 0.06. Next is a big one – Olsson v Hirscher! Pity – Olsson is a DNF after missing a gate after the jump – Hirscher through again, despite another ragged start! Caviezel v Kristoffersen – Henrik isn’t having a good weekend – Gino Caviezel wins. Now, another all French event – Favrot v Pinturault; he’s still going – Thibaut Favrot wins yet again, and that’s a track record too!
Finals – small finals first: We start with Kristoffersen v Kilde for 7th and 8th  - Kilde has won it! Henrik K just seems to be a bit off at present – is his timing a bit off? Now, Caviezel v Luitz – the German has taken that one quite comfortably. Last small final – for 3rd/4th – Olsson v Pinturault – the Frenchman has got the final podium place, Olsson in 4th. So, at last – Favrot (26th seed, no less) v Hirscher. Good start from both – Hirscher has finally won in this format! Marcel Hirscher is now, I think, the joint most successful Austrian ski racer? So Hirscher wins, Favrot in 2nd and Pinturault 3rd.  FIS report here
and as for the Franz/Ford confusion - from “Skimag” “The night was not without drama for the Americans. Ford faced off in the round of 16 with a sizable time advantage over his parallel competitor, Max Franz of Austria. In theory, Ford should have almost been to the first gate by the time Franz’s start gate opened, but due to a mechanical error, both racers started at the same time, and Franz edged out Ford at the bottom.  The US Ski Team appealed to the race jury, who awarded the win to Ford due to the error."

Hochfilzen – Women’s 4 x 6 Km relay, 16 Dec: Looking a bit more wintery today – flatter light and fresh snow? Vanessa Hinz leading on the early part of the lap, ahead of Vittozzi, Chevalier and Pavlova. Vittozzi has taken over the lead as they had for S1 – Hinz has missed 1, Chevalier 2 – a few spares being used - but Vittozzi is clear and leads away, ahead of Persson, Pavlova, Merkushyna (UKR), Hinz and Zbylut (POL). No penalty loops so far; Hinz back up to 3rd on the lap. In for S2 – wind very light – Hinz and Merkushyna clear and away in that order, Vittozzi needed 1 spare but still out 3rd ahead of Gasparin, Chevalier and Fialkova. No penalty loops yet but a couple teams used all 3 spares. Knotten (NOR) in 13th, +28.1; Reid (USA) in 18th. First exchange – Vittozzi past Hinz on the lap – Italy lead from Germany (+0.4), Slovakia (+3.0), Sweden, Ukraine and France. On the lap Kuzmina (SVK!) has taken over the lead, ahead of Brorsson, Preuß, Runggaldier, Semerenko and Simon. In for S3 – Kuzmina clear (lucky with 1 split round!)and away; Preuß out 2nd, ahead of Runggaldier, Brorsson, Schwaiger (AUT) and Simon. Vita Semerenko has used all 3 spares, Eckhoff used 2, Dunklee 1. Kuzmina is pulling away on the lap; she’s already in for S4 – she’s missed the last one – 2 spares and away. Preuß is doing 2 penalty loops, so are Canada (Bankes)! After S4 it’s Kuzmina, Simon (+9.6), Schwaiger, Yurlova-P, Haecki (SUI) and Kryuko (BLR). Next exchange – Kuzmina pulling away, Eckhoff making up ground – Slovakia lead away, ahead of France, Switzerland, Russia, Austria and Norway. Germany in 14th, +1:32.5 after Preuß’s meltdown. Vasnetcova (RUS), Aymonier and Gasparin are closing down Poliakova (SVK) on the lap; Innerhofer gaining places for Austria. S5 already – more spares here – Sola (BLR) clear and away, ahead of E Gasparin, Poliakova, Tandrevold, Vasnetcova and Aymonier. Doro Wierer has got Italy back up to 7th from 11th at the last exchange. Innerhofer is doing a penalty loop. Tandrevold is gaining places and time as is Doro – as we head for S6 Gasparin leads from Sola, Tandrevold and Doro W. Tandrevold and Aymonier struggling a bit – Tandrevold doing 2 penalty loops, Poliakova 1 loop. Doro W leads out, fractionally ahead of Gasparin with Sola holding on to 3rd (+11.4); Vasnetcova in 4th ahead of Nilsson and Aymonier; Tandrevold 8th, Karo Horchler up to 11th. Final exchange coming up – Italy have an 18.1 second lead thanks to Doro, Switzerland in 2nd, ahead of Sweden, France, Russia and Belarus; Norway 7th, Germany 11th. Sanfilippo starting well, but she’s got Öberg and Bescond in the chasing pack; Denise Herrmann has the final leg for Germany – fast but can be erratic on the range! Final prone shoot – Sanfilippo clear and away, Öberg clear and 2nd (+20.5), ahead of Bescond, Starykh, Kruchinkina (BLR) and Meinen (SUI). Herrmann used 1 spare and hasn’t gained time, still 9th. Öberg is gaining time on the lap, so is Bescond. In for the final shoot – Sanfilippo steady and clear; Öberg has missed her last shot, Bescond clear, Starykh clear too. So, race on – Sanfilippo leads, ahead of Anais Bescond (+12.4), Öberg (+13.4), and Starykh (+35.8). Herrmann used 2 spares and is 8th, but +2:06.1. France and Sweden are closing, but not by much at 5.1 Km; at 5.4 Km it’s going the other way – Sanfilippo pulling away – great fight for 2nd/3rd – Italy get a very well deserved win; Öberg has gone round the outside of Bescond to take 2nd, France 3rd. Russia in 4th, ahead of Belarus, Norway. Germany up to 7th in the end – a disappointing day, especially for Franzi P!

Hochfilzen – Men’s 4 x 7.5 Km relay, 16 Dec: I thought we might not get this live, but Eurosport have it, and with commentary! Guigonnat led early on – Birkeland takes over , and then Eliseev. Quiet spread out as they come in for S1, using the lane that corresponds to their bib number for this first shoot. Schempp needing 2 spares, and he’s out 24th! Bormolini leads out, ahead of Femling (SWE) and Birkeland; then Weger, Sinapov (BUL) and Toby Eberhard (AUT). Weger leading on the lap, I see Martin Fourcade is not racing today – he’s on the edge of the track with the coaches! Weger is in for S2 – he’s got quite a gap – well done Weger, all 5 down and away! Behind him there are spares being used all over the place – amazingly the French are on the penalty loop! Weger leads out, then Birkeland (+6.1), Bormolini (+7.9), Femling, Buta (ROM) and Sinapov. Schempp clear and up to 9th, Guigonnat in 23rd. Weger is flying, and Bormolini is opening a gap on the immediate chasing group – at exchange 1 the Swiss have a 25.9 second lead; then Italy, Norway, Sweden, Belarus and USA (+35.3)! Lukas Hofer (+16.0) and L’Abee-Lund (+22.6) are closing down Finello, but the main chasing group are all very close. In for S3 – all 4 leaders using spares. Lukas Hofer leads out, ahead of Finello (+3.5), L’Abee-Lund (+16.5), Bocharnikov (BLR), Stvrtecky (CZE) and Kühn (+18.4). Hofer in for S4, he’s missed his first 2 shots – good discipline though and he’s away with 2 spares used; Kühn is on the penalty loop! Hofer leads out, ahead of Eder with Sean Doherty up to 3rd. Ponsiluoma (SWE) in 4th, ahead of Fak and Finello. Germany now 14th, just over a minute back – they really aren’t having a good day! Into the second exchange – Italy lead, ahead of Sweden (+8.1), Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium! Germany in 14th, France in 15th. Tarjei Bø is gaining places – Norway up to 5th now. OK – Windisch in for S5; all 5 down. Austria and Norway clear, Russia too, Peiffer clear too. Windisch leads out, ahead of Klemen Bauer (+14.6), Landertinger, Stenersen (SWE) Tarjei Bø, Dolder (SUI, +26.7). Bø gaining places on the lap, he’s up to 2nd, just 7.4 seconds back. Very hard lap from the chasing 4, as they come in for S6 – Sweden clear and away, Bø having snags, so is Landertinger! Stenersen is away, ahead of Windisch (+2.6), Bauer, Bø (+19.7), Landertinger and Malyshko; Peiffer clear and up to 9th, +50.0. Heading for the last exchange – Windisch back past Stenersen, but the Swedes have Samuelsson on the last leg, while Chenal (ITA) is far lower in the standings. So, Italy lead, then Sweden (+0.7), Slovenia, Norway, Austria and Russia (+33.2). Germany up to 7th (+38.4); France in 12th (+1:08.0). At 1.1 Kms on leg 4 Samuelsson leads ahead of Chenal, Christiansen, Drinovec (SLO), Leitner and Loginov; Doll losing a bit of time. The last prone shoot – Samuelsson is clear and away, Chenal 2nd after 1 spare (+16.8), then Christiansen, Doll (+37.4), Leitner and Loginov. Desthieux is on the penalty loop. On the lap Christiansen is up to 2nd, Chenal 3rd but now just 10 seconds clear of Doll. Final shoot – Christiansen has a better standing record but … . Samuelsson has missed 1, and 1 more but he’s away; Christiansen clear and just 4.7 behind, Doll needing 1 spare but out 3rd (+24.6), then Leitner, Loginov and Chenal. Not sure anyone will catch Samuelsson? No, at present Seb is pulling away. Sweden (0+5) get the win, ahead of Norway (0+7) with Germany (1+6) getting a podium despite Kühn’s problems. Austria in 4th, ahead of Russia and Italy; France (2+12) in 9th.

Val Gardena (Gröden) – Women’s Downhill, 18 Dec: Conditions don’t look too bad; the start is lower today than it was for the men the other day. No Shiffrin today; no Vonn either. Nadia Fanchini the first away but bib 2, Tamara Tippler, is 0.48 faster; Corinne Suter into 2nd. Kira Weidle (GER) is nicely in the green at the intermediates – she goes into the lead, 0.27 faster. Anna Veith is drifting into the red – a couple big errors and she’s 5th. Ramona Siebenhofer was good in training, and she’s well into the green on her race run too – this is  good skiing, and she’s into the lead by a rather impressive 0.67! Ester Ledecka was fastest in final training, but it’s not quite there on the race run – into 6th. Impressive to see Michelle Gisin racing, given the nasty crash her brother had the other day – she’s into 5th. Lara Gut-Behrami into joint 2nd with Weidle;  that’s 10 down – Siebenhofer leads from Gut-B/Weidle, Tippler, Suter and Gisin. Mowinckel into 6th; Ilka Stuhec is back – green all the way and she leads by 0.51 – she is very happy;  what a way to come back from injury! Good run from Nicol Delago (ITA) – she goes into 2nd, +0.14. Nicole Schmidhofer has lost a bit on the final section – into 6th. Tina Weirather can only manage 7th; Stephanie Venier has done better – she’s into 4th. Not for long though, as Jasmine Flury, next away,  is into 4th now! That’s 20 away – Stuhec leads from Delago, Siebenhofer, Flury, Venier and Lara G-B/Weidle. Not over yet – straight after the TV break Mirjam Puchner (AUT) is into 5th. Crash for Nina Ortleib, but she’s up and skiing on, after beating the slope with a pole, so I think she’s OK! More change – Michaela Wenig (GER) into 5th; and then it went quiet! So, welcome back Ilka Stuhec – great win! Delago in 2nd and Siebenhofer takes the final podium place.

Val Gardena (Gröden) – Women’s Super G, 19 Dec (vice Val d’Isere): Course set by a Swiss coach; this might be a slightly tougher course than yesterday’s downhill? Not a brilliant day, looks like rather flat light? Viki Rebensburg is the first away, and once again it’s a flat start – not popular with the skiers, but the organisers seem to be being cautious after Marc Gisin’s crash. Tamara Tippler into 2nd; Elena Curtoni goes 3rd. Ester Ledecka next and green at inter 1 and 2, but then into the red – she’s 2nd, +0.33. Nicole Schmidhofer is also green at inter 1 and 2 – she’s kept in the green and she’s fast through the final speed gun – she leads by 0.38. Michelle Gisin into 6th; good run from Tina Weirather, who made up a little time on the final section and is now in joint first with Nicole Schmidhofer! Ten away – Wierather/Schmidhofer lead, ahead of Rebensburg, Ledecka, Tippler and Haehlen. Next to go is Ilka Stuhec – into the green at inter 1, and she’s kept that light colour to inter 4, despite an error, and slow through the last gun but she’s done enough to take the lead by just 5 hundredths! Ragnhild Mowinckel into 4th; Jasmine Flury red most of the way, but just green at inter 4 and fast through the gun – she’s just 6 hundredths slower at the line but that’s only good enough for 4th! Ooops – Lara Gut-B only 17th! So, at present, Ilka Stuhec on for the double, ahead of Weirather/Schmidhofer; Flury in 4th ahead of Mowinckel and Rebensburg. Flury (bib 16) the last to get into the top 10; Gagnon (bib 27) into 12th and Priska Nufer (bib 28) into 14th. Just as I write that – Francesca Marsaglia (bib 29) has skied into 6th – great effort! Christina Ager (AUT, bib 34) into 10th, knocking Ledecka out of the top 10; and that’s it! Well done to Ilka Stuhec – winning the double on her return to World Cup racing! Weirather and Schmidhofer share 2nd place ahead of Flury, Mowinckel and Marsaglia.

Saalbach-Hinterglemm – Men’s GS, 19 Dec: I must be losing it – I’m sure I saw on the schedule that this was tomorrow, but that now shows as a slalom! Whatever – the Giant Slalom race is on, today (it’s a rescheduled race – the Sölden GS that was cancelled) – conditions don’t look too bad. Often the pistes don’t look that steep on TV, but the opening shots today look as though this is tough, and it’s long too! Matts Olsson is first away and safely down. Loic Meillard is next and he’s nicely green at inter 1 and 2; lost a bit to 3 and then more on the final section – back to 2nd. Massive error from Alexis Pinturault on one of the blind gates and he’s +1.91 at the finish – will he get a second run? Manuel Feller next – he’s into 2nd, just 0.03 back. Now Henrik Kristoffersen, who hasn’t seemed to be quite on form so far – not on the pace today either – 4th, +0.89, which isn’t like him at all. Zan Kranjec into 4th; now it’s Marcel Hirscher – already green at inter 1, but he’s 0.23 red at inter 2 and not as explosive as normal, and it shows; he’s making errors – only 5th and 0.71 behind – I wonder if he’s tired, it’s a busy schedule? Perhaps that’s what got to Kristoffersen too? Haugen into 8th, +2.40! Quite a few people looking tired, from the schedule and travelling – it’s much more intense as we have the World Championships coming and the nations want to get the races in so that they can make their team selection – with races being cancelled earlier due to the weather, everything is rather compressed before Christmas! Ted Ligety into 10th, +2.70. So, 10 away and Olsson leads from Feller and Meillard; then Kranjec, Hirscher and Kristoffersen.  Luitz into 7th; Faivre into 8th and Mölgg even further off the pace in 11th! Kilde is a DNF as light conditions worsen; de Aliprandini into 12th – the course isn’t holding up that well either! Hmm – a couple very basic errors from Roland Leitinger – coach interview without coffee beckons, I think – DNF. There are some big time gaps from the later starters – Pinturault’s time is looking much more competitive and he’s still 10th! That’s 30 away – no recent changes to the top 10. Charlie Raposo on track for a second run, but he’s fallen and is a DNF. That looks like it for run 1 – Matts Olsson first down the hill, and still the fastest, although Feller is only 0.03 behind; Hirscher in 5th, +0.71! Faivre (bib 12) was the last skier to get into the top 10!! Run 1 over.
Run 2: Light very flat for this run – not ideal conditions, and it’s a long course too! This course looks to be more twisty than run 1, and physically demanding – set by an American coach. Rumour has it that Hirscher will be using a different set of skis and a new setup for this run. Right – first 10 away; 2 DNFs and Gino Caviezel has just taken the lead. Sounds as though the storm is heading in – cloud gathering, which won’t help the visibility; Erik Read has joined the DNFs, so has Alexander Schmid. Ted Ligety into 2nd; Victor M-J has just taken over that place. Huge line error from Tumler, which has ruined his chances. Leif N-Haugen has lost a full second between inter 2 and 3, leaving him barely in the green, and then gained time on the final section to take over the lead! Mölgg into 2nd; Luca de Aliprandini gained a huge amount between inter 2 and 3 and he takes the lead! Thomas Fanara going well on the top section, and he’s gaining time lower down too – he’s taken over the lead by 0.76! Oldest man in the race too! Alexis Pinturault hovering between red and green – he’s into 2nd. Mathieu Faivre has taken over the lead, but before the French can really celebrate a full podium, Stefan Luitz is into 2nd. Now it’s Henrik Kristoffersen – he’s got green at inter 2 but then it’s back to the red and he’s 5th, +0.38. Now can Hirscher make up places – he’s had a big error high up, losing time to inter 1, but he’s made it back up again to 2; fractionally red at 3 and he’s just 4th, +0.27 after a very aggressive and risky run! Lots of mistakes there, and he won’t be happy with today. Zan Kranjec is keeping it in various shades of green – much smoother skiing and he’s into the lead. Loic Meillard is gaining time to inter 2 – very direct line – he’s into 2nd.  Manuel Feller has lost a lot of time between 2 and 3 – he’s lost a ski, and he’s out. Just Matts Olsson to go – he’s vanished from the FIS live feed, presumably because he’s skied out! Very well done to Zan Kranjec (SLO) – his first World Cup win, I think! Meillard in 2nd, ahead of Faivre, Luitz, Fanara and Hirscher (his worst result in quite a few years!). That’s it for today – more tomorrow and biathlon too.

Saalbach-Hinterglemm – Men’s Slalom (vice Val d’Isere), 20 Dec: It’s snowing – not such a nice day! First run set by a British coach, and it’s a long race for a slalom!! First away is Daniel Yule (SUI), and he’s down. Next away is Felix Neureuther, back from a variety of injuries – he’s over a second ahead at inter 3 and into the lead, by 0.48. Very popular, even with the Austrian fans! Now, how is Henrik Kristoffersen today – marginally red at inter 2, more red at 3  but he’s better on the final section (where I suspect Felix was fading a bit, having only managed 2 days slalom training in the last 5 weeks) – he leads by 0.19. Michael Matt has done something similar – red at the top and gaining time on the final section – he leads by 0.07. Andre Myhrer into 4th; here comes Marcel Hirscher – green at inter 1, 2 and 3 and he leads by 0.52. Ah, Dave Ryding is next – not his best and he’s 8th, +1.95. That’s 10 away – Hirscher leads from Matt, Kristoffersen, Neureuther, Zenhaeusern and Myhrer. The course is already starting to get rutted. Pinturault into 9th; quick course repair, Victor M-J can only manage 11th. Mölgg into 10th; good turns from Clement Noel and he’s into 7th. That’s 30 away now; no recent changes to the top 6 – last change to the top 10, Clement Noel to 7th; to the top 20, Christian Hirschbühl (bib 22) into 18th. Alex Vinatzer (ITA) – bib 35 to 20th. Strange – Ted Ligety is bib 80 – he’s a DNF and that’s run 1 over.
Run 2: Interesting, and hopefully not too worrying, the start has been postponed by 15 minutes. Actually looks like better weather now, although it’s a bit mild, not sure why there was a slight delay? Apparently the aim was to try to harden up the course, to try and keep the track in better shape than it was in run 1! Course this time set by a French coach. Must be tricky – 2 DNFs from the first 3 starters! Ten away – Stefan Hadalin leads from Lizeroux and Ketterer. Alex Vinatzer into 3rd; Jean-Baptiste Grange has joined the DNFs. Manuel Feller has had a better second run – he leads by 0.34. Half-way – Feller leads from Hadalin (fastest so far on run 2) and Lizeroux. Victor Muffat-Jeandet doesn’t seem to have got his form back this year – just 8th at present. Manfred Mölgg into 3rd; Loic Meillard has gained a bit on the upper section, and he’s got enough of an advantage to take the lead. Alexis Pinturault has lost a lot of time on his run and he’s into 7th, at present. Dave Ryding off the pace too – only 16th. Daniel Yule into 3rd; next away is Clement Noel, with 1.15 advantage at the start – it’s being whittled away but he still has 0.49 at inter 3 – sadly not enough and he’s only 4th, +0.41, at the finish. The closing turns are taking their toll, not helped by a nasty rut which is developing. Myhrer has over a second in hand as well, but he’s just 8th, +0.81 at the finish; the track isn’t holding up too well, despite all the salt. The weather seems to be getting worse too – Zenhaeusern has lost over 2 seconds to end up 7th. A lot of work going on, trying to repair the piste. Felix Neureuther has had a bad time between inter 2 and 3; massive error and possibly a straddle? Not a straddle but 24th place. Now Henrik Kristoffersen with 1.54 in hand – he was 0.84 into the green at inter 3 but the final turns have taken that away – he’s 2nd, +0.09 – that moustache is not exactly a good addition! Michael Matt next – and he’s red at inter 3 despite 1.61 advantage at the start – he’s 4th. Just Marcel Hirscher to go – he still has 1.12 in hand at inter 3 – he wins it by 0.38! That makes Hirscher the most successful Austrian World Cup racer of all time! Hirscher wins, with Meillard and Kristoffersen completing the podium; Feller in 4th, ahead of Matt and Yule. Stefan Hadalin the fastest on run 2, and 8th overall.

Courcheval - Women’s Giant Slalom, 21 Dec: All looks very white, it’s snowing a little – I think more flat light? Course set by a German coach. Tessa Worley is first away; one error but otherwise seemed OK – not sure if it’s my imagination but the snow seems to be a little heavier? Mowinckel next and she’s made an error in the same place as Worley – into 2nd, +0.13. It’s not my imagination – that snow is much heavier! Wendy Holdener has been unlucky with the visibility - 3rd, but +1.69. Federica Brignone has also made “the mistake” but she’s working well on the lower section – into 3rd, +0.16. Vikki Rebensburg is next and she’s gaining a bit lower down – she takes over the lead, by 0.11. Bib 6 is Mikaela Shiffrin – I think she’s unlucky with the weather too – slightly red all the way, and she’s 2nd, +0.08; great stuff in the conditions. Steph Brunner has done well in the bad conditions too – into joint 2nd with Shiffrin! That’s 10 away – Rebensburg leads, Brunner/Shiffrin 2nd, Worley in 4th, ahead of Mowinckel and Brignone. Lysdahl has skied into 7th; now Vlhova has taken over 7th. Frida Hansdotter into 8th; she’s the last to get into the top 10 for a while! Thirty away – no change to the top 10 since Hansdotter. And that’s run 1 over – no late changes to the top 10.
Run 2 – It seems the start might have been lowered? It certainly looks dull and gloomy, and it’s still snowing – harder than before, if anything. The weather is getting worse at a rate of knots – certainly not ideal. Course set by an Austrian coach this time – 12 gates have gone due to the lowered start. First 10 away – Mina Fuerst Holtmann (NOR) leads from Mikaela Tommy (CAN) and Val Grenier (CAN). Lara Gut-B isn’t on the pace today – just 7th at present. Now that’s a good run – Thea Louise Stjernesund has gained time and she leads by 0.89. Wendy Holdener into 2nd; Sara Hector goes 3rd – visibility isn’t good. Adeline Mugnier has also gained time, doubling her advantage to take the lead.  Katharina Liensberger into 3rd now; that was close, Nina Haver-Løseth still green at inter 2 but into 2nd, 0.09 off the pace! Ricarda Haaser takes over 3rd place, but only briefly as Anna Veith has held on to her advantage pretty much all the way, and she now leads – Veith in first ahead of Mugnier and Haver-Løseth. Lysdahl out before the first intermediate; Frida Hansdotter into 2nd as the vis gets even worse on the upper section. Petra Vlhova has taken over 2nd place, just 0.02 behind Veith; Federica Brignone has 0.94 in hand at the start – still 0.59 at inter 3 and she takes over the lead by 0.46. Ragnhild Mowinckel is close – into 2nd by 0.05; four to go and Tessa Worley has taken the lead – it’s apparently been 16 years since a French woman won on French soil! However – Shiffrin is next and she’s making up time – 0.03 has become 0.33 and she takes the lead; brilliant! Steph Brunner has gone red by inter 1, and she’s into 5th; Vikki Rebensburg has an advantage of 0.08 at the start, and she’s into the red at inter 1 as well – better on the lower section and she’s pulled a little back to go 2nd by 0.14. Mikaela Shiffrin wins again (that’s her 49th World Cup win), from Rebensburg and Worley. Brignone in 4th, ahead of Mowinckel and Brunner. Fastest time on run 2 belongs to Adeline Mugnier!

Courcheval - Women’s Slalom, 22 Dec: Mikaela Shiffrin is bib number 3 today. Conditions look fairly good; no falling snow and good visibility, but apparently it’s a bit warm and might try to rain! Race on, Petra Vlhova first away and safely down on a course set by an Italian coach. Wendy Holdener can’t match the time – she’s +0.51. Mikaela Shiffrin next – red at the two intermediates, fast finish though and she leads, but only by 0.04. Swenn Larsson into 4th; Haver-Løseth has taken over that place. Frida Hansdotter is more on the pace – green at inter 1, but she’s lost time lower down and now she’s into 4th. Better  run from Bernadette Schild, into 3rd, +0.26. That’s the first 10 away – Shiffrin leads from Vlhova and Schild, then Holdener, Hansdotter and Haver-Løseth. Twenty away now – no change to the top 10 since Katharina Truppe (bib 13) went into joint 9th. It seems this season that it’s sometimes quite difficult for the later starters to make an impression – 30 away now; no change to the top 10 – Mina Holtmann (bib 30) possibly the best of the later starters at present, getting into 12th; Lysdahl (bib 26) now 13th. Still the same with 40 away, and I need to go shopping before run 2!
Run 2: The ski-jump part of Nordic Combined at Ramsau is over-running, due to wind problems – what a surprise! That is exciting TV – lots of people looking at trees and wind-speed indicators! Now the Ramsau commentator is trying to cover the start of the Courcheval event by reading the detail from his screen – sadly we can’t see that video so it’s pretty useless, especially when he adds “as you can see” – we can’t! It seems Eurosport will be shifting to Courcheval, but only after a mega dose of adverts!! To be honest it isn’t a big deal as I don’t pay too much attention to run 2 until there are 10 away! Nice run from Adeline Mugnier, until an error on the final section – she’s into 2nd just behind Paula Moltzan (USA). Right – first 10 away, Charlotte Saefvenberg (SWE) leads from Moltzan with Aline Danioth (SUI) in 3rd. Sara Hector the only DNF so far. Roni Remme (CAN) into 4th; some of the next group of skiers seem to be losing lots of time in the middle and lower sections of the course, which I think was set by Shiffrin’s coach? Irene Curtoni is doing a lot better; still in the green at inter 2 and she goes into 2nd, +0.04 – that’s also the half way point! Now, Kristin Lysdahl (NOR) has gained time on the upper section; 0.60 still in hand at inter 2, and she’s kept almost all of it to take the lead by 0.56. Mina Fuerst Holtmann is going well this weekend – she’s into 2nd place. Anna Swenn Larsson has gained a lot between inter 1 and 2, almost doubling her advantage and she now leads by a rather impressive 0.84. That’s also the 2nd fastest time on run 2; best is still Moltzan. All change – Katharina Liensberger is also gaining time – she’s set the new fastest time on run 2 and Austria take the lead! Truppe into 4th; Chiara Costazza goes 3rd after the TV break, but she’s not there long as Erin Mielzynski takes over that place. Nina Haver-Løseth into 2nd, but Frida Hansdotter has almost doubled her advantage by inter 2, taking full advantage of a drastic improvement in the visibility, and she leads by 0.93 – setting the new fastest time for run 2 in the process! That might be hard to beat? Wendy Holdener can’t match that, but she does get into 2nd; three to go! The sun is out, but sadly so is Bernadette Schild, after a straddle. Petra Vlhova has lost quite a bit of time between inter 1 and 2, but she’s quick on the final section, and she leads by 0.08. Now Mikaela Shiffrin has only 0.04 advantage at the start; briefly into the red at inter 2 but she’s pulled it all back lower down – she wins again! That’s win number 50 on the World Cup circuit for Shiffrin – amazing! Petra Vlhova in 2nd, with Frida Hansdotter (still fastest on run 2) getting the final podium place.

Madonna di Campiglio – Men’s Slalom, 22 Dec: Poor chaps – this has been a busy week! There must be some very tired legs by now. Michael Matt gets this slalom started, on a course set by his coach – he’s down and it looked neat. Myhrer can’t match him, +0.54. Daniel Yule looking very good and he takes the lead by 0.69. Next away is Henrik Kristoffersen; nicely green at inter 1 and 2 and he leads by 0.52. Now it’s Marcel Hirscher – fractionally red at inter 1, even less red at 2, bit more red at 3 and he’s just pinched the lead by 0.14! Loic Meillard into 4th; Mölgg 5th. Good lower section by Marco Schwarz which gained time, and gets him 3rd place. Manu Feller is the first DNF; that’s 15 away – Hirscher leads from Kristoffersen, Schwarz, Yule, Meillard and Mölgg. Dave Ryding isn’t having a particularly good season, so far – only 12th at present, +1.66. He needs a good result or he’ll start getting higher start numbers! Clement Noel (bib 18) into 6th; and, Julien Lizeroux (bib 23) into 7th – that’s more like it! Good effort from Matej Vidovic (CRO, bib 31) who has just skied into 16th. Another impressive run from Alex Vinatzer (ITA) – bib 35 into 8th! Some good efforts by the later starters today, including Johannes Strolz (AUT) – bib 40 to 15th, Sandro Simonet (SUI), bib 42 to 16th and Kristoffer Jakobsen (SWE) – bib 43 to 9th! Still changing – Erik Read into 16th; Alex Khoroshilov (bib 48) into 13th! Giuliano Razzoli (bib 69) has just got into 10th! Sadly all this late charging isn’t helping Dave Ryding, who is now 22nd and still losing the occasional place – he ended up 27th, only just getting a second run.
Run 2: Dave Ryding away number 3 on run 2 – he’s gaining time and takes the lead by 0.72 – that's more like it! That was a pretty good run from Ryding – with 10 away he still leads, ahead of Istok Rodes (CRO) and Trevor Philp (CAN). Jean-Baptiste Grange into 4th. Felix Neureuther has gone 3rd; even Alexis Pinturault can’t match Ryding’s time – he’s into 4th. Now, what can Dave’s old training partner, Alex Khoroshilov do – he’s way off the pace – all too risky and he’s 13th! Sixteen away and still Ryding leads; ah, well – all good things come to an end – Michael Matt takes the lead. Victor M-J can only manage 5th; Mölgg is also losing time to inter 2 – he’s pulled a bit back but is still only 3rd at the finish. The course is starting to really rut; nice to see Giuliano Razzoli back after injury – he’s into 3rd. Kristoffer Jakobsen had a great first run, but this second run isn’t going his way – he’s only 13th. Alex Vinatzer on track – very risky and he’s a DNF. Julien Lizeroux has straddled – he’s walked up but I don’t think he’ll be allowed to do that? Clement Noel next, and then just 5 more to go – Noel has made a huge error; at present it’s Matt, Ryding and Razzoli on the podium! French coach is practising his face palms! Loic Meillard has also made a big mistake, which has dropped him to 17th. No matter what, this will be Dave Ryding’s best result of this season. Daniel Yule has gained time between inter 2 and 3 and he leads by 0.50! Marco Schwarz has gone into 2nd; Ryding off the podium, but he still has the best time for run 2. Kristoffersen has straddled on gate 2 – he’s a DNF – most unusual. Speaking of unusual – Hirscher has also straddled, for the first time in over 10 years!! So, Daniel Yule wins, ahead of Marco Schwarz and Michael Matt – Dave Ryding in 4th, ahead of Razzoli and Mölgg. Hirscher misses the chance to be the first skier to win 15 races in a calendar year! He and Shiffrin are tied on 14 each at present. Well done to Dave Ryding – 27th to 4th after his second run charge!

Nove Mesto – Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 20 Dec: Right – floodlights are on, and so is the race; fairly calm at present! Thomas Bormolini quickest of the early starters; Tero Seppala (FIN) has just gone faster at 2.5 Km. Tachizaki is at S1, and clear, as JoBø starts to get ready; Bormolini has missed 2 – so has Doherty. It’s quite a tough entry to the range – Seppala is the second person to clear all 5 and he’s 15.9 faster than Tachizaki. Malyshko also clear and fractionally faster than the Finn. Lukas Hofer now fastest at 2.5 Km but JoBø is flying! Garanichev is clear at S1, and he’s 7.6 faster than Malyshko. Jakov Fak has missed his 5th shot; Hofer clear and out 13.7 ahead of Garanichev.  Weger also clear, and out 2nd after S1; Krcmar has missed his first shot. JoBø is clear at S1, and already 10.8 faster than Hofer. Samuelsson has also missed his 5th; Malyshko is 10/10 and 40.7 ahead of the nearest chaser after S2. Loginov clear at S1, and out 2nd; Bjøntegaard is (0,1) but out after S2 just 11.1 behind Malyshko, and he’s faster on the lap too. Lukas Hofer in for S2 – he’s missed the first 2, and the last 2 as well. Beni Weger is 10/10 and currently fastest after S2, or he was until JoBø went 10/10, shooting very quickly, and left the range 47.8 ahead! At S1 Martin Fourcade has missed 1! Loginov is 10/10 and just 14.9 behind Johannes – brilliant shooting – very fast! Martin Ponsiluoma (SWE) also 10/10; faster than Weger but 42.4 off Bø’s time. At 9.3 Km JoBø is over a minute faster than Weger! JoBø is over the line; surely that’s the win? Martin F in for S2 – he’s missed 3, what has happened to him this season? Alex Loginov over the line, into 2nd, +21.0 so he’s lost 5.1 to Bø on the last lap. Schempp is (0,1) but the commentators reckon the German skis might not be running well? Doll also (0,1) and best German after S2, in 12th at present. Ponsiluoma is over the line, currently in 3rd. Back at S1 Tarjei Bø has missed 1. At present JoBø leads from Loginov, Ponsiluoma, Weger (all 10/10) then Desthieux and Eberhard (both with 1 miss). Martin F over the line in 27th, at present, over 2 minutes back. Tarjei Bø is (1,0) and 5th after S2, just off Weger’s time. Johannes Kühn has missed his final shot, and his ski speed isn’t quite there either. Now, Tarjei has passed Weger by 7.7 Km, but he isn’t catching Ponsiluoma at the moment;  by 9.3 Km he’s fading a bit – back to joint 6th, he’s 8th at the finish. Back at S1 Jules Burnotte (CAN) is clear and inside 20 seconds, in 7th place. Simon Eder is 10/10 and pretty much on the same time as Tarjei Bø there. QFM is 10/10 and out 5th, +51.1 – that’s fractionally better than Tarjei. He’s lost a bit on the early part of the final lap, but that might leave him more for the finish?? Looks like Roman Rees is the only German to clear all 10? Burnotte has missed 1 at S2 – out in 22nd, but it’s only his second World Cup race. QFM is over the line in 12th. Johannes Dale (NOR) is 10/10 – might just get into the top 10 if he has some speed left for the final lap, but the conditions aren’t on his side. Burnotte over the line in 31st – what a lot of hair - he’s really Sideshow Bob! Dale is at the finish – 15th at present! That’s it – JoBø wins another sprint – amazing ski speed and good shooting. Alex Loginov in 2nd, 21 seconds back and Martin Ponsiluoma gets the final podium place. Weger in 4th ahead of Desthieux and Julian Eberhard. Doll best of the Germans in 11th; Martin Fourcade in 43rd, +2:12.9. Loginov fastest on the range, ahead of Eder and Jaakko Ranta (FIN); no surprise at all that JoBø was quickest on the tracks, 26.9 ahead of Loginov  - Fourcade 4th there.

Nove Mesto – Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 21 Dec: Kaisa and Doro tied on 114 points each in the sprint standings at present; Doro 7 points ahead in the overall after 5 events. It’s snowing here as well, apparently it started 90 minutes or so ago, so there should be some new stuff on the tracks at first – nice to see Laura Dahlmeier back in the World Cup, albeit starting number 84. Apparently Koukalová has written a book, which might have been just a bit too honest; that might be worth finding out more about. The snow is getting heavier; hard going for the early starters?! Valj Semerenko the early pace setter at 1.6 Km, but for some reason she isn’t showing up on the S1 list despite, I think, going clear – ah, there she is, at last! Currently at S1 it’s Semerenko, Denise Herrmann (clear!) and Solemdal. Kaisa now fastest at 1.6 Km; Hanna Öberg clear at S1 and fastest at present. Franzi Hildebrand is also clear at S1 and pretty ,much on the same pace as Herrmann. Sanfilippo clear at S1 and out in 2nd. Valj Semerenko is 10/10, and ahead of the 2 athletes who started before her; Kaisa has missed 1 at S1. Franziska Preuß has cleared at S1 and faster than Valj, but Yurlova-P has also cleared and she’s fastest. Justine Braisaz fast into S1 but she’s missed 3; Herrmann has missed 3 at S2! Paulina Fialkova at S1 – clear and leads out; at S2 only Valj is 10/10 at the moment. Kaisa making up time on the lap; Vanessa Hinz clear at S1 and out 4th, just behind Öberg. Speaking of Öberg, she’s just gone 10/10; Franzi H is (0,1) and Sanfilippo has missed 2 at S2. Kaisa in for S2 – she’s missed her first, and 3 more – not her day. Yurlova has also missed 2 at S2; Preuß is (0,1) and 3rd at present after S2. Now Marte Olsbu-Roeiseland is clear at S1 and 7.4 faster than Fialkova; Doro has missed 1 at S1. Over at S2 Fialkova is 10/10 (only the 3rd one to do so) and much faster than Valj – 22.6 ahead. Hinz also (0,1) – just like the two Franzis! Despite a miss at S1, Anais Chevalier has cleared at S2 and is just 6.3 behind Fialkova! Vittozzi has missed 2 at S2 but Marte O-R has joined the 10/10 group and she’s 8.5 faster than Fialkova, who is currently gaining time on Chevalier on the final lap. Back at S1 Kuzmina has missed 1; Doro is at S2 – 1 miss there too. That’s interesting – Lena Haecki is clear at S1 and even faster than Marte O-R. Tiril Eckhoff is (1,2). Marte O-R has crossed the finish line, in first ahead of Fialkova (+6.2) and Chevalier (+23.0); Doro into 5th at present despite 2 misses. At S2 Kinga Zbylut (POL) is 10/10 and out 4th; Lena Haecki has missed 1 at S2, but still out 4th. The snow has stopped – oops, no it hasn’t! Zbylut over the line in 5th, but Haecki is closing her down on the lap – Haecki over the line in 4th! So, at present Marte O-R leads from Fialkova, Chevalier, Haecki , Öberg and Zbylut. Back at S1 Laura Dahlmeier is clear and 2.2 faster than Haecki, but there’s a long way to go. Enora Latuilliere fast at 1.6 Km but she’s missed 3 at S1. Vita Semerenko clear at S1 and faster than Marte O-R, but she’s losing time on the lap! Now Laura D is at S2 – she’s missed her first but the rest are cleared – she’s out in 3rd, +8.8. Sarah Beaudry (CAN) clear at S1 and in touch – out 5th. Vita Semerenko has just missed her 10th shot – out 6th. Laura D has lost a bit of time at 5.9 Km, but she’s pulled a bit back by 6.6 Km. Laura Dahlmeier is over the line in 2nd – just 4.5 seconds back despite doing a penalty loop. Pretty impressive for her first race back on the World Cup circuit! So, Marte O-R (0,0) wins, from Laura D (0,1; +4.5) and Paulina Fialkova (0,0; +6.2) – Chevalier (1,0; +23.0) in 4th, ahead of Haecki (0,1) and Öberg (0,0; +31.0). Doro in 9th, +38.3; Sarah Beaudry (0,0) in 12th and Kaisa down in 58th, +2:05.8. Doro fastest on the range, ahead of Vita S and Merkushyna. Laura D fastest around the course ahead of Aymonier and Eckhoff.

Nove Mesto – Men’s 12.5 Km Pursuit, 22 Dec: Bit warm today, with a bit more wind than yesterday, although it has eased since this morning. Martin Fourcade starts 43rd, over 2 minutes back – a very strange experience for him! Hmm, JoBø has 21 seconds in hand at the start; almost a penalty loop?! Johannes is away, Loginov leads the chasers. Ponsiluoma away, 54 seconds back and now the pack is starting to chase. Johannes Dale has fallen – might have damaged his rifle? JoBø is coming in for S1 – wind looks tricky at times – all off to the right of the target but he’s only missed 1; the wind has picked up a bit for Loginov, who also has 4 down. Ponsiluoma has missed 2, and he’s not the only one! Weger and Tarjei Bø among those who are 5/5 – after S1 JoBø leads, from Loginov (+38.1), Weger (+49.7), Tarjei, Desthieux and Bjøntegaard (+58.4). Arnd Peiffer has fallen just before the tunnel; bit unusual! JoBø in for S2 – still gusty but Johannes hasn’t moved his sights; slow shooting but he’s cleared all 5. Loginov has missed 1; Tarjei clear, Weger has missed 2 but Bjøntegaard is clear. Lots of misses – Malyshko has missed 3 here, so has Fak. After S2 JoBø leads, his brother is in 2nd (+45.5), ahead of Loginov, Bjøntegaard, Desthieux and Pidruchnyi (up from 19th) – Christiansen (0,0) up from 32 to 8! Speaking of gains – Martin Fourcade is also 10/10 and 19th from 43. JoBø already in for S3 – the first standing shoot – very lucky with shot 1 but he’s missed 2 of the others. Tarjei looks tired, but he’s cleared; Loginov shooting much faster but he’s missed 1 (1,1,1). After S3 it’s Tarjei Bø (0,0,0), Johannes Bø (1,0,2), +0.2, Desthieux (0,0,0), +7.3, Bjøntegaard, Loginov and Pidruchnyi – Martin Fourcade is 15/15 and up to 9th! Christiansen has missed 1 here, but is still 10th. I think the Bøs might have eased back as they come in for S4 – both of them have missed 1; Bjøntegaard has missed 4! Loginov has missed 1 again – so after the last shoot JoBø leads, with Tarjei 2nd (+2.3), Loginov, +5.1, Desthieux, Fourcade (+41.5) and Pidruchnyi. Garanichev up from 30 to 11, Samuelsson 52 to 14! On the lap Loginov is past Tarjei and closing on JoBø; Martin F has too much of a gap to close down Desthieux. Johannes has realised what is coming and he’s upped his work rate – he crosses the line first. Johannes Bø (1,0,2,1) wins, ahead of Alex Loginov (1,1,1,1), Tarjei Bø (0,0,0,1), Simon Desthieux (0,0,0,2), Martin Fourcade (0,0,0,0) and Dmytro Pidruchnyi (0,0,0,1). Gainers include Martin F (43-5), Samuelsson (52-10), Nelin (31-12), Garanichev (30-13), Hofer (39-17) and Christiansen (32-20). Those going the wrong way include Ponsiluoma (3-14, 5 misses), Guigonnat (7-15), Weger (4-22, 5 misses), J Eberhard (6-25) and Yeremin (26-43, 9 misses). Eliseev fastest on the range, ahead of Guigonnat and Loginov; Lukas Hofer fastest around the tracks, ahead of JoBø and Samuelsson. I think Martin Fourcade was the only one to hit all 20 targets; can’t see any other zeros?


Nove Mesto – Women’s 10 Km Pursuit, 22 Dec: Marte Olsbu-Roeiseland will start first, with a small lead over Laura Dahlmeier, but I do wonder how Laura will do – second race in 2 days after a World Cup absence, especially with an on form Fialkova just a second behind? I think it might be raining? Roeiseland pulling away a little on the lap, Fialkova past Dahlmeier. In for S1 – Marte O-R is shooting slowly and deliberately but she’s clear, so are Laura D, Öberg and Doro Wierer. Fialkova has missed 2, as have Kuzmina, Preuß, and Hildebrand - even a couple 3s in the list. Out in order Marte O-R, Laura D (+15.0), Öberg, Doro, and Vita Semerenko (+32.2). Marte O-R in for S2; she’s clear again but Doro is also clear and much faster on the range; Öberg and Dahlmeier also clear. Order after S2 is Roeiseland, Wierer, Öberg, Dahlmeier, Semerenko and Hinz (up from 22nd). Doro really is closing down Marte O-R on the lap; here we go for the first standing shoot – Doro slow but clear, Marte has missed 1, Laura D has missed 2! Out – Doro, Hanna Öberg, Marte O-R (+19.3), Laura D (+1:06.2), Haecki and Vittozzi. Valj Semerenko has passed her sister and is 7th, to Vita’s 10th. Haecki and Vittozzi are closing on Laura D – it’s the final shoot. Doro has missed her first as the wind picks up; 1 miss each for the leading 3 after some slow shooting. Marte O-R leads from Doro (+0.5), Öberg (+7.4); Laura D is clear this time and 4th fractionally ahead of Valj Semerenko with Vanessa Hinz (one of very few to clear all 20) right behind them. At 9.1 Km Vittozzi is past Laura D; Hinz past Valj. At 9.8 Km Marte O-R is just 0.3 ahead of Doro with Öberg just 4.5 back. Roeiseland (0,0,1,1) wins the sprint by just 0.2 from Doro (0,0,0,1) with Hanna Öberg (0,0,0,1) in third, +4.7. Another very close sprint behind them – Vittozzi (1,0,0,0) has just pipped Laura D (0,0,2,0) with Vanessa Hinz (0,0,0,0) in 6th. gainers include Vittozzi (18-4), Hinz (22-6) Brorsson (36-12), Magnusson (44-14, and 20/20), Persson (37-15) Hojnisz (40-16) and Herrmann (45-26, despite 5 misses). Going the wrong way – Haecki (5-10, due to 2,1,0,2 on the range), Fialkova (3-17), Zbylut (8-19), Vita Semerenko (7-31), Hildebrand (21-46; 6 misses), and Karo Horchler (27-48; 7 misses). Haecki fastest on the range ahead of Simon and Yurlova; Kuzmina fastest around the tracks, ahead of Herrmann and Kaisa M (started 58, finished 36th; 6 misses).

Nove Mesto – Men’s 15 Km Mass Start, 23 Dec: First Mass Start of the season – weather a bit dull; Loginov is away pretty fast! The pace has eased back a little, and JoBø is back in front, with Martin F pretty much alongside. At 2.1 Km Guigonnat leads, ahead of Martin F, Julian Eberhard, JoBø and Alex Loginov, but there is only 5.7 seconds between the leading 20! In for S1 – Weger first to shoot and he missed it! JoBø clear while Martin F has missed 2! 11 clear, and no one with more than 2 misses – Simon Eder leads out, ahead of JoBø, Tarjei Bø, Doll, Nelin and QFM (+11.3) ; Loginov missed 1 and is 13th, Martin F is 22nd, +49.4. Hofer, Christiansen, L’Abee-Lund, Eberhard, Samuelsson and Malyshko among those who missed 2. Eliseev has fallen on the lap – tricky conditions today so he might not be the last? The Bø brothers are in for S2 – sights are being changed; both quite slow shooting but they are both clear; Nelin has missed 3, so has Guigonnat; Weger has missed 2, Fourcade clear. Tarjei leads out, ahead of Johannes, Eder, Doll, QFM and Bjøntegaard (+14.6) – all 10/10. Loginov in 11th, Fourcade 17th, +57.4. Tarjei doing his best as a wind break on the lap! The Bøs are over 20 seconds clear – that’s a penalty loop in hand. JoBø has taken over the lead on the hill, as they come in for the first standing shoot – wind has shifted and picked up. Johannes clear but Tarjei has missed 2. None of the chasers are clear so far; Garanichev is the first, but Loginov has missed 2, Krcmar clear. Martin F has missed another 1. After S3 JoBø leads, ahead of Garanichev (0,0,0; +36.2), QFM (0,0,1; +42.1), Doll (0,0,1), Tarjei (0,0,2), and Desthieux (1,0,1; +50.9). Fourcade (2,0,1) is 18th, +1:31.6. At 11.1 Km, JoBø is 43.0 ahead of QFM, then Garanichev, Tarjei, Desthieux and Doll (+56.6). Final shoot – quite fast and he’s cleared the lot! No fist pump but he can cruise the final lap; QFM has missed his last shot, Garanichev clear , Tarjei has missed 4! Fourcade clear this time. Order after S4 – JoBø, Evgeniy Garanichev (+50.1), QFM (+56.7), Peiffer (+1:10.1), Doll and Bjøntegaard (+1:21.4). JoBø isn’t cruising – he’s pulled out 7 seconds on the Russian! Fourcade 10th, but only a second or so back on 7th place! Quentin Fillon Maillet into 2nd, despite his 2 penalty loops; Fourcade up to 8th. Final run to the finish – JoBø gets another well-deserved win – his 3rd for the weekend! QFM has taken 2nd, Garanichev takes the final podium place. Arnd Peiffer in 4th, ahead of Bjøntegaard and Doll. Desthieux in 7th, despite (1,0,1,2) but Moravec has passed Fourcade who ended 9th. Loginov in 15th (1,1,2,2), Tarjei 16th (0,0,2,4). Loginov fastest on the range ahead of Guigonnat and Malyshko; JoBø fastest around the tracks ahead of Desthieux and QFM. Tough programme – they’ll be looking forward to a break!

Nove Mesto – Women’s 12.5 Km Mass Start, 23 Dec: Last World Cup race of the year! It’s 4 degrees at race start – still a bit warm, so we may see a couple fallers, especially if anyone drifts off the race line into the deeper, softer snow? Marte Olsbu-Roeiseland getting to the front of the pack, but it’s all very close as they come in for S1 – the wind has picked up a bit. Simon and Öberg quick to shoot, but with misses; 1 for Marte O-R too. Out in order Doro W, Yurlova-P, Fialkova, Franzi H, Hinz and Preuß , all 5/5; Kaisa M in 7th, also clear. Kaisa gaining places on the lap; she’s leading in for S2 - Preuß and Doro among those clear, but Kaisa has missed 1. Doro leads out, just ahead of Paulina Fialkova, Preuß in 3rd, then Yurlova-P, Hinz and Kuzmina (fastest of the 1 miss group). Kaisa now 29.3 back, in 9th. Kuzmina has gone to the front on the lap and leads in for the first standing shoot – wind has dropped. Kaisa has missed 2; I can only see 2 15/15 scores! Doro (0,0,0) leads out, 4.5 ahead of Kuzmina (1,0,0) with Hinz in 3rd, +17.4. Tandrevold in 4th, ahead of Fialkova and Brorsson. Preuß missed 2 at S3, but is hanging on in 7th, +55.1. Kuzmina’s ski speed is back and at 9.1 Km she’s 9 seconds ahead of Doro. Tandrevold, Fialkova and Hinz all about 29 seconds back. Kuzmina in for S4 – she’s missed her first shot, but Doro has also missed 1; so has Fialkova; Tandrevold and Hinz have missed 2 each, Kaisa has missed 3! After S4 Kuzmina leads by 0.7 from Doro, Fialkova in 3rd (+17.4) then Chevalier, Brorsson and Öberg. Marte O-R (1,1,3,0) in 15th, Kaisa (0,1,2,3) in 24th. Kuzmina is looking tired, but still pulling away from Doro who is being caught by Fialkova and Chevalier. Kuzmina wins, Fialkova nicks 2nd ahead of Chevalier with Doro in 4th. Brorsson taking 5th ahead of Tandrevold, Preuß and Braisaz. Kaisa ended up 22nd, just losing a photo to Bescond. Doro fastest on the range, ahead of Simon and Vittozzi; Kuzmina fastest around the course but only some 6/7 seconds ahead of Anais Chevalier and Kaisa M.

Semmering – Women’s Giant Slalom 28 Dec: Conditions don’t look too bad, although there’s a lot of green on the surrounding hills! Ragnhild Mowinckel is first down – one quite tricky moment but a good recovery and she’s safely down. Stephanie Brunner is red at the top - similar but slightly more controlled where Mowinckel got airborne –– she leads by just 0.01! Brignone into 3rd; Holdener 4th – I wonder how long the track will hold up – lots of snow flying off the skis. Tessa Worley has taken over 4th; now it’s Mikaela Shiffrin – dead level at inter 1, just red at inter 2 and she’s gained time on the final section – she leads, but only by 2 hundredths!  Just 0.03 between the top 3! Vikki Rebensburg just green at inter 1, better at 2 (-0.22) but she’s made a big error just by the roller and that cost her time – just 7th. Ten away now; Shiffrin leads from Brunner (+0.02) and Mowinckel (+0.03), then Brignone (+0.18), Worley and Holdener. Petra Vlhova has gone into 4th, +0.06 – the second run is going to be a cracker! Frida Hansdotter nicely in touch at inter 2, but she ends up 8th (+0.57). It seems to be drizzling at the top of the course, which isn’t going to help? Anna Veith has made things even closer – into 5th, but only +0.12! Lara Gut-B isn’t at her best – slowest so far which seems odd. I’m not sure Alex Tilley will get a second run – just 25th at the present. Sad to see Eva-Maria Brem off the pace, and 26th. That’s 30 away; Shiffrin leads from Brunner, Mowinckel, Vlhova, Veith and Brignone (+0.18!). Video coverage shifts to Bormio! Of the later starters, two caught my eye - Mina Holtmann (Bib 35) into 19th, and Andrea Ellenberger (SUI, bib 54) has got into 24th but Alex Tilley is already down to 36th and won’t get that second run. That’s run 1 complete – no changes to the top 10 since Anna Veith!
Run 2: Last minute change of timing gear, so the start is slightly delayed! Nice to see Romane Miradoli (bib 64!) getting a second run – 29th after run 1. That’s 10 away and it’s looking very easy to lose time on the lower sections of this course – Mikaela Tommy leads at present, Maryna Gasienica-Daniel (POL) in 2nd and Katharina Truppe has just gone 3rd. Lovely stuff – Mina Fuerst Holtmann (NOR) into the lead; she’s doing quite well on the late charges, I hope she gets a lower start number soon. Thea Louise Stjernesund (NOR) into 2nd; Marta Bassino has gained quite a bit between inter 1 and 2, and she takes the lead – fastest time so far on run 2 as well. Irene Curtoni into 3rd; Bernadette Schild was gaining to inter 1 but lost time lower down – she’s into 2nd. Katharina Liensberger really going for it – bit ragged at times, but into 2nd. Ricarda Haaser (AUT) has gained time to inter 1, lost a little to 2, but has gained again on the final section – she leads by 0.61 and has also posted the new fastest time on run 2. Great recovery from Adeline Mugnier but it cost her time – she’s had another “moment” and she’s just 13th. This is close, but Vikki Rebensburg has gained time from inter 2 to the finish – she leads by 0.45, and again that’s the fastest time on run 2. Nine to go; Rebensburg leads from Haaser and Bassino. Frida Hansdotter into 4th; Tessa Worley away after the TV break and into 2nd; with, I expect, a few bruises from the fall after the finish? Federica Brignone into 3rd; Anna Veith is tied with Vikki at inter 2, but she’s lost time and she’s into 5th. The course isn’t holding up that well either – Petra Vlhova is holding on to her advantage well, pushing hard, and she takes the lead. Ragnhild Mowinckel has just 0.03 in hand – fractionally red at inter 1 but then it all starts to slip away – she’s 7th. Now, Steph Brunner – just 0.04 advantage – it’s +0.26 at inter 1 and she’s 4th, +0.64 at the finish. Just Mikaela Shiffrin to go – she’s gained a bit to inter 1, but it’s just red at inter 2 and there’s a surprise – she’s just 5th! So, well done Petra Vlhova who wins ahead of Vikki Rebensburg (fastest on run 2) with Tessa Worley getting final podium place; Brunner 4th, Shiffrin 5th and Brignone 6th. Matt Chilton reckons Vlhova is the first Slovakian to win a World Cup GS race.

Bormio – Men’s Downhill, 28 Dec: Arguably the toughest downhill on the Men’s schedule, and it’s long and very icy  too, although the surrounding hills are quite green; Hannes Reichelt safely down but with a few scares en route! Christof Innerhofer is quite a bit quicker at inter 3 and 1.66 ahead at 4 – he leads by a massive 2.49!! Kriechmayr into 2nd (+0.60) and Kilde goes 3rd (+1.10). Beat Feuz next - he’s red most of the way, but gaining time on the lower sections – he’s into 2nd, (+0.16). Bryce Bennett is another who has gained time going from +0.66 at inter 3 to +0.31 at the finish, which gets him 3rd place. Dominik Paris is going well – green at inter 4 and still gaining – he’s into the lead by 0.36; Italy in 1st and 2nd. Crowd seem to like that!  Svindal is a bit off the pace by his standards – into 7th, 1.71 off the leading time. Ten away – Paris leads from Innerhofer and Feuz, then Bennett, Kriechmayr and Kilde. Matthias Mayer into 6th and Johan Clarey into 7th. Kjetil Jansrud next – can he salvage the day for the Vikings? He hasn’t had a good season so far, and today is no better – not sure what happened but he’s skied out; some problem with a ski? Josef Ferstl was well in touch at the first 3 intermediates, but lost a bit of time lower down – he’s currently 9th, which drops Max Franz and Aksel Lund Svindal into joint 10th. And now it’s joint 11th as Ben Thomsen has skied into 9th! Nasty looking fall by Johannes Kröll, but he’s up and skiing away so seems to be alright. Apparently some of the later starters posted fast time sin the training runs, so there may yet be an upset? Nasty – Klemen Kosi into and right through the safety netting – that looked serious; race on hold and no news yet. So far only a report of “cuts to the face” but it seems Kosi is conscious and sitting up – he’s going to be taken off the mountain by helo for a check-up, apparently. Quite a long hold, and it seems Eurosport are cutting to Semmering 20 minutes before run 2, so will probably miss Daniel Hemetsberger (AUT), who is next, and was apparently very fast in training! At present Dominik Paris leads from Innerhofer, Feuz, Bennett, Kriechmayr and Mayer. Well, Hemetsberger probably wasn’t helped by the delay – 25th place, but Niels Hintermann (SUI) did manage joint 13th. So far no change to the top 10 since Ferstl and then Thomsen. But – here comes Matthieu Bailet (FRA) with bib 47 – he’s into 6th! Great result for him – very impressive. Because we have no video I don’t know what happened to Ryan Cochrane-Siegle; he was at the start and then almost immediately listed as a DNF and the race is interrupted. Interruption again for Thomas Biesemeyer; that’s now bib numbers 48 through 51 inclusive – all DNF. Bostjan Kline safely down, albeit in 40th place; Mattia Casse did rather better, getting into 23rd. That’s it – no more changes to the top 10 - well done Dominik Paris!

Semmering – Women’s Slalom 29 Dec: Again, it looks quite nice there, if a bit green in the valley but apparently it’s colder than yesterday. Vlhova goes 4 today; Shiffrin 5. The race is on; Frida Hansdotter the first on course, which has been set by a Swiss coach. Bernadette Schild next, and she’s straddled the first gate – she looks absolutely gutted, poor woman and the Austrian fans are absolutely quiet. Swenn Larsson into 2nd; Petra Vlhova is quite into the red at inter 1, but she’s pulled back a lot by 2 and takes the lead by 0.05. Mikaela Shiffrin next – who apparently swapped her skis quite late on in her preparations – whatever she did it worked as she’s 0.48 faster! Nina Haver-Løseth was surprisingly off the pace, and she’s crashed out in sight of the finish – she’s slid through several gates too and is holding her right knee; not nice. She is walking off, supported by two quite large lads; hopefully just bruising and not an ACL problem. Wendy Holdener into 4th; Lena Dürr is well off the pace – slowest finisher and +3.83. Ten down plus 2 DNFs – Shiffrin leads, ahead of Vlhova (+0.48), Hansdotter, Holdener, Swenn Larsson and Liensberger (+1.17). Post the first TV break, Laurence St-Germain has gone into 10th; fellow Canadian Roni Remme has gone two better and into 9th. I’m quite a fan of Mina Holtmann, but she’s a bit off the pace today – into 15th; 30 away now - no change to the top 10 since Roni Remme went 9th. That’s 50 away – no changes to the top 10 and 16 DNFs so far! Run 1 over and no changes to the top 10.
Run 2: Missed this live and tried to watch the replay (supposed to start at 1630 according to the Eurosport schedule, but there was ski jumping before, which was supposed to run until 1645 and then changed to 1700!). At 1630 the “on now” display did show Slalom from Semmering, but on channel 1, which was also shown as having ski jumping – guess which was on, although to be fair the jumping was captioned as Alpine Skiing!! Swapped to the “on demand” – loads of adverts and no commentary! Luckily there’s another version, which does have commentary, although they have just said that the new course was set by a Swiss coach – thought that was run 1, can they do both? No, is the answer – it is a Slovenian this time, I think. First away is Marusa Ferk, and she’s straddled! Haugen (NOR) is safely down – Hilzinger is faster and the race is on! Sara Hector takes over the lead; she’s replaced by Lara Della Mea, who, in turn, is replaced by Ylva Staalnacke (SWE) – that’s 10 away. Absolutely storming run for Erin Mielzynski to take over the lead; she’s only just got comfortable in the leader’s chair when Mina Fuerst Holtmann goes even faster! Halfway through – Holtmann leads from Mielzynski and Staalnacke. Brignone into 3rd; the course is beginning to cut up on the warm afternoon – a late error by Costazza has cost her the chance to change the top 3. Laurence St-Germain into 2nd; Katharina Truppe has just set the best time on run 2 so far and she leads – the crowd like that! Roni Remme goes 2nd; not for long though as Irene Curtoni takes that place over. Being Austrian and called Katharina seems to be good – Katharina Liensberger is 0.83 faster (fastest on run 2 as well, so far) – Austria in 1 and 2. Swenn Larsson into 3rd; Wendy Holdener is next away and really risking it all – she takes the lead and sets a new best time for run 2. Three to go – Frida Hansdotter has fallen – hopefully bruised only! Petra Vlhova trying for the double – and really pushing it too – lost a bit between inter 1 and 2 but she leads by 0.09. Now, just Mikaela Shiffrin to come - she is 0.38 ahead at inter 1, 0.53 at inter 2 and wins her 15th World Cup race in a calendar year by 0.29 – what an impressive run of victories; first person to do it! That’s also her 51st World Cup win, which makes her the most successful female slalom skier ever. Well done to Petra Vlhova and Wendy Holdener (fastest on run 2) for their podium places; ahead of Liensberger, Truppe and Swenn Larsson. Nice to see Mina Holtmann gain 8 places in her second run to finish 9th – into the top 10! She was joint “best gainer” with Erin Mielzynski who finished 11th.

Bormio – Men’s Super G, 29 Dec: Again, conditions don’t look too bad; the course sounds icy again, and it looks a bit of a brute. Innerhofer first away and he’s skied out; Sejersted is safely down, although he’s damaged a gate or two, and that’s the time to beat. Race interrupted while gate poles are re-drilled! Mauro Caviezel into 2nd; young Christoph Krenn (AUT) is 3rd. Max Franz red early on but he’s gaining time lower down and he takes the lead by 0.14. Josef Ferstl (Happy Birthday to you) into 4th, looking a bit tired on the final section? Matthias Mayer is flying – over a second ahead at inter 2, and he leads by a massive 0.79. Nick has had a flutter on Vincent Kriechmayr – hopefully for a place, as Kriechmayr is into 2nd, +0.49. Austria currently in the top 3 positions; Mayer, Kriechmayr and Franz. At that stage I went out to celebrate a wedding anniversary (mine, as it happens), but looking at the FIS feed this seems to be what happened. I left proceedings with 10 away and Mayer, Kriechmayr and Franz in the top 3 places; the first change was from bib 16, Dominik Paris, who took the lead from Mayer by just 0.01! Next down was Aleksander Aamodt Kilde who went into 3rd, and then bib 19, Beat Feuz, who went 6th. With 20 away Paris led, looking for the double, ahead of Mayer, Kilde, Kriechmayr, Franz and Feuz. And, as far as the top 6 went, that was it – Marco Odermatt (bib 34) ended up 8th, Johan Clarey took 9th and Brice Roger got into 12th. Svindal obviously had a bad day, ending up 17th, although Steve Nyman managed to get into 23rd from start number 60. 5 DNSs, including GB’s Jack Gower, and 6 DNFs, including Kjetil Jansrud. Great weekend for Dominik Paris!

Oslo City Event (Parallel Slalom) Men & Women, 1 Jan: Women first in their 1/8th final – Shiffrin leads Mowinckel – looks from the FIS live feed like it’s just the one run (?); Mielzynski leads Truppe; Geiger has pipped Schild after a great start. Wendy Holdener has won her heat as St-Germain is a DNF. Frida Hansdotter has beaten Roni Remme, who is also a DNF – not a good day for the Canadian women. Swenn Larsson has beaten Dürr, who is another DNF – that’s 3 DNFs in a row on the blue course. Nick reckons there are 2 runs on the 1/8 final! Irene Curtoni has beaten Liensberger, Petra Vlhova has beaten Danioth. Over to the men – we start with Hirscher v Hirschbühl – closer than I expected but Marcel H wins by 0.06 – he’s started cross-blocking! Dave Ryding has beaten Feller, who had a flag across his face for a while – the perils of cross-blocking! Myhrer has beaten Victor M-J; Luca Aerni has pipped Matt by just 0.01. Noel has beaten Yule; Foss-Solevaag beats Zenhaeusern. Pinturault has beaten Schwarz and that just leaves Hargin v Kristoffersen – now, there’s a thing – Hargin wins; Kristoffersen isn’t happy with this format, judging from his recent results. Nick is right – the FIS caption of “one run”, actually meant run 1, so they swap courses and go again, in the same pairs, as normal. Huge error 2 before the finish has cost Mowinckel time – Shiffrin goes through. Mielzynski also through – some good news for the Canadians. Geiger wins again, so she’s through; Holdener has almost doubled her advantage, and is also through. Hansdotter has done much the same, so has Swenn Larsson. Irene Curtoni has a good advantage (0.5) over Liensberger, but she’s lost a lost and Liensberger almost made it – Curtoni goes through by just 0.01. Danioth is a DNF, so Vlhova is through easily. Back to the men – run 2; Hirschbühl DQ’d -Hirscher through despite 1 dodgy cross-block; Ryding also through as Feller is a DNF! Myhrer looking very strong, and he’s cruised past Victor M-J. Matt has reversed run 1 (which he lost by 0.01) as Aerni is a DNF; Yule has also reversed run 1 and he’s through against Noel, who had a big error. Zenhaeusern through; Foss S is a DQ (straddle). Schwarz has also reversed run 1; through against Pinturault. Hargin has beaten Kristoffersen again, who has gone out in round 1 in the last 4 parallel events – not his preferred format!
Quarter Finals – Again, women first – Shiffrin just 0.04 faster than Mielzynski; Nick F reckons there are 2 runs here too, which isn’t how the last event ran. Holdener much more comfortable winning against Geiger; Swenn Larsson has beaten fellow Swede Hansdotter and Vlhova looks very strong as she beats Irene Curtoni. FIS feed has lost the men’s QF it seems; just says “coming up”? Hirscher v Ryding – Ryding wins by 0.28!! Michael Matt has beaten the favourite – Andre Myhrer. FIS feed eventually catches up half way through – Zenhaeusern beats Yule (DNF) and Hargin just pips Schwarz by 0.04. All wins on the blue course! Nick is correct – this time even the QFs are having 2 runs, unlike last time. Shiffrin wins again (by 0.19) and she’s through; Holdener easily through as well. Swenn Larsson wins again too as Hansdotter is a DNF! Petra Vlhova another comfortable winner. Run 2 for the men – Marcel Hirscher is out (DNF) so Dave Ryding is through to the next round – Nick is going to go hoarse if he isn’t careful. Myhrer overturning run 1 after an error by Matt; Zenhaeusern also through – Yule DQ’d this time. Schwarz has beaten Hargin by 0.45.
Semi Finals: Two runs again – I knew there was a reason I didn’t like this format! Women first again – Shiffrin v Holdener; Wendy is a DNF, but that would have been close, surely? Petra Vlhova finishing very fast to beat Swenn Larsson by 0.16. Over to the men, where Dave Ryding is up against Andre Myhrer – the Swede is a DNF after a straddle – I dread to think what Nick’s blood pressure reading is at present! Schwarz has beaten Zenhaeusern. Back to the women – Mikaela Shiffrin has taken run 2 too, despite Holdener coming back at her – she’s through to the big final. Swenn Larsson is a DNF; Vlhova through to meet Shiffrin in the big final. Men – run 2 – Ryding has made an error, but recovers while Myhrer has also made an error and is a DNF. Schwarz wins again, and will meet Ryding in the big final.
Finals: Small final first – Swenn Larsson v Holdener; Wendy takes this first run. Now – Petra v Mikaela; the Slovakian has taken run 1 with another fast finish, and her use of cross-blocking! Men’s small final – Zenhaeusern (SUI) v Myhrer (SWE); Andre Myhrer has won this run, by 0.14. Now, the worst Dave Ryding can do is equal his personal best of second in a World Cup event. Schwarz takes run 1 by 0.28. Run 2 – it’s getting windy at the top of the course. FIS live feed lagging again; Wendy Holdener wins and gets 3rd place overall. Now can Vlhova actually get a win? Well, she was the first Slovakian to win a World Cup event (last week; Semmering GS), and Petra Vlhova has just done it again! Mikaela Shiffrin will have to get her cross block up and running! Vlhova wins, Shiffrin in 2nd and Holdener third. Slight delay to the men’s final as the wind is really gusting; Myhrer is a DNF again, so Ramon Zenhaeusern gets on the podium – the Swiss take 3rd in both men’s and women’s events! Marco Schwarz has taken this one too; Dave Ryding has gone out but takes a well-deserved 2nd place. Well done Marco – some revenge for Austria!

Zagreb - Women’s Slalom; 5 Jan: The “Snow Queen” trophy, and one of the longest slaloms the women do. Doesn’t seem to be properly live on Eurosport, sadly – there is video but no commentary. Looks a bit dull and overcast there – I get the feeling the course might cut up too, although it’s quite icy at present. Anyway – Wendy Holdener was first away, and that seems to be a good time as both Katherine Liensberger (+1.40) and Bernadette Schild (+2.21) are miles off the pace. Frida Hansdotter is into 2nd, but even she is +1.21. Petra Vlhova next and she’s got the green light at inter 1; same advantage at 2 but even she can’t match Holdener – into 2nd, +0.19. This looks a very physical course as she’s quite exhausted at the finish. Number 6 is Mikaela Shiffrin - 0.44 green at inter 1, 0.68 ahead at 2 and into the lead by a massive 1.15 – brilliant skiing! The crowd, which contains a good number of Vlhova supporters,  are a bit subdued by that; just a smattering of polite applause! Swenn Larsson into 4th; with 10 away Shiffrin leads from Holdener, Vlhova, Swenn Larsson, Hansdotter and Liensberger. Erin Mielzynski into 6th; with 20 away the top 6 are unchanged, so there is still no one within a second of the leader! I was hoping some of the later starters might have made an impact; Holtmann (bib 20) got into 14th and Staalnacke (bib 27) made it to 18th (at that time) – best for a while was Paula Moltzan (USA, bib 28) who got into 12th! Bit surprised to see Sara Hector with bib 43 – she managed to get into 20th; even better was Franziska Gritsch (AUT, bib 48) who nicked 16th (all positions at the time of that particular run). Bibs 56 (Stoffel – SUI) and 57 (Schmotz – GER) into joint 20th! And that was run 1 completed - away Shiffrin leads from Holdener, Vlhova, Swenn Larsson, Hansdotter and Mielzynski. Quite a useful review of run one on Eurosport a bit later, before run 2, but very short!
Run 2: Another long, icy, technical course – not sure yet which nation set this one (It’s Petra Vlhova’s coach, apparently).  Steph Brunner has taken an early lead but she’s lost it to young Nella Korpio (FIN); now Lara Della Mea (ITA) has turned 0.06 advantage into 0.64 to take the lead! Sara Hector has taken over the lead; the lower section seems very tricky – easy to lose time here as a few competitors have found out! With 10 away Hector leads from Della Mea and Stoffel. Laurence St-Germain has gained time all the way down, and leads by 0.45; Mina Holtmann looked certain to take the lead by over a second, but she’s missed a gate just before the finish. Meanwhile Franzi Gritsch has stolen the lead! Chiara Mair into 2nd; Bernadette Schild has had a good run this time, very aggressive, gaining time all the way, and she leads by 0.93. Lovely run from Christina Geiger, again building on her advantage to take the lead by 0.78 – fastest time on run 2 so far. Ten to go; Truppe into 3rd until Michelle Gisin goes 2nd – TV break with Geiger leading from Gisin and Schild. The course is getting a bit rutted; Liensberger another one to fall while leading. Mielzynski has also fallen but luckily after the final gate and she’s slid over the line to go 6th. That’s better from Frida Hansdotter – she takes the lead; 4 to go. Swenn Larsson into 3rd; Petra Vlhova has 1.02 in hand at the start – up to 1.51 at inter 1, 1.56 at 2 and she leads by a massive 1.72 at the finish! No surprise that she’s also set the fastest time on run 2; Wendy Holdener is 24th fastest on run 2, and that’s only good enough for 2nd overall. Just Shiffrin to go – 1.34 ahead at the start – 1.36 at inter 1, 0.85 at 2; she wins, by 1.25, with the 2nd fastest time on run 2. I think that’s her 37th World Cup slalom win, and the 4th time she’s won the Snow Queen trophy. So Mikaela Shiffrin wins again, ahead of Petra Vlhova and Wendy Holdener. Hansdotter in 4th, then Geiger and Swenn Larsson.

Zagreb - Men’s Slalom; 6 Jan: Well, the caption on Eurosport says “Alpine Skiing” – glad they told me, as it looks very like tennis to the uninitiated! There is a video only channel for the slalom, but I do find it better with a proper commentary! I can only hope that as the luge has been cancelled, Eurosport might put the skiing on that channel? It looks even gloomier in Zagreb today; no info about who set the course, sadly, but it’s very icy. Anyway – first away is Henrik Kristoffersen; I thought that looked more like his normal style and pretty good but then I can’t ski slalom! Zenhaeusern into 2nd (+0.11); Myhrer is way off the pace (+2.01), although apparently the course was set by his coach. Next is Marcel Hirscher – very clean and aggressive skiing and he’s green all the way – he leads by 0.33. Marco Schwarz, fresh from his parallel victory in Oslo, is next – and he’s even faster than Hirscher! The commentary is on, on channel 2, some good coming of the bad weather which has cancelled run 2 of the luge. They are slowly catching up with the live event, so we can see Hirscher and Schwarz again. With 10 down Schwarz leads from Hirscher (+0.37), Kristoffersen (+0.70), Pinturault, Zenhaeusern and Yule. Eurosport are still catching up, but on the FIS feed I can see that Manuel Feller is into 3rd (+0.42); very risky stuff – an all Austrian podium at present! I’m surprised they haven’t cut back to live as it’s Dave Ryding – sadly he’s joint 11th at present, with Felix Neureuther (+1.89) but he has gained places on run 2 before now. Clement Noel into 6th; Lizeroux has gone 9th from start number 22. That’s 30 away – no change to the top 6 since Noel; 4 DNFs so far, Dave Ryding currently 18th. Run 1 over – no late changes to the top 10; Ryding joint 23rd, so he’ll get a nice clean track for run 2!
Run 2: Doesn’t look as though Eurosport is going to cover this live, from the start, either although we do have video – looking a bit sunnier, but Ivica Kostelic, who is doing the run for the cameras, says it’s got even icier! I do like those camera runs – makes you appreciate just how fast the gates come at you! Felix Neureuther is 7th away and he’s taken the lead – next to go is Dave Ryding, who had exactly the same time as the German on run 1 – he’s in the green at inter 1 and 2, but he’s lost time lower down on the course and ends up 3rd, just behind Stefano Gross – no 2nd run charge today perhaps? First 10 away – Neureuther leads from Gross and Ryding. Seb Foss-Solevaag has gained a lot between inter 1 and 2 – he takes over the lead. Next away is Istok Rodes (CRO) – lots of noise from the crowd, and he’s quick too – into 2nd. At last we have commentary; this course is much “turnier” and set by an Italian coach. There’s a TV break and next to go will be Elias Kolega (CRO); sadly he isn’t going as well as Istok Rodes on this run – he’s into 12th. Mölgg has joined the DNFs after a straddle; the course is holding up but there are cross ruts which seem to be causing trouble – the top 6 haven’t changed in a while, and Dave Ryding is holding on to 5th! Lizeroux is another DNF; that’s 7 so far. Just 8 to go; Daniel Yule is being bounced around a lot – he’s into 4th though. Ramon Zenhaeusern next, and he’s got almost a second in hand – he’s going the wrong way through the flush – another DNF! At last – Clement Noel takes the lead – it looked like he backed off a bit, but he’s gained time again on the lower section and that’s enough for the moment. Alexis Pinturault is gaining time on the upper section and he’s keeping it going – no sign of his bad back at present and he leads by a massive 0.60! He and Noel share the fastest time on run 2. Kristoffersen next, with an advantage of 0.07 – fractionally into the red at inter 1, and he’s 0.40 behind at inter 2 – into 3rd, +0.75. Now the Austrians – Manuel Feller first to go and I thought his habit of risking it all might have seen him join the DNFs – he has kept it going and finishes but he’s missed the lead by just two hundredths! Pinturault leads, from Feller and Noel. Marcel Hirscher next – he’s gained time and despite 1 late error he leads by 0.60 – that’s pressure on Schwarz, and it’s the new fastest time on run 2 as well! Poor Marco Schwarz – he stood up to the pressure well in Oslo, but this time it’s got him – he’s straddled! So, Marcel Hirscher wins the event (again; that’s his 64th World Cup win), ahead of Alexis Pinturault and Manuel Feller. Noel in 4th, ahead of Kristoffersen and Foss-Solevaag. Dave Ryding ended up 11th, but that means he gained 12 places on run 2, and he’s currently 5th in the slalom standings.
And, well done Andrew Musgrave – 17th in the Tour de Ski! Winner was Johannes Klaebo (Norway) – who, I think, is the youngest ever winner.

Flachau – Women’s Slalom; 8 Dec: Sadly I was busy and missed most of run 1; by the time I joined it was almost over with Mikaela Shiffrin leading from Anna Swenn Larsson (+0.27) and Petra Vlhova (+0.31). Liensberger in 4th, ahead of Hansdotter and Holdener (+1.02). In order that was bib numbers 4,7,2,1,5,& 6. Bets of the late starters when I joined was arguably Steph Brunner (bib 28) who was 16th; latest changes to the top 10 were Gisin (bib 12) into 8th, Geiger (bib 14) into 9th and Costazza (15) in 10th. Nella Korpio (FIN, bib 45) seems to be the latest starter to get a second run.  Ten DNFs including both Mielzynski and Remme. That’s run 1 over.
Run 2: Oh dear – highlights of run 1 are on and the weather looks awful – snowing hard and not ideal visibility; it looks even worse for run 2 – and not good in  St Anton either which is the next venue for the women! Wow – 78,000 Swiss Francs to the winner tonight; anyway, Sara Hector is the first away on run 2, on a course set by a German coach – safely down. Carole Bissig faster; Korpio into 3rd. Paula Moltzan (USA) is a lot faster – she leads by 1.56 until Meta Hrovat goes 2nd, just 0.37 behind. Marusa Ferk into 2nd; that’s 10 away – Moltzan leads from Ferk and Hrovat – the course is beginning to cut up and rut quite quickly, although apparently it’s not as bad as run 1. Katharina Huber is losing some time all the way down but she’s still just green at inter 2 – but she’s lost time from there to go 5th. Kristin Lysdahl (NOR) has done better – although she’s lost time she’s kept the light green and she takes over the lead. Steph Brunner looking in touch to inter 2, but she lost a lost on the final section and goes 7th, at present. Lena Dürr into 4th; nice run from Katharina Truppe – again she lost time but she had enough in hand to take the lead by 0.66 – the crowd like that, but Moltzan still has the best time on run 2. Good run from Nastasia Noens to go 2nd, as the snow gets even heavier! Aline Danioth (SUI) into 3rd – the top 3 have the 7th, 10th and 12th  best times on run 2 respectively! Christina Geiger has gained time to inter 1 despite an error – lost a bit to 2 and then gained time again – she’s into the lead by an impressive 1.15! Great run from Michelle Gisin – she’s into 2nd; Wendy Holdener is gaining all the way to inter 2 and has lost almost nothing from there – she leads – 4th best time on run 2. Five to go – Frida Hansdotter into 2nd; Katharina Liensberger has gained to inter 1, pulled out even more to 2 and she takes the lead by 0.48 – the FIS feed says that’s only the 25th fastest time on run 2? Petra Vlhova next – she is also gaining time to inter 2 – hugely impressive final section and she’s gone from 0.44 ahead to a lead of 1.17! No surprise that she’s also set the best time on run 2!! Anna Swenn Larsson is losing a bit of time but Vlhova leads by so much that the Swede is still 2nd! Just Mikaela Shiffrin to come – she’s only 0.06 ahead at inter 1, and fractionally into the red at 2 – and this is where Vlhova really put her foot down – it’s a good final section, but not quite enough – this time she’s 2nd! Petra Vlhova has won her first classic slalom race of the season, Shiffrin in 2nd and Swenn Larsson in 3rd; Liensberger in 4th ahead of Holdener and Hansdotter.
Late news: Anna Swenn Larsson was DQ’d after a review showed she had unknowingly straddled a gate – Katharina Liensberger therefore takes third place and gets a podium finish! Christina Geiger moves up to 6th.

St Anton – Women’s Downhill & Super G; 12/13 Jan: Due to adverse weather conditions these races have been cancelled – the FIS are investigating replacements.  The news is that the Cortina d'Ampezzo programme for the women is now - Downhill (St. Anton replacement) Friday 18th January 2019; Downhill Saturday 19th January 2019; Super-G Sunday 20th January 2019 – St Anton Super G replacement tbc.

Adelboden – Men’s Giant Slalom, 12 Jan: No commentary on the coverage as the main channels are clogged with tennis and ski jumping! Doesn’t look too bad a day; Henrik Kristoffersen is first away – safely down and it looked a pretty good run, but he looks very tired at the end! The course looks a bit of a beast, and it sounds icy too. Matts Olsson into 2nd, +0.73; Loic Meillard even further off the pace. Manuel Feller pushing hard, taking risks and … he’s out! The Austrian coach doesn’t look impressed! Alexis Pinturault has pulled back time on the lower section of the course and he’s into 2nd, +0.18. Bib 7 is Marcel Hirscher – slightly red at inter 1, pretty much the same at 2 and +0.31 at inter 3 after an impressive recovery – he too has pulled back time to the finish and goes 2nd, +0.12. Seems Kristoffersen’s run really was “pretty good”! Mölgg off the pace, and now it’s Ted Ligety, but he can only manage 8th at present; that final section looks steep! Ten away – Kristoffersen leads from Hirscher and Pinturault. Leif K N-H into 4th, but he’s displaced by Fanara, who is in turn pushed down a place by Luitz (+0.22)! Just before the TV break Tommy Ford into 5th; top 6 now Kristoffersen, Hirscher, Pinturault, Luitz, Ford and Fanara. There is supposed to be a review of run 1 with commentary on channel 1 but it’s more blasted tennis between 2 people I’ve never even heard of! Mind you, with 30 away, as Tommy Ford (bib 15) was the last person to change the top 10, you might argue that run 1 isn’t actually riveting TV at present! Marco Odermatt seems to be one of the better “late starters” from bib 27 into 15th; Pavel Trikhichev (RUS, as if you couldn’t guess) from bib 36 to 17th and Samu Torsti (52) is 20th at present. Now that’s a late charge; Marco Schwarz (for some reason bib 67) into 14th! Run 1 complete.
Run 2: The start has been delayed by 30 minutes; not quite sure why as I missed the announcement watching the end of the biathlon! I presume it’s weather related as they are now saying “next decision for race start … ”  so we might get yet another delay. Yep – another 15 minutes. Well – the race is on, apparently the delay was due to a band of cloud, which has now moved on – we now have watery sunshine on parts of the course. Ted Ligety briefly in the lead early on, but displaced by Simon Maurberger (ITA)! First 10 away; Maurberger leads from Ligety and Brennsteiner. Luca de Aliprandini has taken the lead; he’s almost kept it to the half way TV break, but Marco Odermatt (SUI) has taken it away by a massive 0.92 – not surprisingly that is the new fastest time on run 2. Marco Schwarz is going well – he’s taken over the lead! Meillard into 4th; Gino Caviezel (SUI) green almost all the way – he’s into 2nd. Zan Kranjec is gaining time between inter 2 and 3, and that’s a good run – he leads! Victor M-J into 3rd and there’s another TV break. Six to go; Kranjec still leads – Thomas Fanara skiing well and green all the way – now he leads. That final pitch does look very steep! Tommy Ford into 3rd; Luitz down and it looks like he might have a shoulder problem? Not his week; he’s been stripped of his Beaver Creek win too – I suspect he might appeal to the CAS? Alexis Pinturault has recovered well from an early error but it’s cost him time – into 2nd. Now it’s Marcel Hirscher – he’s maintained his advantage to inter 1, and also inter 2 (actually he gained one hundredth at each); massive time gain to inter 3 and he goes into the lead by a massive 1.04 – what a run – fastest on run 2! Well – there’s some pressure for Kristoffersen – but he too has made fractional gains to inter 2; into the red at 3 though and he ends up second. Marcel Hirscher takes another win; Kristoffersen 2nd and Fanara taking the final podium place. Pinturault in 4th, ahead of Kranjec and Ford.

Adelboden – Men’s Slalom, 13 Jan: Two Brits today, in the start list of 76 – conditions are not that good though; snow and poor visibility. Daniel Yule first away, on a course set by a German coach – slight stumble early on but he’s safely down. Henrik Kristoffersen next – green all the way – lost a bit of time on the lower section after an error just before the split timing point but he takes the lead by 0.38. Hirscher next away and he’s red at inter 1 and he’s losing more time to inter 2 (+0.50) – brilliant recoveries and lower section though and he’s into 2nd by just 5 hundredths! Alexis Pinturault also off the pace at inter 2 but he has also recovered a bit on the final turns – into 3rd, +0.18. Myhrer is out; the snow is getting heavier and the combination of icy base with fresh snow on top is proving tricky. Ten away – Kristoffersen leads from Hirscher and Pinturault; next away is Dave Ryding – he’s out too; no second run today. Marco Schwarz is in touch at the intermediates and he’s skied the final section really well, going from red to green – he’s taken the lead by 0.34! Loic Meillard started well, but he’s out – similar point on the course as Ryding? Manuel Feller has done the same – green at inter 1 and then he’s fallen – snapping your ski pole is understandable I suppose but a bit expensive! Lovely run from Clement Noel; one big error but he recovered to go 5th, +0.59. No TV breaks as conditions are so marginal; Victor M-J into 7th. Twenty away – Schwarz leads from Kristoffersen and Hirscher; 4 DNFs so far. Looking at the top 10, with 25 away, we have Austria in 1st and 3rd, Norway 2nd, France in 4,5, & 7, Switzerland in 6, 8 & 9 and Italy in 10th. No change to the top 6 since Clement Noel. Stefan Hadalin (SLO, bib 27) has just missed the top 10, going into joint 11th. And, just when you think it might be over – Dominik Stehle (GER, bib 37) into 12th, and even better, Reto Schmidiger (SUI), bib 38, has gone into 7th place – that made the fans happy!!
Run 2: Conditions don’t look any better; hard to tell if it’s worse as the cameras make it look lighter! First 10 are all down safely – Elias Kolega (CRO) leads at present from Khoroshilov and Neureuther. J-B Grange into 2nd; despite the conditions we are having a TV break. Julien Lizeroux into 3rd; the snow is still falling but it looks even wetter now. Stefan Hadalin into 3rd, and Dominik Stehle takes over 4th. Twenty away – Kolega still leads (that’s 10 places he’s gained so far), ahead of Grange, Hadalin and Stehle. All change – Ramon Zenhaeusern has made a mistake but it doesn’t seem to matter – he leads by a full second – that’s popular!! Victor M-J has lost a lot of time – he’s into 3rd; Reto Schmidiger did well to get such a good first run, but he’s straddled this time. Daniel Yule into 4th; Clement Noel is gaining time – he keeps improving his advantage and he takes the lead by 0.47. Four to go – Noel leads from Zenhaeusern and Kolega. Alexis Pinturault is a bit late on the steep - into 2nd; Hirscher is next and he’s gained time to inter 1, more than doubling his advantage and he’s even more green at inter 2 – he leads by 0.50. That’s the new fastest time on run 2. Kristoffersen has 0.05 in hand at the start – he’s lost it all by inter 1 and he’s losing more as the course continues - he’s 3rd at present! Noel is guaranteed a podium place; Marco Schwarz is into the red at inter 2, and he’s out! That’s World Cup win 67 for Marcel Hirscher, with Clement Noel in 2nd (his first World Cup podium) and Henrik Kristoffersen holding on to the final podium place. Great race, but in awful conditions! Well done to Elias Kolega, who finished in 6th, gaining 15 places. That’s also Hirscher’s 9th win here – another record.

Oberhof – Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 10 Jan: First race of the new year; 40,000 fans watching this one! Quite a few “big names” in group 3 today, but I understand Dahlmeier is missing this one, as is Vanessa Hinz (if my German is correct). Fastest at 1.5 Km early on is Katharina Innerhofer, just quicker than Kryuko (BLR). Looks a bit windy on the range – Lucie Charvatová is the first in, but she’s missed her first 2 shots. Iryna Kryuko is the first to go clear; Innerhofer has missed her 5th. Anais Bescond clear and fastest after S1 at present – or was until Lisa Vittozzi went 10.7 faster! Kryuko is so far the only athlete to go 10/10; Bescond looked set to join her but she’s just missed one – only 6.5 seconds behind though. Back at S1 Eckhoff and Dunklee have both missed 1, and Kuzmina 2. Doro Wierer is at S1 – 1 miss for her too! After S1 the standings at present are Vittozzi, Chevalier, Fialkova and Bescond. At S2 Merkushyna (UKR) and Alimbekava (BLR) have gone 10/10 but they are slower than Bescond. Julia Simon is clear at S1 and only 4.1 behind Vittozzi there; Marte O-R has missed 1 at S2 but she’s a little faster than Bescond. Vittozzi has cleared at S2 as well, and so has Vita Semerenko – both faster than Kryuko. Kuzmina has cleared at S2 (2,0) but she’s still 6th at present because of her ski speed. Doro is at S2 – she’s 1,1 and out 12th, +55.1. Julia Simon has missed 3 there. Anais Chevalier has joined the 10/10 group and she’s just 4.1 behind Vittozzi. At the finish Kryuko leads from Bescond (0,1) and Dunklee (1,0); Roeiseland (0.1) has taken over the lead but only until Vittozzi (0,0) arrives – she’s 18.1 faster. Kuzmina (2,0) into 4th, but now Vita S has taken over that spot. Chevalier over the line in 2nd, +5.3; currently Vittozzi, Chevalier, Roeiseland on the podium. Hanna Öberg clear at S1, and out in joint 5th, +10.7; Yurlova-P also clear and out +16.0. Kaisa Mäkäräinen at S1 – but she’s missed 3; her form seems to have taken a long Christmas break. Clare Egan (USA; 0,1) over the line in 9th, just behind Dunklee! Lisa Theresa Hauser is 10/10, but +34.7 as she leaves the range; Denise Herrmann has missed 2 here. Hanna Öberg is 10/10 and fractionally faster that Vita S as she leaves the range in 3rd; Yurlova has missed her 10th shot. Aymonier over the line in 8th; Hauser in 10th. Hanna Öberg has made the podium (at present) crossing the line 3rd, 3.1 faster than Marte O-R. That seems to be it – great win for Lisa Vittozzi, ahead of Chevalier and Öberg; Roeiseland in 4th, ahead of Kryuko and Vita Semerenko. Doro W in 24th overall but fastest on the range ahead of Lunder (CAN) and Weidel (GER). Denise Herrmann fastest around the course, ahead of Kuzmina and Vittozzi. Best German - Karo Horchler (0,1) in 34th! Herrmann in 36th despite her 4 penalty loops.

Oberhof – Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 11 Jan: Slightly foggy in some areas, but also windy! So far Johannes Thingnes Bø has won 6 races from 8 held, and all the Sprints! I see Erik Lesser has got the moustache back, and added a beard! At 2 Km Erik is marginally faster than Raman Yaliotnau (BLR), but Henrik L’Abee-Lund has just gone faster; Martin Fourcade has started. Hmm – now it’s snowing as well as being foggy – Artem Pryma first into S1; he’s clear (and very lucky with conditions). Erik Lesser has also cleared S1, and he’s 14.5 faster than Pryma – the crowd seem pleased! L’Abee-Lund has been through S1 – not good grouping and he’s missed his 5th. Tsvetkov has missed 2; Martin Jaeger (SUI) is clear and out 3rd. Emilien Jacquelin clear at S1 and marginally faster than Lesser; Martin F has missed 1 and he was lucky with at least 1 other shot. Alex Loginov is clear at S1 and 9 seconds faster than Jacquelin! The snow seems to be getting much heavier as Pryma comes in for S2 - he’s missed 3. Tarjei Bø clear at S1, with exactly the same time as Loginov; Lesser has missed his 10th shot! JoBø clear at S1 and 11.7 faster than his brother; L’Abee-Lund is 1,1 – so far only Rok Trsan (SLO) is 10/10 but his ski speed isn’t brilliant. Jaeger is 0,3; Jacquelin has missed 1 but Alex Loginov has gone 10/10 and he’s over a minute clear of Lesser. Martin F is clear at S2 but leaves the range 35.9 behind the Russian, and he isn’t catching him on the lap at present. Simon Schempp quite slow into S1 and he’s missed 1 target too. Tarjei has hit the first 4 at S2 – but he broke the rhythm and missed his 10th; JoBø has also missed 1 here which leaves him 14.2 behind Loginov, who is pulling out time against Martin F on the final lap! At 7.4 Km Loginov is now 18.6 ahead. At the finish Loginov is over the line, 47.2 ahead of Fourcade – at 8.6 Km JoBø is 19.6 behind Loginov. Tarjei Bø has lost quite a bit of time to Martin F on the final lap – he was into 3rd, but his brother has just crossed the line in 2nd, 25.2 behind Alex Loginov. So, at present, Loginov, JoBø, Fourcade; then Tarjei, Lesser and L’Abee-Lund. Good run from Felix Leitner (AUT; 0,0) who is into 5th; back at S1 Benedikt Doll is clear and out 4th, +12.6 with Arnd Peiffer 5th, +12.8! Back at the finish Chepelin (0,2) is shown as 6th – initially that looked a bit odd as he was 14th after S2, so he must have flown round the final lap! Actually – he’s lost time compared to Loginov, just not as much as some others! Good run from Lukas Hofer (1,0) – into 5th; back at S2 Simon Eder is 10/10 and out 4 seconds behind Martin F’s time, in 4th. Also at S2, Doll and Peiffer have missed 1 each; Arnd is 0.9 ahead of Fourcade’s time , Benedikt 0.7 behind it. However Seb Samuelsson is 10/10 and out of S2 7.5 seconds behind JoBø. After S2 it’s Loginov, JoBø (+14.2), Samuelsson (+21.7), Peiffer (+35.0), Fourcade (+35.9), Doll (+36.6). At 8.6 Km the 2 Germans are almost together and ahead of Fourcade in 3rd and 4th places – Seb S still to get there though! At the finish Doll is into 3rd, Peiffer in 4th (just 0.5 behind Doll) – both ahead of Martin F! Samuelsson is losing a little time, but probably not enough from the German point of view!? Samuelsson has nicked 3rd, but only by 2 seconds, so he lost over 10 seconds to Doll on the last lap – looks like his podium place might be safe? Commentators are getting a bit excited about Julian Eberhard (1,0) – at 8.6 Km he’s lost a bit against Doll, but he’s gained against Martin F – he crosses the line just ahead of Martin, in 6th. That might well be it – Loginov wins, ahead of JoBø (+25.2), Samuelsson, Doll, Peiffer and Eberhard (+44.5); Martin F in 7th, Tarjei 8th, Hofer 10th and Eder 11th. Yep, that’s how it ended; well done Alex Loginov. Out of 105 on the start list, I can only see 7 perfect shooting scores! Christian Gow (CAN) fastest on the range ahead of Loginov and Dovzan (SLO); JoBø fastest around the tracks, ahead of Loginov, Doll, Peiffer, Martin F and Julian E.

Oberhof – Women’s 10 Km Pursuit, 12 Jan: Looks a bit windy again, but hopefully not foggy and with no fresh snow! Race is on – there’s a nasty little downhill bend on the course, I see, that might cause a few falls? Vittozzi and Chevalier in for S1 – Vittozzi clear but Chevalier has missed 2, so has Kuzmina and she’s not alone – Vita Semerenko has missed 3 and so has Kaisa. Lisa V leads out, Hanna Öberg has missed 1 but still out 2nd ahead of Roeiseland, Tandrevold (clear; up from 14th), Kryuko and Chevalier. Doro W is clear and up from 24th to 7th! Only 14 of the 60 have hit all 5 at S1; Franziska Preuß was one of the clear shooters and she’s up from 45 to 25 at present. Vittozzi in for S2 and it’s windier – she’s missed the first but got the rest! Doro has also missed her first, and one more; Kryuko has missed 2, Roeiseland 3! Out in order Vittozzi (0,1), Öberg (1,1), Hauser (1,0; up from 11th), Chevalier (2,1 – fast skis??), Aymonier (2,0) and Tandrevold (0,1; +49.5). Kuzmina (2,1) is somehow still 7th, Doro (0,2) in 8th – Yurlova P (0,0) up to 10th, from 28; Preuß (0,0) now up to 11th. Vittozzi is losing a bit of time on the lap, but she’s in for S3 with about 35 seconds in hand – wild miss for the third, but the other 4 are down. Chevalier has missed 2, so have Aymonier and Öberg. Out in order Vittozzi (0,1,1), Wierer (0,2,0; +31.2), Bescond (2,1,0), Kuzmina (2,1,1), Preuß (0,0,1) and Chevalier (2,1,2). Doro has taken a drink and collided with one of the French (Bescond?) – Kuzmina is through to 2nd. Now, what will those falls do to the final shoot – while on that topic Sanfilippo has fallen on that nasty corner. Vittozzi in for the final shoot – she’s cleared the lot, what poise and control! Kuzmina clear and away, but Doro has missed 1 as has Bescond. After the final shoot it’s Vittozzi (0,1,1,0), Kuzmina (2,1,1,0, +20.4), Chevalier (2,1,2,0), Wierer (0,2,0,1), Bescond (2,1,0,1) and Preuß (0,0,1,1). At 8.8 Km Kuzmina has the gap down to 14.3, but it’s 15.1 at 9.5 Km. Chevalier is holding off Doro, who is being closed down by Bescond; Dunklee in 7th despite 5 misses! So, Lisa Vittozzi has done the double and wins the pursuit; Kuzmina 2nd, Chevalier gets the final podium place. Bescond has passed Wierer (5th from 24th) in the final metres and Preuß is in 6th, from 45th at the start. Other gainers are Denise Herrmann (36 to 9), Karo Horchler (34–11), Yurlova (28-14), Haecki (38-17), Vasileva (53-18) and Kaisa Mäkäräinen (44-22; 3,0,0,2). Going the other way the list includes Öberg (3rd to 8th), Roeiseland (4 to 12), Vita Semerenko (6-26), Egan (13-33) and Sanfilippo (15-40; not helped by that fall and 3 misses at S4). Haecki fastest on the range ahead of Sola (BLR) and Doro; Denise Herrmann fastest around the course ahead of Kaisa, Kuzmina, Egan, Aymonier and Chevalier – Dunklee in 7th, ahead of Eckhoff!!

Oberhof – Men’s 12.5 Km Pursuit, 12 Jan: Not helped by the late running GS from Adelboden, and by the lack of a live video on Eurosport with commentary! I see Erik Lesser is among the DNS group. And, it’s snowing hard for this race too, which I joined at S1 – quite a few misses, but JoBø is clear and away. Loginov missed 1 but he’s out in 2nd (+9.8) with Martin Fourcade (clear) in 3rd, +31.5. Doll, Peiffer, Tarjei Bø and Eberhard among those who missed 1; Samuelsson has missed 3 here. Conditions do not look nice; I can see that nasty corner claiming a few more victims! Loginov a little slower than JoBø at this stage, and Martin F has caught him a little. Johannes in for S2 – if TV makes the light look better, then it must be really gloomy there! One miss for JoBø, same for Alex Loginov and Martin F – not sure having someone sweep the mat next to you while you shoot helps! Doll and Eberhard have missed 1 each here but Arnd Peiffer is clear this time. Johannes (0,1) leads out, with Loginov (1,1; +20.7) and Martin F (0,1; +29.5) chasing. Peiffer in 4th, with Lukas Hofer (0,0) making up places and in 5th ahead of Benedikt Doll (+1:00.1) who is only fractionally ahead of Julian Eberhard. On the lap Martin F has caught up with Loginov, but the snow seems to be getting heavier? JoBø in for S3 – 1 miss again; Martin F and Loginov together – Martin clear but Loginov, shooting bit faster has missed 2. Peiffer clear again and the crowd are going wild; Doll and Eberhard have both missed 1! So, after S3, JoBø leads but only by 0.9 from Martin F; Peiffer 3rd (+21.8) and Hofer (15/15 – one of a very select few) in 4th +30.5. Loginov (1,1,2) is now 5th, +48.1, just ahead of Simon Desthieux with Doll (1,1,1) a further 20 seconds back. Peiffer and Hofer are losing time to the 2 leaders, but Hofer is catching the German a little. I can only see 4 perfect scores so far, including Simon Fourcade’s. Coaches looking tense as the 2 leaders come in for the final shoot – Martin faster but he’s missed 2 to JoBø’s 1; Peiffer and Hofer both clear – the Italian has cleared the lot! So, JoBø (0,1,1,1) leads out ahead of Hofer (0,0,0,0; +8.6) and Peiffer (1,0,0,0; + 9.9) – Martin in 4th 22.6 back ahead of Loginov, Desthieux and Doll, who is now 9 seconds or so clear of Eberhard who now has 1 more miss. JoBø has lit the afterburners – I did wonder if he went too early yesterday and decided to keep something back today! At 10.8 Km he’s 21.2 clear and he’s pulled out another 4 seconds by 11.5 Km. Hofer and Peiffer are close, with Martin F in pursuit. JoBø cruises over the line for another win, and Arnd Peiffer has won a very close sprint from Lukas Hofer (who started 10th) to decide the rest of the podium – Martin Fourcade in 4th, ahead of Loginov, Desthieux and Doll. Looks like only Hofer and Rok Trsan have shot the perfect 20 – Rok seems to be a brilliant shot, but he does need much more ski speed – he’s back in 42nd! Among the bigger gainers, obviously Hofer (10 to 3rd), but also Garanichev (21-10), Guigonnat (29-11), Weger (30-12), Simon Fourcade (46-16) and Tsvetkov (56-24). Going backwards, Loginov (1 to 5th), Tarjei Bø (8-13), Leitner (12-19), Landertinger (14-23), Chepelin (16-38) and poor Samuelsson (3rd to 39th, 8 penalty loops). Klemen Bauer fastest on the range, ahead of C Gow, J Eberhard and Guigonnat. Johannes fastest around the course ahead of Martin F, Lukas Hofer and Johannes Kühn.

Oberhof – Women’s 4 x 6 Km Relay, 13 Jan: Ye gods – it’s snowing hard in Oberhof, windy too, and the visibility is nothing to write home about either; no Doro in the Italian team apparently. Very strong looking French team, and they all seemed to be in form in the sprint too (that’s probably cursed them?). Couple fallers already on a relatively easy part of the course – couldn’t see who. Early on Chevalier leads from Vittozzi, Pavlova, and Persson; Hauser has fallen as her ski tip catches the deeper snow, and she’s got lots of snow on the rifle. Pavlova (RUS) has taken over the lead at 1.5 Km, but this early on it’s all very close. In for S1 – looks like a tricky one – lots of missing and Hauser is having trouble with the rifle; rear sight completely blocked. Why haven’t the team had the spare ready – she’s got 5 penalty loops and she’s retired? Lisa Vittozzi has cleared and she leads out, ahead of Charvatova (CZE), Zbylut (POL), and Chevalier (1 spare); Japan and Korea have done 1 penalty loop, Finland 2 loops and Canada 3! Lots of change on the laps, but Vittozzi is still leading as they come in for S2 – Vittozzi has missed 2, France 3, Sweden 2 as well – lots of spares! Vittozzi (2 spares total) leads out, ahead of Kadeva (BUL, 1), Persson (3), Brun-Lie (NOR, 1) – Karo Horchler (3 total) up to 5th after a slow S1, just 1 spare here. Poor Charvatova is on the penalty loop this time and so was Chevalier! Heading to the first exchange Italy lead from Sweden and Germany, then BUL/RUS/SVK. At the exchange ITA/SWE/GER/SVK/RUS/BUL; France up to 8th, Norway 9th despite needing only 1 spare. That deep snow on the corner is causing problems – more fallers including Hildebrand. In for S3 – Gontier with a fair lead over Paulina Fialkova and Brorsson. Italy (Gontier) on the loop, I think, and so are Chevalier and Brorsson? Egan leads out for the USA, ahead of Yordanova (BUL), Franzi H (great recovery after that fall), Tandrevold, Fialkova and Vasileva (RUS). Egan gaining time on the lap, Franzi H up to 2nd with Tandrevold 3rd. S4 – the next standing shoot – wind isn’t easing off! Egan has missed 2 so far but Franzi H is clear and away! Vasileva also clear and out 2nd; it looks as though Italy will be doing 5 penalty loops – Gontier presumably pushing much too hard on the lap? So, after S4 – Franzi H leads, ahead of Vasileva (+13.8), Tandrevold (+38.1), Yordanova, Hojnisz (POL) and Aymonier. Egan and Fialkova doing 1 penalty loop each. Second exchange – more fallers on the way in – Germany lead out ahead of RUS(+14.0)/NOR/FRA (despite 2 loops!)/POL/SVK. Franzi Preuß taking this leg for Germany, ahead of Kuklina, Knotten, Braisaz and Piton. Poor Italy not having a good day – Runggaldier not ready for the exchange! Reid (USA) is the latest faller on that corner; Braisaz has passed Knotten on the lap – that’s 18 seconds made up. Franzi P in for S5; just 1 spare needed. Kuklina has cleared the lot; Knotten needed all 3 spares, Haecki clear and up to 5th. After S5 – GER/RUS/NOR/FRA/SUI/POL. Magnusson (SWE) on the penalty loop. Endless adverts mean we don’t see much of the race after each shoot! Back just in time to see Knotten fall; may have broken the rifle? Franzi P in for her standing shoot – 2 misses and all 3 spares required; same for Braisaz. Haecki is on the penalty loop, Piton has 2 to do. So, after S6 it’s Kuklina, Preuß (+16.6), Braisaz (+1:00.7), Davidova (CZE) and Knotten. Franzi P is catching the Russian on the lap – I’m a bit worried about the concept of Denise Herrmann doing the anchor leg though! Braisaz is also gaining on Kuklina. At the exchange Franzi P is 0.2 ahead, as Herrmann takes over against Yurlova; Braisaz has made up 20 seconds to let Bescond out in 3rd, then CZE/SUI/UKR. At 0.8 Km of this leg Herrmann is 4.7 ahead, Bescond losing a bit, as is Eva Puskarčíková. Right – the final prone shoot, wind has died a lot – Herrmann has cleared the lot; I am, apparently, a Dutchman! Yurlova needed 1 spare but that was very slick and she’s lost almost no time. Eva Puskarčíková clear and out 3rd but Bescond is doing 1 loop. Out in order Herrmann, Yurlova-P (+8.5), Puskarčíková (+1:01.2), Merkushyna (UKR), Eckhoff and Meinen (SUI). Bescond now 7th, +1:44.0. Another faller – a Korean? Denise Herrmann in for the final shoot – massive pressure! She’s missed 2, and 1 more; Yurlova also missing but she’s used 2 spares and she’s away – Denise Herrmann has 2 penalty loops to do. Puskarčíková needed just 1 spare and she’s just out 2nd (+50.8), just 0.4 ahead of Herrmann. Tiril Eckhoff has also used just 1 spare and she’s out 4th, just ahead of Bescond. I think Meinen is on the penalty loop too. Denise is into 2nd and pulling away a bit; Tiril is tracking down Eva Puskarčíková – the gap is just 6.6 seconds at 5.5 Km. Russia (0+8) cruise to a well-deserved win – Yurlova is delighted, Denise Herrmann gets 2nd for Germany (2+10) and Puskarčíková has held off Tiril Eckhoff to get the Czechs (1+6) a podium. Norway (0+9) 4th, ahead of France (3+15) and Slovakia (3+11).

Oberhof – Men’s 4 x 7.5 Km Relay, 13 Jan: It’s looking even mistier/gloomier and it’s warmed up a bit so the snow on the trees is dripping! I see Martin F is taking the anchor leg for France; no Bøs in the Norway team though. The race is on; Erik Lesser (back after a day off yesterday as he’s just become a Dad)in the early lead ahead of Christiansen, Femling (SWE), Bormolini, Guigonnat and Tsvetkov. First time around “that corner”, and at least 2 fallers including Nordgren (USA). In for S1 – USA and Ukraine both in trouble – snow in the rifle after falls? Erik Lesser clear and out just ahead of Christiansen, Rösch (BEL, who has announced that he will retire after Ruhpolding), Bormolini, Tsvetkov and Sima (SVK, +4.2) – all using no spares. Nordgren ended up using just 2 spares but Pryma (UKR) has done 3 penalty loops. In for S2 – Lesser out after 1 spare, ahead of Guigonnat (1) and Tsvetkov (0). Rösch (0) in 4th ahead of Moravec (1) and Christiansen (2); Femling, Sima and T Eberhard on the penalty loop; Sinapov (BUL) has done 2 loops. It’s getting foggier as they head to exchange 1 – leading group of 4 setting a good pace – it’s FRA/GER/RUS/CZE (+1.7), then NOR/BEL/ITA/SVK (+1:09.0). Simon Desthieux leads Schempp, Garanichev, Krcmar and Birkeland. Leading 4 close together, Birkeland about 12 seconds back. More fallers – Yeremin (KAZ) this time and he’s broken a ski. In for S3 – Schempp has 1 target left and 1 spare – he’s missed it and he’s on the penalty loop! Garanichev out first ahead of Desthieux (+3.3) – both clear this time, then Krcmar (+11.3), and Birkeland (+17.9). Schempp is out 5th (+1:01.7) but with Lukas Hofer (1 spare this time) right on his heels. Hofer just through at 4 Km; France leading Russia in for S4 – good gap. Garanichev clear and away; Desthieux on the penalty loop; so is Krcmar! Garanichev leads out, ahead of Birkeland (+30.8), Desthieux (+42.4), Krcmar (+58.3) Nelin and Eder. Schempp needed all 3 spares this time but stayed off the loop, but he’s 9th, +1:47.2. At exchange 2 Russia (Malyshko) have a 32.1 gap to Norway (Bjøntegaard) with France (QFM, +38.2) in third. Then CZE/SWE/ITA/AUT/SUI. Schempp is having an awful day – he’s lost time on that lap too, so Arnd Peiffer has a gap of over 2 minutes as he leaves in 11th place for his leg. The track team are putting salt on the corner to try and firm up the softer snow – not sure they are succeeding? Belarus and Canada have fallen this time. Malyshko in for his first shoot – just 1 miss, and he’s cleared it with 1 spare. Bjøntegaard and QFM have missed 2 each – Norway out but QFM has needed all 3 spares. Malyshko out ahead of Bjøntegaard (+49.8), QFM (+1:12.1), Stenersen (SWE), Montello (ITA) and Stvrtecky (CZE, +1:28.7); Peiffer seems to have used all 3 spares and is now 2:29.8 behind, still in 11th. More fallers on this lap including Poland. Malyshko in for his standing shoot; 1 spare and away before anyone else is on the range. Bjøntegaard is missing, QFM clear and out. Norway on the penalty loop, and so is Arnd Peiffer. Malyshko leads away ahead of QFM (+1:04.3), Bjøntegaard, Landertinger, Stenersen and Dolder (SUI). Peiffer is still 11th, but now over 3 minutes adrift – German men having a very bad day. On the way to the final exchange Stenersen is really losing time. At the line, Loginov is away on the final leg with over a minute in hand – so far the Russians have only used 2 spares! Martin F is +1:11.4 behind, L’Abee-Lund is +1:38.3, then AUT/CZE/ITA/SUI/SLO. Germany in 10th but (2+13) and almost 3 minutes back; some of the fans are leaving! Julian Eberhard isn’t catching L’Abee-Lund at present. Loginov is already in for S7 – 2 spares and he’s away and that was pretty fast considering. Martin F fast, clear and away – gap now down to 48.1 seconds. L’Abee-Lund has used all 3 spares; he’s out 4th, behind Eberhard; Doll used 1 spare and he’s 9th, but 6 seconds behind Samuelsson, who he passed on the lap. Russians seem to be celebrating already, as Alex Loginov comes in for his final shoot – very rushed but he missed 2 – 2 spares and away. Martin F clear and out +41.7; now, who will be taking the final podium place? Julian Eberhard out after using 2 spares but Henrik L’Abee-Lund is on the penalty loop. After the last shoot – Loginov, Fourcade, Eberhard, Krupcik (CZE), Windisch, L’Abee-Lund. Now, Eberhard has fallen, but he’s up quickly. At 6.5 Km Eberhard is about 21 seconds ahead of Krupcik, who is about 9 seconds clear of Windisch who is barely ahead of Samuelsson and L’Abee-Lund! Loginov doing a telemark turn on the nasty corner as he cruises to Russia’s second win of the day. France 2nd, ahead of Austria. Krupcik has held on to 4th, ahead of Sweden, Italy and Norway. Germany only 8th, 2+17, which I think is just the worst shooting of the day amongst the finishers (Norway 2+16; Bulgaria were 6+14 when they were lapped!)?

Kronplatz – Women’s GS, 15 Jan: Drat – wall to wall Australian Open on Eurosport, but they’ve kept to the schedule and we have not just video but commentary too – thanks! Blizzard conditions last night, but it looks lovely there this morning – sunshine, cold conditions and real snow. Better than Wengen, where Men’s downhill training has been cancelled as they try to clear the snow. A few missing today (Anna Veith, Steph Brunner and Nina Haver Løseth among them), knee injuries taking their toll. Federica Brignone, who just leads the GS standings at the moment, is the first away on a course set by a Slovenian (?) coach. I don’t think she’s entirely happy with that run? Ragnhild Mowinckel is green all the way – she’s lost a little on the final section but she’s still 0.11 faster than Brignone. Holdener into 3rd; Vikki Rebensburg green at inter 1 and 2, but it’s slipping away and she’s into 3rd, +0.20. Mikaela Shiffrin next - fractionally red at inter 1, but green at 2 and getting faster – she takes the lead by a truly amazing 1.5 seconds – beautiful skiing – looked effortless! Petra Vlhova is a little green at inter 1, just red at 2 but then it starts to fade – she is into 2nd, but +1.42. She’s looking at the leader board – you can almost hear her saying “where did the time go”? Tessa Worley is also green at the top, but Shiffrin seems to have found a gear on the lower section that the others can’t match – Worley into 2nd, +1.39. Marta Bassino into 4th, +1.47 – all very close between 2nd to 7th. Ten away – Shiffrin leads from Worley, Vlhova, Bassino, Mowinckel and Brignone. I think the top 6 might just change but not the lead! And, in fact, the top 6 remained the same; best of the later starters arguably Frasse Sombet (bib 28 to 12th) and Ellenberger (SUI; bib 30 to 13th). Alex Tilley was 22nd and gets another run!
Run 2: Set by a German coach this time and the sun is only on the course in places – a tricky mix of sun and shade. Romane Miradoli the first away; that looked OK despite a few mistakes. Bernadette Schild has taken over the lead for the moment; Kristin Lysdahl has taken over. Now it’s Alex Tilley – bit late in the line at times, but into 4th at present. Val Grenier has gained time to inter 1, but a then big error and she’s the first to DNF. Ten away; Lysdahl leads, from Schild and Miradoli. Karoline Pichler (ITA) has had a good run – into 2nd; Lara Gut-B fast on the upper section but she’s lost a bit lower down – just 4th. Frida Hansdotter is going well, and has a good advantage – green all the way, and she leads. Marsaglia into 2nd; next is Andrea Ellenberger, who had a good first run – into 2nd, just 0.09 behind! Coralie Frasse Sombet also had a good first run – she’s well in touch and goes 3rd. Eleven to come – Wendy Holdener next and she’s gained time to inter 1; an error just before inter 3 has cost her a bit of time, but she has enough in hand to take the lead; Holdener, Hansdotter and Ellenberger on the potential podium. Meta Hrovat (SLO) into the red at inter 1, but back green at 2; she’s gained a lot by 3 and she leads by 0.95 – great run and the fastest on run 2 so far! Ricarda Haaser has gained to inter 1, but is only 3 hundredths ahead at 2; red at 3, and she’s into 2nd. Vikki Rebensburg next, and she’s added to her advantage to inter 1, bit more to 2, lost some to 3 and a reasonable final section too – she leads, but she doesn’t seem to think that’s going to be enough. Federica Brignone has put in an extra turn on the upper section – that error has cost her – she’s 2nd by 0.05! Five to go – Ragnhild Mowinckel has had a couple great recoveries and is still nicely green at inter 3 but then a big error and she’s out. Here comes Marta Bassino; 0.23 in hand and she’s lost time to inter 1, marginally red at 2 but she’s gained a lot to 3 and still flying – massive result – she leads by 0.73! Now – Petra Vlhova, just 5 hundredths her advantage – more green at inter 2 but red at 3 and into 2nd – Bassino guaranteed a podium. Tessa Worley on her way – good gains to inter 1, and 0.59 ahead at 2; still nicely ahead at the final split - she leads, and that’s the new fastest run 2 time! Just Mikaela Shiffrin to come – 1.39 in hand! She’s losing a bit to inter 2, pulled back some by 3 and ends up 1.21 ahead! So, Mikaela Shiffrin wins another one (her 53rd World Cup win), ahead of Tessa Worley (fastest on run 2) and Marta Bassino; Petra Vlhova in 4th, then Rebensburg and Brignone; good effort by Ellenberger to nick 10th! Biggest gainers on run 2 seem to be Bernadette Schild (17th) and Romane Miradoli (19th) who both gained 11 places! Alex Tilley end up 20th – 11 World Cup points!

Ruhpolding – Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 16 Jan: Well, it isn’t the 16th – after very heavy snowfall in the Traumstein district a state of emergency has been confirmed for the region and the Sprint has been postponed until Thursday morning. So, here we go on Thursday morning. Video coverage but not with commentary on Eurosport, as far as I can tell but the IBU live broadcast does have commentary! No Schempp today (a result of his recent relay performance?); seems it might be an advantage to go early? Tarjei Bø and Arnd Peiffer among those in the early start group, as is Martin Fourcade! Philipp Horn was the first away and he’s cleared all 5 at S1; sadly for him Tarjei Bø has done the same and he’s 14.6 faster! Meanwhile Dominik Windisch has missed 1; Simon Eder is shooting fast again and he too is clear. L’Abee-Lund also clear and out 3rd, behind Tarjei and Eder. Arnd Peiffer has missed 1; crowd go quiet – Martin F a little slow to shoot but he’s clear and out 3rd, +3.5. I seem to have lost commentary – no, it’s back – must have been a advert break? Rastorgujevs has missed 1 at S1 but he’s skiing quickly, on which topic Alex Loginov is through 2 Km just 0.3 behind Tarjei. Over at S2 Tarjei Bø is 10/10 and skiing well too; Windisch has missed 3, Leitner 2. At S1 24 of the 111 starters have shot – currently Tarjei, Eder, Martin F top the list; Loginov has missed 1 though. Back at S2 Martin F is clear again but out 9.4 behind the elder Bø! Eder (+27.3) and Moravec (+49.5) also 10/10 but not so fast. At 2 Km Benedikt Doll has just gone fastest; Jacquelin is a tiny bit faster still. JoBø just about to start; Doll clear at S1 and out 12.6 ahead of Tarjei’s time – a happy crowd! On the run to the finish Martin F is catching Tarjei but not quickly enough, I think. No, he hasn’t done it – currently Tarjei leads at the finish, Martin F 2nd and Simon Eder 3rd. JoBø through 2 Km 5.6 faster than Jacquelin; Loginov is clear at S2 and out 3rd, +19.5 despite his miss at S1. Christiansen, Kühn and Samuelsson all clear at S1 and in touch – Thomas Bormolini is clear and out 2nd, +11.2 against Doll’s time. JoBø in for S1 – clear and 0.5 ahead of Doll as he leaves the range. Rats – Doll has missed his final shot – even so he’s out 2nd, 6.7 behind Tarjei. Christiansen has also missed 1, out 6th; Jacquelin (1,0) is out in 5th, +22.1 – he’s ahead of Samuelsson, who was 10/10! At S2 Kühn and Bormolini have both missed 1 – out 12 and 13 respectively. Now, the interest level rises as JoBø has also missed 1 at S2 – he’s out 4.3 behind his brother and 2.4 ahead of Doll. On the final lap Doll is making up time, but again not quickly enough – Tarjei (0,0) holds on to the lead, Doll (0,1) into 2nd despite his 1 miss, ahead of Martin F (0,0) in 3rd! All looking to change though as JoBø is flying on his final lap – he’s made up 9.3 on his brother by 8.6 Km! The gap is up to 6.7 at 9.1 Km and Johannes is over the line 7.9 ahead of Tarjei, Benedikt Doll 3rd at the moment – currently the top 3 contains 2 people with a missed target. Even JoBø looks as though that was an effort, no sign of Tarjei to help him gets his skis off! Great reception at the finish for Micky Rösch, over the line in 60th – might be his last race, although I would expect to see him in the relay? The top 6 at present are J Bø, T Bø, Doll, M Fourcade, Loginov, Hofer. I can’t see the top 10 changing, and they haven’t; Birkeland fastest on the range, ahead of Christian Gow and Ranta (FIN). JoBø fastest around the tracks ahead of Doll and Hofer; Loginov and Kühn both faster than Martin F who was 6th quickest, and 12.4 seconds slower on the range than Birkeland. Well done to the podium team!

Ruhpolding – Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 17 Jan: Missed this live, but it was on again later; sadly that started with early starters already at S2, which wasn’t a lot of use so I swapped to the on demand version – sadly the one with commentary also started with Tandrevold (bib 9) at S2, so it was the one without Pat and Mike that I had to watch if I wanted the whole thing – I’ll watch that until Tandrevold is at S2! Tiril Eckhoff the first away today, and not surprisingly her time at the first split was fastest for quite a while! Right – Tiril at S1; she’s missed her 4th shot. Anais Chevalier shot faster and hit all 5, but Lisa Vittozzi is coming and she’s quick at the first split time. Now, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold is at S1 – clear, as is Yurlova-P but both are slower than Chevalier. Vittozzi isn’t slow though, and she’s hit all 5 too – she leads at present after S1. Chevalier clear again at S2, but Eckhoff missed 2 more here. Roeiseland has also cleared at S1 and she’s only just behind Vittozzi; Kaisa M at S1 – and she’s missed her first shot. Now, with Tandrevold at S2 I can go back to the commentary version! Pity – she’s missed 2; meanwhile Kuzmina is at S1 – clear and out in the lead. Vittozzi is at S2 – all 10 today and she’s away, in the lead. Roeiseland has also missed 1 at S2; Hanna Öberg clear at S1 and out 3rd. Doro is at S2 – she’s missed 1 at S1, but she’s clear this time and definitely in touch; out 2nd. Kuzmina is 10/10 and skiing very fast as well – she leads after S2 now, not my favourite! Lisa Vittozzi is at the finish and well in the lead; Doro on the way but looking a bit tired; maybe Kuzmina is tiring a little too as she’s losing time against Vittozzi on the lap, but probably she has enough in hand? Roeiseland over the finish line in 2nd, Doro currently 3rd. Kuzmina over the line and she leads by 11.5; Bescond in 4th. Back at S1 Justine Braisaz is clear and out in 3rd; Öberg was clear at S2 as well and she’s over the finish line in 3rd. At present it’s Kuzmina (0,0), Vittozzi (0,0) and Öberg (0,0), then Roeiseland, Bescond and Wierer – Doro the only one with a miss in that group. Back to S1 again – Franzi Preuß clear but a little slow; nice to see Laura Dahlmeier back on the World Cup – she’s clear at S1 too but not skiing at her normal pace today. Franzi Preuß has missed 1 at S2; Laura D losing a little time on the lap – she’s clear at S2 and out 6th, but most of the place gains are due to others missing rather than her ski speed – she isn’t at full fitness yet, I think. Top 6 at the finish hasn’t changed yet – Braisaz into joint 7th with Chevalier. Denise Herrmann has started and she’s well in touch at the first split; Laura D losing time on the final lap. Preuß (0,1) is currently the best German, over the line in 9th; Laura D has just finished and she’s into 9th! Back at S1 Herrmann has missed her first shot; got the rest but she’s over 40 seconds back as she leaves the range. A few of the later starters have done well at S1, but all seem to be missing at S2; Dahlmeier the highest bib number to get in the top 10 there. That was pretty much it – no late changes to the top 10; Denise Herrmann missed 1 more at S2, and finished 17th. Doro fastest on the range, ahead of Simon, Poje (SLO) and Preuß; Kuzmina quickest on the tracks ahead of Vittozzi, Herrmann, Roeiseland, Kaisa M (who finished 21st after 2 misses) and Eckhoff.

Wengen – Men’s Alpine Combined & Downhill, 18 Jan: Slightly odd, as I understand it the slalom and downhill together are the “Alpine Combined” but the Downhill segment also counts as a separate Downhill – very tight schedule. First race is the slalom; conditions look good. No Marcel Hirscher today – possibly not worth risking the long, challenging downhill with the rest of the season ahead and a testing slalom on Sunday? Mauro Caviezel away first – down safely and that was a fair slalom for a downhiller; Jansrud also down but he’s even more obviously a downhill specialist! Matthias Mayer has had a nasty fall; he straddled and then got flipped over by the next gates. He’s up again and seems OK. Pavel Trikhichev has taken over the lead but only by 0.09 – that leaves him a lot to do in the downhill. Now, Marco Schwarz is next and he’s a slalom man on form – he leads by 1.51. Visibility at the top of the course looks as though it’s not as good now; Victor M-J next and he won this race last year – he’s second, +0.87. Alexis Pinturault next and he’s the favourite today – into 2nd, +0.20 – nice work! Ted Ligety into 4th; 10 away now and it’s Schwarz, Pinturault and Victor M-J in the top 3 places. Klemen Kosi is back; very quick return after a nasty fall cut his face quiet badly. Dominik Paris was in touch but that’s a major straddle, and he’s out. The downhill specialists aren’t enjoying this, it seems! Kilde out, and also Ryan Cochran-Siegle; the course is beginning to develop ruts too. The course isn’t holding up that well; difficult conditions for the later starters – no change to the top 6 for a good while, and a couple disappointing runs from people (such as Hadalin and Aerni) whose form suggested they should be further up the rankings today! Thirty away now – no change to the top 10 since Zubcic went 10th; top 6 still unchanged since Ted Ligety went 4th; 6 DNFs so far. That’s the slalom run over – Sandro Simonet (SUI, bib 34) got into 8th, which was the last change to the top 10, and a good effort from Jan Zabystran (CZE, bib 45) who ended up 12th.
Run 2 – Downhill: Two DNS listed – Schwaiger and Buzzi. It seems we have just a video feed and no commentary, because of the tennis and snooker – bit odd; when I went over to the IBU feed for the biathlon I got video and the usual 2 commentators, presumably there are some form of contractual reasons why Eurosport can’t include commentary? Anyway Alex Koell is first away, although his time has already been comprehensively bettered by Stefan Rogentin, who in turn is displaced by Vincent Kriechmayr, who is a massive 1.93 quicker. Carlo Janka into 2nd; this is such a classic downhill – I love watching them go through the Kernen S section. Now Bryce Bennett had a good time in the training and he’s well in touch today too – into 2nd. Nice run too from Martin Cater (SLO), and he’s taken over 2nd; this is better than the second run of a purely technical race as there’s a mix of downhill specialists and technicians and it’s much harder to predict! The cloud is beginning to drift back in, but it’s not on the course yet. Luca Aerni just starting – the cloud is beginning to drift over the top sections – he had a 1.17 advantage but it’s drifting away; he goes 5th and the cloud seems to be chasing him down the mountain! The visibility is variable as Christof Innerhofer makes his run – he too is losing time as he comes down and he goes 2nd, by just 0.08; currently it’s Kriechmayr, Innerhofer and Cater. Sixteen away – Romed Baumann is holding on to more of his lead, for longer, and he still has over a second in hand at the last intermediate – he leads by 0.75. Next to go is Kjetil Jansrud; he’s gained time between inter 1 and 2, but he’s just in the red at 4; he’s 2nd, +0.31. That’s the position for a while as we move into the run 1 leaders, many of whom are better slalom skiers! That’s a good run from Tonetti – into 3rd, knocking Kriechmayr off the podium; Simonet into 6th. Now, Pavel Trikhichev has gone into 2nd but Mauro Caviezel is handy on the long skis and he takes the lead! Now, the pundits were fairly close to calling things – Victor M-J has pinched the lead, and now it’s Pinturault – they aren’t quite right though as he’s into 2nd! Just Marco Schwarz to come. He’s holding on to his lead well- still green at inter 3 and he’s won it!! Marco Schwarz wins, from Pinturault and Victor M-J – well done Marco, he’s survived the pressure!

Cortina d’Ampezzo – Women’s Downhill (vice St Anton), 18 Jan: Looks a bit of a beast – nicer weather than Wengen though! Lindsey Vonn is on the start list today – bib number 13, but I suppose she isn’t superstitious! I think I heard that the start had been slightly lowered? [Yes!].  Vikki Rebensburg is first away today – over 120 kph on the top section and she’s safely down; Michaela Wenig into 2nd. Ilka Stuhec quicker through the speed guns and green all the way – she leads by 0.48! Ester Ledecka into 3rd – good effort, given that she’s racing snowboard as well! Michelle Gisin has had a good run too – into 3rd; but Nicole Schmidhofer has taken over that place now. Kira Weidle (GER) has gone wide on the top section, which has lost her time at inter 2, but she’s pulling time back lower down – she goes 2nd; brilliant recovery! Tina Weirather is a bit off the pace – just 9th; 10 away now and Stuhec leads ahead of Weidle and Rebensburg. Now that was impressive – Stephanie Venier has had a great lower section, and she’s into 2nd by just 0.06! Lindsey Von is away – in touch at the top but it’s a bit scruffy and she’s losing time – she must be a bit rusty after the latest injury break – she’s into 7th. Nicol Delago is also well in touch, but she’s skied out – luckily no fall! Connie Hütter into 4th; Corinne Suter is going well, drifting between green and red – green at inter 3, but she’s lost a little and it’s 3rd place by 0.07! The provisional podium separated by just 7 hundredths! Ramona Siebenhofer is flying – she’s 0.35 ahead by inter 3 and she’s keeping it going on the final section – she leads by a massive 0.40! Ragnhild Mowinckel at the start, and she had a very impressive practice run (although that was on the full length course) – not happening today though; a few errors and she’s 14th. Nadia Fanchini into 9th; Miradoli goes 5th – she’s on form at the moment! Laurenne Ross is green at inter 1; going into the red at 2, still in touch at 3 but then she’s lost a little more – just 7th in the end (jointly with Hütter). Elena Curtoni was also looking likely to get a top 10, but she’s skied out. Tippler into 6th, but only for a little while as Marsaglia has taken over! That was pretty much it – no changes to the top 15 since Marsaglia. Well done to Ramona Siebenhofer – really dominant run and a win by 0.40! Ilka Stuhec in 2nd, and Stephanie Venier 3rd, then Suter, Miradoli and Marsaglia.

Cortina d’Ampezzo – Women’s Downhill, 19 Jan: Once again wall to wall tennis so coverage didn't seem to include commentary - I needed to be a little patient! This does look like the full length downhill today; weather still pretty good. Stephanie Venier the first away; looked a pretty fair run (I most certainly haven’t skied one of these) if a little shaky off the final jump – safely down. Nicol Delago is going full gas though – green all the way, although she lost a little of her advantage on the lower section. She leads by just 0.06; now there’s a pleasant surprise – we have commentary! Now Ramona Siebenhofer, who won over the shorter course yesterday, she’s 0.35 ahead at inter 2, it’s grown to 0.76 by inter 3 and over a second at 4 – she leads by a massive 1.40, very impressive!! Nicole Schmidhofer is also flying – she was green at inter 2,3 and 4 and goes 2nd by just 0.04! Austria in 1 and 2; Delago still 3rd. Brignone into 4th; Ilka Stuhec a bit off the pace at inter 1, but more in touch at 2 and 3 – lost a bit to inter 4 and she’s into 3rd. Lara Gut-B next – she seems to be having mind problems since her injury in 2017, from what she said in her press conference yesterday – into 8th. Speaking of injuries, Lindsey Vonn is next – sure she still has bracing on one leg; I can’t help feeling she’s pushing her luck – even race rusty she’s into 4th at present. Connie Hütter has taken over 4th place, but only for the time it takes Vikki Rebensburg to get down the course! Tina Weirather very fast but that was a poor landing – great recovery but that lost her time – just 11th.  Looks like some cloud hovering around but luckily not on the course; Ester Ledecka is risking it all and she’s into 6th. That would have been a PB for her in a downhill but Michelle Gisin has taken the place away! That’s 15 away – Siebenhofer leads from Schmidhofer and Stuhec; Rebensburg in 4th ahead of Hütter and Gisin. That’s another great result for Kira Weidle – she’s into 4th at present. Bib 20 is Ragnhild Mowinckel – fastest in first training which was the same distance as today – a small mistake early on has slowed her a bit and that is affecting the later stages  - she’s a disappointing 16th. It’s gone a bit quiet at present – no changes to the top 6 since Weidle. I had hoped that Laurenne Ross might do well, but she’s apparently fighting a really bad cold, or worse, and is 19th at present. Ah, some action in the top 10 – Christina Ager (AUT, bib 33) has skied into joint 9th, with Vonn. It’s looking more and more as though Ramona Siebenhofer is going to claim the double, and she has, with her second downhill win here, just 0.04 ahead of Nicole Schmidhofer with Ilka Stuhec in third. Well done to them, and Kira Weidle who took 4th, ahead of Rebensburg and Hütter. Race over!

Wengen – Men’s Alpine Downhill, 19 Jan: Longest downhill on the circuit; apparently an extra 45 seconds to ski here! Conditions look reasonable; Dominik Paris first away and safely down. Carlo Janko fast and a bit wild – green to inter 4, and still just green at inter 5 – lost it on the final section to go 2nd, +0.23. Now, Aksel Lund Svindal has gone very fast at the top – he’s keeping a pretty impressive advantage – nearly a second clear at inter 4, and he leads by 0.75!  Some impressive recoveries there, but what a run! Now Beat Feuz is the favourite, and he’s away – red at inter 1 but he’s caught up a bit at 2 and 3 – dead level at inter 4 and green at 5; he leads by 0.38 – my wife will be gutted, she’s a Svindal fan! Hannes Reichelt was very high on the exit of the Kernen S, which has cost him time – he’s 4th. Now, Vincent Kreichmayr is green all the way to inter 4; dead level at 5, but he’s gained on the final section to lead by 0.14. Gilles Roulin into 4th; I thought Max Franz was going to take that place, but he’s crashed out low on the course – luckily he’s OK, it seems. Slight delay and then Steve Nyman is on course; green at inter 1 but he’s made an error, and he’s slow out of the Kernen S (well, slow is relative of course) – he’s caught an edge and fallen but it’s on a wide bit of the course and he’s missed all the nets – he’s up and seems OK too. Jansrud next and he’s quick out of the S, but he’s slow through the lower speed gun and he’s looking a bit tired – into 9th. Brice Roger has gone 6th, but Ben Thomsen has taken it away from him! Great run from Christof Innerhofer; a strong finish and he’s 4th; Johan Clarey is looking set to take that place away, but he’s faded a little – 7th. Kilde is taking risks – he’s fast and well in touch; fastest so far out of the Kernen S and he’s just got himself into the green at inter 5 (Nick is going wild, he’ll be hoarse!); he’s into 3rd – Svindal off the podium. Bryce Bennett into 5th;  Mauro Caviezel into 6th. That’s 20 away – Kriechmayr leads from Feuz and Kilde; Svindal in 4th ahead of Bennett and Caviezel. Bailet is a DNF and is OK but in the racing line; poor Johannes Kröll was already on course and he’s been yellow flagged. Emanuele Buzzi (bib 25) has just gone 6th, but he's fallen at the finish - apparently a broken leg, which will end his season; I got confused and thought Otmar Striedinger had crashed because the race was interrupted; while that was happening Kröll is back at the top, after a lift from the helo. Brave of him to do it again after using up energy on the first attempt – he’s 21st at present. The FIS timing feed is going a bit odd! Maybe I was wrong about Striedinger crashing; he seems to be back at the top – perhaps he was yellow flagged after Buzzi crashed – that’ll teach me to have a break! Anyway no recent changes to the top 10 – over to the biathlon! Still changes occurring – nice to see Martin  Cater (bib 41) get into 8th! That was it – well done Vincent Kreichmayr! Feuz and Kilde taking the other podium places, then Svindal, Bennett and Buzzi.

Wengen – Men’s Slalom (Sunday Super Slalom), 20 Jan: Bit late on this one as I thought it started 15 mins later! As I joined Feller leads, from Kristoffersen (+0.30), Pinturault (+0.35) and Hirscher (+0.49), in joint 4th with Matt – I caught his run on review and it had a few noticeable errors. He wasn’t happy at all – interesting body language. Now, I was in time for this – Clement Noel into the lead by a massive 0.42! That puts him 0.72 ahead of Kristoffersen and 0.91 ahead of Hirscher, and a French coach will be setting run 2! Ten away and it’s Noel, Feller and Henrik K; just Zenhaeusern in the DNF list. Dave Ryding on the course – Nick getting over-excited again; Dave has lost a lot of time on the closing turns and goes 11th, +1.47. Fifteen away, no changes to the top 6. Gross into 7th, J-B Grange (bib 18) into 9th; Lizeroux and Hargin have both DNF’d. Thirty away, no change sot the top 10 since Grange; 5 DNFs, and poor Fritz Dopfer has just joined them! So has Linus Strasser – the Germans are not having a good time today. Doesn’t look as though the top 10 will change, Dave Ryding currently in 15th; time to swap to Cortina!
Run 2: That piste really is icy, and this course is quick – about 5 seconds faster than run 1! Now, that’s something you don’t see a lot – with 5 away the early leader is Jung Donghyun (KOR) – his first points of the season. Haugen has taken over the lead; with 10 away he still keeps the lead ahead of Neureuther and Elias Kolega. Nice to see that Ohkoshi (JPN) has also got his first points of the season. Giuliano Razzoli has just taken over the lead, but only by 0.01! That’s impressive – Loic Meillard goes 0.61 ahead! Swiss fans have gone ballistic! They are about to be disappointed though as Marco Schwarz has gone one better – he leads by 0.10 as we go to the half way break. Back to the action and here comes Dave Ryding; one error but a good recovery and he’d gained enough on the early sections to take over the lead, by 0.06. Christian Hirschbühl takes it away almost immediately – he leads from Ryding and Schwarz – those positions are holding at present. The sun is on the course a little and it looks like it might be getting rutted for the later starters; Myhrer can only manage 6th, and Grange is a DNF – looks like he had a knee injury? The crowd are happy again – Daniel Yule really aggressive at the top; he’s settled now and he’s gaining time – he’s 0.67 faster and in a commanding lead at present. Not surprisingly that was the fastest time on run 2. Gross into 4th; Michael Matt into the red at inter 2, but he’s keeping in touch – he’s into 2nd.  Some suggestion he might have straddled though? Next away is Marcel Hirscher – green and getting greener on a new equipment setup; he leads by 0.64, but he doesn’t look entirely happy. Alexis Pinturault into the red at inter 2 – massive error and he’s 22nd! Kristoffersen keeping in the green all the way to inter 3; an error in the same place as Pinturault but with less effect – he’s 2nd! Manuel Feller has 0.49 in hand – he’s losing it, but that’s a big advantage – he takes the lead by just 2 hundredths! Just Clement Noel to come, with 0.42 in hand. He’s keeping it well too as far as inter 2 – down to 0.12 at inter 3 but he’s kept it going – he leads by 0.08 at the finish – Clement Noel is the first French winner here for 11 years; what a first win! So, Noel wins, Feller in 2nd and Marcel Hirscher getting the final podium place, with the fastest time on run 2. Kristoffersen in 4th ahead of Yule and Matt; Dave Ryding in 8th, gaining 7 places on run 2.

Cortina d’Ampezzo – Women’s Super G, 20 Jan: Nice looking day; Vikki Rebensburg the first away; couple line errors but safely down. Course set by an American coach; it’s causing Fanchini a few problems and she’s over a second slower. Ilka Stuhec next and she’s looking in touch – it was going well but she’s skied out; pity. Connie Hütter into 2nd; Lara Gut-Behrami next and she’s nicely green (0.56) at inter 1; still going well lower down and she’s skied out, same place as Stuhec I think? Jasmine Flury green until inter 3 when she drifts into the red – good lower section though and she’s into the lead, 0.13 ahead. Tina Weirather next – apparently she hit a rock yesterday on the downhill, but she’s going well today – green then red at inter 1 and 2, green again at 3 and she leads, 0.45 faster. Lindsey Vonn next – she’s quite red at inter 1, better at 2 but she too has skied out. Ragnhild Mowinckel is bib 9 – red all the way but not by much; she’s into 3rd. TV break and then Brignone skies into 5th; Siebenhofer and Gisin both out at the same place higher on the course than the gate that caused trouble earlier –is there a lump there that needs sorting? Wendy Holdener past that safely and she’s gaining time on the lower part of the course – she’s into 3rd. Next away is Nicole Schmidhofer – dead level at inter 1, well green at 2, still 0.14 ahead at the final inter – big line error; she recovered but it cost her a lot of time – just 8th. Stephanie Venier into joint 5th, and next to go is Mikaela Shiffrin – who actually leads the Super G standings at present! She’s red at inter 1, sort of very pale pink at 2, and just green at 3 – lovely skiing and she leads by 0.16! Twenty away; Shiffrin leads from Weirather and Flury; Holdener in 4th ahead of Mowinckel and Venier/Rebensburg. The Austrians will like that – Tamara Tippler green at inter 1 and 2, fractionally red at 3 and Tippler is into 3rd! So, Shiffrin, Weirather, Tippler, Flury, Holdener and Mowinckel with 25 away. Now, Val Grenier (CAN, bib 26) is green at inter 1, and red at 2 but still in touch - +0.30 at inter 3 and she’s into 4th – excellent effort! There’s too much on today – the biathlon Mass Start is just about to kick off too! Good effort by Kajsa Lie (NOR) who has gone into joint 7th with Mowinckel! That was it – no more changes to the top 10; I was pleased to see Kira Weidle get in to 19th, from start number 45! So, well done to Mikaela Shiffrin for another win; Tina W in 2nd and Tippler getting a podium slot too. Val Grenier doing very well to take 4th, ahead of Flury and Holdener.

Ruhpolding – Men’s 4 x 7.5 Km Sprint, 18 Jan: This clashes with the Wengen downhill – annoying. I joined a little late – after S1 Moravec leads, ahead of Birkeland, Pryma, Rees, Rösch and Wang of China! Not a lot of clear shooting there. Birkeland has taken the lead on the lap – heading in for S2; Micky Rösch has cleared and he leads out! Bormolini will have 2 penalty loops to do; and he’s not alone on the loop – after S2 its Rösch, Stenersen, Eliseev, Birkeland, Rees and Pryma. On the lap Jacquelin (9th after S2, +7.7) is in the lead, but Ukraine have just pipped him to the line. At the exchange it’s UKR/FRA/SWE/NOR/CZE/GER (+1.1), so it’s all very close; poor Italy are 23rd after Bormolini’s penalties. Martin Fourcade on leg 2 for France, chased by Christiansen, Nelin, Krcmar, Semenov and Kühn. Seven teams in the lead group as they come in for S3 – very relaxed pace as they get to the mats. Christiansen clear and away, chased by Garanichev, Semenov and Krcmar; Fourcade needed 1 spare and out 5th, just ahead of Kühn; Nelin needed all 3 spares and he’s 10th, +28.3. Christiansen in for his standing shoot; he’s missed his 3rd shot but clears with 1 spare – Martin F clear but Garanichev is using spares as is Kühn, but just avoided the penalty loop. Out in order Christiansen, Fourcade (+1.0), Semenov, Nelin (clear this time), Scott Gow, Garanichev. Christiansen is holding off Martin F and actually gaining a little – at Exchange 2 it’s Norway who lead and they have the Bø brothers doing the final 2 legs. Order is NOR/FRA/SWE/CZE/RUS/CAN – Germany in 7th, +29.3, very close behind Canada. Early on leg 3 Tarjei is holding his lead over QFM, Ponsiluoma (SWE) has lost a little, Arnd Peiffer up to 4th, ahead of Malyshko and Stvrtecky (CZE).  In for S5, and Tarjei is clear and away; Malyshko also clear and out 2nd, but +30.3, in a tight group including Ponsiluoma, Peiffer, Landertinger (all those clear) and QFM who needed 2 spares. Millar (CAN) needed all 3 spares this time and he’s dropped to 10th. On the lap the chasing group of 5 are about 30 seconds back on Tarjei – in for S6. Tarjei has missed his first shot, and the next – 2 spares and he’s out, but Ponsiluoma has cleared really fast and he’s out 2nd, +8.9; Peiffer also clear and out 3rd just ahead of Landertinger. QFM has used 2 spares and he’s 5th; Russia and Canada on the penalty loop this time. Peiffer and Landertinger have passed Ponsiluoma on the lap – at the final exchange it’s really tight, Tarjei has lost time so it’s NOR/AUT/GER (+0.9)/SWE/CZE/FRA(+29.7). At the first split time Julian Eberhard is marginally ahead of JoBø, with Doll close behind. Femling 4th (+20.2) ahead of Desthieux and Krupcik; Loginov in 7th, +52.8. In for the final prone shoot – Doll shooting fast – 1 spare needed; Bø clear but shooting more slowly; Eberhard needing all 3 spares, Desthieux clear and Femling using 1 spare. Out in order Bø, Doll (+3.8), Eberhard (+27.7), Desthieux, Femling (+37.0) and Krupcik (+52.0). JoBø has the afterburners on now and the gap to Doll is up to 10.0 at the next split, and it’s 12.5 at the next one. In for the final shoot – max pressure time! JoBø in first with a good gap – he’s missed his 2nd shot and he needs all 3 spares to clear it; Doll needs just 1 spare and he’s out fractionally ahead of Bø (+1.2). Desthieux away 3rd (+29.4) just ahead of Eberhard (+34.5), Femling (+54.8) and Loginov (+59.9). All very close at 6.1 Km, but then JoBø has gone up a few gears – the gap is 10.4 to Doll by 6.7 Km. Eberhard through Desthieux at present but he’s not far ahead; Loginov past Femling. At the finish Norway (0+8) take the win, but that was a bit more of a struggle than expected! Germany (0+6) in 2nd, Desthieux past Eberhard in the final few metres to give France (0+9) the final podium place. So, Austria 4th, ahead of Russia (1+9) and Sweden.

Ruhpolding – Women’s 4 x 6 Km Sprint, 19 Jan: Again a clash with Wengen! France look strong; Germany have Dahlmeier on leg 2, Herrmann on the anchor loop again!? No Vittozzi in the Italian team – probably wise to rest her for tomorrow’s Mass Start? Fairly fast pace for leg 1 – Doro leads at 1 Km from Simon, Alimbekava (BLR), Hinz, Solemdal and Magnusson. They’re in for S1, which they shoot from the lane that corresponds to their bib number. Doro clear and out just ahead of Simon, Morozova (RUS), Solemdal, Innerhofer and Puskarčíková – none of them have used a spare! Hinz is the first of those who did use a spare, out 10th, +11.4 – no penalty loops yet. Julia Simon has taken over on the lap; Doro back through as they head to S2 – Simon first to strike; she’s even faster than Doro, clear and away just ahead of Doro, Solemdal (+4.7), Merkushyna (+12.0), Puskarčíková and Beaudry (CAN, +26.4). Oh dear Egan, Innerhofer and Mun (KOR) are doing two penalty loops each. In for the first exchange; Hinz has made up a few places but not much time – France lead by 0.3 ahead of Italy, then NOR/CZE/UKR/GER (+37.7). Anais Bescond has gained a little on Sanfilippo, Tandrevold in 3rd, then Jislova, Dahlmeier and Paulina Fialkova. In for S3 – Sanfilippo clear and out; Bescond needs 1 spare and she’s out +4.9. Tandrevold clear and +24.8, Jislova also clear and +36.9; Fialkova used 1 spare and so did Laura D, who seemed to have trouble feeding that spare – out 5th and 6th respectively. The 2 leaders have just over 20 seconds gap to Tandrevold, then another 10 seconds to the chasing group. In for S4 – wind looks very light; Bescond clear and out this time, Sanfilippo using 2 spares so she’s +24.0 as she leaves the range; Fialkova in 3rd, Dahlmeier 4th (+38.2), Tandrevold has used all 3 spares and out +55.5, just ahead of Lunder (CAN) who is 6th. Japan and Belarus on the penalty loop. Heading to the exchange Fialkova is the main gainer, closing right up to Sanfilippo; Laura D has lost a little. At the changeover Braisaz is away almost 20 seconds clear, then SVK/ITA/GER/NOR/SWE. At 1 Km into leg 3 Gontier has passed Poliakova (SVK); Preuß has lost a bit of time, and has Eckhoff right behind her. In for S5 – Braisaz uses 1 spare and she’s away; Preuß clear (crowd going wild) and she’s out +31.6, just ahead of Poliakova (clear), Eckhoff (1 spare), Bankes and E Gasparin; Gontier is doing 2 penalty loops and she’s dropped to 9th, +1:35.4. Tiril Eckhoff is gaining places and time on the lap; Poliakova has lost 10 seconds to Braisaz, who is going well. Time for S6 – Braisaz has used 1 spare again – she’s away; Eckhoff clear and out +28.9, Preuß needed 2 spares, now +41.8. Persson has done well, getting Sweden up to 4th (+1:18.7) ahead of Gasparin and Starykh. Poliakova has done a penalty loop and is out 10th, +2:06.9. Eckhoff has taken 10 seconds out of Braisaz, Franzi P has done much the same, but she isn’t catching Tiril! Final exchange – France are 14.1 ahead of Norway with Germany 3rd, +27.0. Chevalier away, chased by Roeiseland and Herrmann. Behind them the order is RUS/SWE/SUI/EST/ITA/CZE /CAN. Early on the leg Roeiseland is about the same distance behind Chevalier, Herrmann has gained a little; Öberg has passed Yurlova but they are a full minute behind Denise H, Meinen (SUI) in 6th. Here we go for the final prone shoot – Chevalier is clear, very good shooting. Roeiseland (1 spare) out 2nd, +21.6 ahead of Herrmann (1), +31.2, then Öberg (+1:20.5), Yurlova and Meinen – all clear this time. Canada (Crawford) on the penalty loop this time; Irwin (USA) just avoided joining her, using all 3 spares. Herrmann has almost caught Roeiseland, but the Norwegian has a much better average on the range! Anais Chevalier is in for her last shoot – 1 spare and she’s out. Roeiseland has used 2 spares, out +21.5, Herrmann has used all 3 but she’s away just about 20 seconds behind Roeiseland. I’m getting fed up with the commentators mentioning Kuzmina, even before she started her leg! At 5 Km Chevalier is holding the gap to Roeiseland, Herrmann has gained 6 seconds, and another 6 by the next split but she’s running out of time! France (0+4) win, as Pat and Mike predicted, Norway (0+7) in 2nd and Germany (0+9) get the final podium place. Then Sweden (0+9), Russia (0+14) and Slovakia (1+7). Austria (2+5) did well to get 7th, Italy ended up in 11th.

Ruhpolding – Men’s 15 Km Mass Start, 20 Jan: No commentary, even on the IBU feed, it seems! At 2 Km Martin F is fractionally (0.1) ahead of JoBø, with Eberhard and Eder also within a second. Looks like Johannes will lead into S1; Julian Eberhard is shooting fast and so is Simon Eder – both clear and out side by side; Doll just a second behind, then Christiansen, JoBø, Tarjei and Guigonnat (+5.9) – Martin F clear but 15th, +9.5 – all very close. No one with more than 1 miss. Easy to pick out Eberhard – he’s towering over the rest! That’s quite a pace – Doll leads from Eberhard and JoBø at 5 Km but it’s still all very close. JoBø leads into S2 – Doll among the first to strike but he’s missed 2, Eberhard 1, QFM 1 – Eder is clear and out, but Johannes is just 1.6 behind – Tarjei a further second back, ahead of Christiansen, Fourcade and Guigonnat (+4.5) – all 10/10. Johannes leading on the lap, Martin F has passed him and the pace is picking up – still only 10 seconds between the top 13 though. Guigonnat into 2nd at 8.2 Km, behind Martin; JoBø 3rd but he’s not having that and goes back into 2nd as they come in for the first standing shoot. All change as Guigonnat is into lane 1 – he’s missed 1, and 2 more – too fast on the lap? Johannes (0,0,0) is clear and very quick – he leads out ahead of Julian Eberhard (0,1,0) and Tarjei (0,0,0), +1.8. Martin F is also 15/15 but his shooting was slower and he’s 4th, +8.1 ahead of Desthieux and Moravec. There are a few with 3 and even 4 penalty loops so far. There is now a leading group of 4, (2 Bøs, Eberhard and Fourcade) with JoBø at the back – taking it easy? Only about 8 seconds to the chasing group though, so all to play for as they head in for the final shoot. All of the leaders have missed 1, except Tarjei who missed 2. It’s Christiansen (0,0,1,0) who leads out, just ahead of Weger (0,0,1,0) and QFM (0,1,0,0). Eberhard (0,1,0,1) is 4th, +6.8, ahead of Martin F (0,0,0,1) and Johannes (0,0,0,1) – poor Kuhn is doing his 7th penalty loop! At 14 Km Johannes is leading, just ahead of Martin F; Eberhard still with them and QFM, Weger and Christiansen are all within 3.5 seconds! At 14.2 it’s JoBø, QFM, Eberhard, Fourcade (+1.6) and Christiansen is dropping back a little. Martin F is losing touch with the other 3 as well – Eberhard is giving Johannes a run to the line despite his extra miss! Johannes takes the win, by just 0.6 from Julian Eberhard; Quentin Fillon Maillet takes the last podium place with Martin Fourcade just holding off Christiansen for 4th, Desthieux in 6th – 3 French in the top 6! Peiffer (1,0,1,0) best of the Germans in 7th, Doll (0,2,0,2) down in 21st. Eberhard fastest on the range (ahead of Eder and Jacquelin) and also around the course (ahead of QFM, Martin F and JoBø).

Ruhpolding – Women’s 12.5 Km Mass Start, 20 Jan: Ah, commentary this time on the IBU feed! Pink Floyd playing over the speakers as we approach start time – I wonder who chooses the music they play? Kuzmina leading out from the start; quite a good pace – bit brutal for lap 1. Mäkäräinen gaining places; Paulina Fialkova also well in touch as are Doro and Lisa Vittozzi. In for S1 – Doro clear, Vittozzi and Kuzmina have missed 1 each. Dahlmeier has missed 2, so have Mäkäräinen and Dunklee. Lena Haecki and Doro lead out, side by side – Fialkova (P) in 3rd ahead of Yurlova, Roeiseland, Franzi Preuß, Hinz and Herrmann (clear, +8.2!). Denise Herrmann leading at 4.2 Km, just ahead of Fialkova but it’s all very close still. In for S2, with Doro leading in to lane 1 – Doro is shooting fast; Herrmann has missed her 5th shot this time; Roeiseland has also missed 1. Doro leads out, ahead of Haecki, Fialkova, Egan, Preuß, Hauser and Persson (+7.5). Laura D has missed 2 more – I think she’s still having snags with that immune system problem? Sad that Mäkäräinen has also missed 2 more; Kuzmina has missed 1 more. Egan leading on the lap! In for the first standing shoot, Doro ahead as they enter the range; Haecki and Doro have missed their first shot, Doro has made it 2, Egan has missed 3. Franzi Preuß (15/15) leads out, 3.5 ahead of Vittozzi (1,0,0), Tandrevold (clear), Persson (clear), Herrmann (0,1,0) and Haecki (0,0,1). Kuzmina now 1,1,2; Kaisa 2,2,1, Dunklee 2,1,1. Tandrevold leading at 9.2 Km, ahead of Vittozzi, Preuß, Persson and Herrmann (+5.2) then a gap of 10 seconds to the chasing pack which is full of big names! Vittozzi in to lane 1 – Preuß has cleared very quickly and she’s away just ahead of Tandrevold; Persson in 3rd, +13.9 – all those 3 are 20/20. Haecki in 4th, ahead of Fialkova, Öberg (1,0,1,0), Kryuko and Roeiseland (+24.1). The 2 leaders are side by side at 11.7 Km; Fialkova holding off Öberg. Brilliant fight to the line – neither of the leaders have won a World Cup before – Franzi Preuß gets it by 0.2! So well done Preuß and Tandrevold (both clear); Fialkova in 3rd, then Öberg (1,0,1,0), Haecki and Kryuko. Roeiseland (0,1,1,0) in 8th despite her 2 penalties; Herrmann (0,1,0,2) in 12th – best with 3 penalties! Doro (0,0,2,1) in 19th, Kaisa (2,2,1,1) in 27th – what happened to Chevalier – just 2 penalty loops and 29th? Haecki quickest on the range, ahead of Öberg and Doro W; Denise Herrmann fastest around the course, ahead of Bescond and Kuzmina.

Antholz-Anterselva – Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 24 Jan: Not a lot of rest for the biathletes – they’re back for another round of the World Cup, and at some altitude too. Good spread of names through the groups, so that should maintain interest – Laura Dahlmeier is the last to go! The weather looks good, although I’m not sure how cold it is – good crowd there too. Julia Simon will be the first away; it is cold there – you can hear the poles squeaking the snow! Early leader at 1.1 Km is Marketa Davidova (CZE); Julia Simon is at S1 – she’s missed her 3rd, bit lucky with the second. Clare Egan (USA) is clear and she’s quicker than Ivona Fialkova. Kaisa M at 1.1 and 0.1 slower than Davidova, who is now at S1 – she’s clear as well. Doro is clear at S1; Kaisa has also gone clear but she’s a bit behind Doro’s time as they leave the range; Bescond and Hinz have missed 1 each. Egan at S2; she’s missed 2 and Ivona Fialkova has missed 3; Davidova is clear though! Doro looking a bit uncertain at S2; she has missed 1 and was shooting more slowly, but she’s still out just 5.7 seconds behind Davidova.  Lisa Vittozzi clear at S1 and just 3.4 behind Doro’s time; Kaisa at S2 and she’s missed number 10! Paulina Fialkova has missed 1 at S1; Kuzmina fast into the range but she’s missed 1 – out +20.0, which is fractionally faster than Tandrevold, who was clear! No Preuß today, apparently she’s not well? Back at S2 only Davidova is 10/10 at present; Kaisa flying round the final lap, whereas Doro is losing time. Vittozzi has also missed 1 at S2; at the finish Kaisa hasn’t quite caught Davidova – at present Davidova leads from Kaisa (+1.7) and Doro (+14.1). Tiril Eckhoff has missed 1 at S1 but Hauser is 10/10 and only 3.4 behind Davidova’s time; Kuzmina has missed one again, but she’s only +13.3 – that's some ski speed. Öberg has missed 2 at S1; Hojnisz clear and in touch. At the finish Vittozzi has gone 3rd, ahead of Doro; Hauser is losing time – she’s over the line in 5th. Now, that is odd – Kuzmina losing time on the final lap; over the line in 6th! Back at S2 Roeiseland (1,0) is out 6th, +10.1 and she’s fast too; Mironova (RUS) is 10/10 and +10.9 as she leaves the range. Rats, Denise Herrmann has missed 2 at S1, out +51.5. That’s going to disappoint the local fans – Marte Olsbu Roeiseland over the line in 3rd, knocking Vittozzi off the podium. Hojnisz (0,1) has gained a little on the final lap, she’s gone 5th, with Mironova now 6th – that means Vittozzi gains a few more points over Doro! At present the leader is Davidova, ahead of Kaisa, Marte O-R, Vittozzi, Hojnisz and Mironova. Denise Herrmann is 2,1, but looks to be the best German at present; over the line in 13th, +33.9! However Laura Dahlmeier is clear at S1 and out +3.8, and that’s against Doro’s time – she’s ahead of Davidova there. Now, Laura is at S2 – she’s 10/10 but it was slow shooting – she’s out 7.7 ahead of Davidova’s time but is she really back to fitness; Kaisa made up a lot on her final lap, and Davidova was quick too. Hmm – at 6.1 Km Laura is only 2.0 ahead, and the commentators are noting the fact that the track might be getting slower as the sun is off the surface. At 7.1 Km the gap is only 0.2, and 2.1 against Kaisa. She’s slowing – that last 100 meters was very unlike her, she’s really suffering – she’s 4th! Marketa Davidova gets her first World Cup win, ahead of Kaisa and Marte O-R; Laura Dahlmeier is being helped off the track by the German coach – I wonder if she’ll be in the Pursuit? Sola fastest on the range, ahead of Simon and Crawford; Denise Herrmann quickest on track, then Kaisa, Roeiseland, Kuzmina, Eckhoff and Hojnisz.

Antholz-Anterselva – Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 25 Jan: Some comment about Schempp not starting today; he has a good record here, but his performance this season has been disappointing. The weather looks lovely – blue skies and the wind has eased off a little from earlier today – good crowd! Benni Weger is the first away; his time at 1.9 Km is holding up well, but he’s missed 1 at S1. Garanichev is a little slower on the track but clear; QFM has missed 2. Lukas Hofer is just fastest at 1.9 Km now; Martin Fourcade 3rd there. Martin F clear at S1; out just 0.4 behind Garanichev – Lukas Hofer has also gone clear and he’s 0.1 faster than the Russian, who is just in for S2 – he’s missed 2. Tarjei is at S1 – he’s missed his first; younger brother through 1.9 Km 6.8 faster than Hofer. At S1 Simon Eder is clear and fastest so far, ahead of Hofer, Garanichev and Martin F. JoBø is at S1 – he’s clear and 10.3 faster than Eder, while Alex Loginov has missed 1. Martin F at S2 – fast shooting and he’s clear and away. Hofer has missed his 10th shot; out 25.3 behind Fourcade. Simon Eder through 6.2 Km, and he’s a massive 14.5 ahead of Fourcade’s time there; JoBø also though and he’s 10.5 faster than Eder. Tarjei is away from S2 (1,1); Eder has also missed 1 there, but even so he’s only 1.5 behind Martin F! JoBø at S2 – he’s missed his 4th, but he leaves the range 9.5 ahead of Martin F, who is losing time against Quentin FM’s time on the final lap! Bad news for the Germans, Doll is 2,3! Now, what is happening to Martin F (0,0) – he leads at the finish but Desthieux (1,1) is 2nd, +12.2 and QFM (2,0) is 3rd, +12.4 – very poor speed from Martin against the other French efforts! Eder is over the line, and he too is gaining time against Fourcade – he’s into 2nd, despite his 1 penalty. JoBø (0,1) has finished and he’s 21.3 ahead of Martin F’s time – so that’s about 40 seconds faster over the tracks as he’s skied an extra 150 metres. I can’t see Johannes losing this now; I wonder if Fourcade and Eder might be vulnerable though? Now – we haven’t seen much of him but Guigonnat (0,1) is away from S2 in 4th – he’s still 4th at 9.5 Km and he’s gained a bit since 8.5 Km – he’s into 2nd, about a second ahead of Martin F – Martin won’t thank him for that – he’s lost a few points! And, Erlend Bjøntegaard is 10/10 and ahead of Guigonnat at S2; he’s lost a little at 8.5 Km, but so had Guigonnat, and he made it all up. Yes, Bjøntegaard has done the same – ahead of Eder at 9.5 Km and only just behind Martin F – more gains to the line and he’s 2nd now; that’s Martin F off the podium! That’s interesting – has the snow got faster, because he’s taken time off Johannes as well? At present JoBø leads, ahead of Bjøntegaard and Guigonnat; Martin F in 4th, then Eder and Desthieux. Birkeland clear at S1 – slower on the skis but that was fast shooting. He’s done it again at S2; 10/10 and out in 9th, +38.4 – he’s over the line in 15th! So, well done Johannes (another sprint win!) – nice to see Bjøntegaard and Guigonnat on the podium. Martin F surprisingly slow on the tracks and only 4th despite his 10/10, with Eder 5th and Desthieux 6th. Arnd Peiffer (0,2) the best German in 9th. Malyshko quickest on the range, just beating Birkeland and Christian Gow; JoBø quickest over the tracks, but only 4.8 faster than Julian Eberhard, with QFM 3rd, +5.4. Martin F only 10th quickest on skis, +33.5. Interesting Pursuit, I hope.

Kitzbühel – Men’s Downhill, 25 Jan: All change with the programme – what was Super G, Downhill and Slalom is now DH/Slalom/Super G; the FIS comment is as follows: “The weather forecast for the week-end is not the best, and to maximize the chances to have good and fair races, the jury has decided to change the race schedule on the week-end. Here is the program of the Hahnenkamm races 2019: Friday 25.01.19, Downhill, 11:30; Saturday 26.01.19, Slalom, 09:30/12:30; Sunday 27.01.19, Super-G, 13:30” [all times CET, as far as I am aware]. Certainly it looks a bit unpleasant, even today (Friday) - poor visibility and light snow. There was a lovely graphic showing the downhill course with estimates of speed, elapsed time and stress levels – this really is a beast of a downhill! Jansrud and Svindal not here – not sure why? It seems Svindal’s old knee injury took a beating in the training run, and with the downhill now earlier in the programme he isn’t going to start, and Jansrud has broken his hand in training. Anyway – Hannes Reichelt is first away; the course is not only one of the hardest on the tour, this one is very bumpy too (Finlay reckons it’s the bumpiest he’s seen it). Reichelt is safely down and the commentary team reckon it’s a good run, although the fresh snow on the track might have cost him a bit of time. On the other hand the forecast suggests conditions might get worse later? Max Muzaton a bit off the pace; Matthias Mayer is green at inter 1, but just red at 2 – all very close, and he goes second by just 6 hundredths! Josef Ferstl is drifting between red and green, but more green – very risky skiing but he takes the lead by 0.01! Kilde into 4th; Roulin 6th and then it’s Beat Feuz as visibility gets worse with the developing snow storm – he’s well green at inter 1, still there at 2, 3 and 4 and 0.71 ahead at inter 5 – quite astonishing technique and he leads by a massive 0.90!! Ben Thomsen well in touch with the previous best time and he’s into 2nd, +0.86. How on earth did Kriechmayr do that – fell on the Mausefalle but somehow managed to get up and continue almost without missing a beat; he’s in trouble again lower down, somehow skied along the edge of the nets, avoided another nasty one and he’s safely down – probably off to change some underwear! Brice Roger also DNF but safe; ten away and Feuz leads from Thomsen (+0.86) and Ferstl (+0.90), then it’s Reichelt, Mayer and Kilde. Quick TV break and then Max Franz is a very quick DNF – I blinked and missed it, but it looks like he might have a knee injury! Now Dominik Paris is one of the favourites – slightly green at inter 1, then a bit red at 2 and 3; dead level at 4, slightly green at 5, then red, then green and he takes the lead by 0.20 – great final section! Nick F is going loud – he really will be hoarse tomorrow, surely? Theaux briefly green at inter 2 but then into the red and 7th; Innerhofer has done something similar, but he’s kept less in the red on the lower sections and he’s into 3rd. Johan Clarey had a problem early on, but did briefly go green at inter 3 – lost time lower down and he’s into 8th. Next TV break – Paris leads from Feuz and Innerhofer. Sejersted was nicely in touch on the upper sections, but he’s lost a bit later on – into 10th; best Norwegian! Suddenly conditions have improved – more visibility (not forecast) and Otmar Striedinger is making the best of it – red light all the way, but very much in touch and he goes 3rd! Christian Walder (AUT) is also in touch on the upper part of the course; +0.29 at inter 3, but it’s all gone a bit wrong – another very impressive recovery/escape! Now one to watch could be Daniel Danklmaier (AUT, bib 41), who won the Europa Cup race here earlier and has gone really well in training? Eurosport are stopping coverage with commentary just before he starts, which is a shame as Daniel is well in touch, although he is red all the way – he’s into 5th, +0.94, what a result for the young Austrian! Nasty looking crash for Alexander Koell (SWE), but without commentary it’s hard to know how serious it might be; I think Maple might have been yellow flagged – yes, he was – not too far off the pace at the time, either, but …  Medics there quickly for Koell, but that was a nasty fall and only 1 ski came off; he’s in a stretcher now for a helo transfer to hospital; Maple into another helo for a lift back to the start! Marsaglia was next to go, and managed a very creditable 10th. That’s pretty much it – well done to Dominik Paris for a very impressive win, and to Beat Feuz and Otmar Striedinger for their podium places.

Kitzbühel – Men’s Slalom (Ganslern), 26 Jan: Well, no commentary on Eurosport as there is so much on today; the weather looks pretty awful – snow and poor visibility, but a good crowd even so. Did see Thomas Sykora (?) do the course for the TV – looks long and quite tricky in parts – no idea at present who set the course, but might catch that later. Alexis Pinturault is first away – on the top section the vis actually looks better; it’s the valley lower where it gets really gloomy! Michael Matt green at inter 1 and 2, but the lower section looks very tricky and he’s losing time – 2nd, +0.54. Manuel Feller next – actually the weather at the top looks bad now too – typical Feller, risking it all ; again green at inter 1 and 2 but then losing time – he’s 2nd, +0.18. Here comes Clement Noel – green at 1 and 2; fractionally red at 3 where there is a really awkward set of gates, and he’s taken the lead by 0.05. Next away is Marcel Hirscher; looks messy and the live timing has gone berserk as it shows Feller as DSQ while Hirscher is on track – it seems to be an error as Feller is still shown as 3rd, looks like Hirscher is 5th, +0.76 – not a good start! When I did get commentary, they were quite surprised that he was so far off it, especially as he apparently said last night that he was happy with his set-up. Yule doesn’t seem to have a decent set-up, he seems to be lacking purchase, into 6th, and now it’s Kristoffersen; again the timing has flipped to Feller and DSQ – this time he does appear in the DSQ list, and when it all settles Kristoffersen is 5th, +0.80. Lucky I can see what is happening on video as the live timing is useless when they fiddle with things. So, at present we have Noel leading from Pinturault, Matt, Hirscher and Kristoffersen; Feller DSQ – the video replay shows a definite straddle. Mölgg is out, straddling near the under gate, and so is Stefano Gross; Myhrer is green at inter 1 but drifts into the red – still in touch though and he goes into 3rd. Bib 12 is Dave Ryding – green at inter 1, but this seems to be a course that doesn’t let him settle into a rhythm, and he’s not alone with that – he’s 8th, +1.61. Ramon Zenhaeusern next and he manages green all the way – he leads by 0.12; looked very close to a straddle at one point but the replays seems OK? Marco Schwarz into 4th; Neureuther off the pace and 9th.  TV break – Zenhaeusern leads from Noel and Pinturault; Hirscher now 7th (+0.88), Kristoffersen 8th and Ryding 11th. I’m hoping to catch the highlights later, with commentary – I’d like to hear their view on that really tricky section near inter 3 – apparently it’s a “double under gate”! Victor M-J  is not having a good season – into 12th; I’m not sure the course is holding up too well, and there must be quite a bit of fresh snow around too. A good run from Christian Hirschbühl – he’s into 4th; Stefan Hadalin goes 10th, which is now just 1 place behind Henrik Kristoffersen! Interesting – swapped over to what should be Super G coverage and it’s the slalom – with commentary, but they’ve gone back to the early stages of the race! With 30 away Zenhaeusern still leads from Noel and Pinturault; last changes to the top 10 were Hirschbühl into 4th and Hadalin into 10th. Apparently the course was set by a German coach – the commentary team seem to agree that it’s very hard to get into a rhythm on this set, no matter who you are! A good late run from Sandro Simonet (SUI, bib 45!) into 9th place, just 0.01 slower than Hirscher!! Dave Ryding now 17th, so he will get better conditions for run 2 that the top 10! And – yet another surprise – the course obviously is holding up as Albert Popov (BUL, bib 71!!) has just skied into 5th place! That was the final upset for run though, and the run is complete. There is a considerable list of DNFs which, ironically as a German set the course, seems to include all the Germans bar Neureuther!
Run 2: This looks a bit more conventional; with the first 10 away Jonathan Nordbotten leads ahead of Victor M-J and Daniel Yule – fastest time so far on run 2 from Elias Kolega (currently 5th). Mathias Graf (bib 72!) into 3rd – his first World Cup points; next is Dave Ryding – briefly red at inter 2, green again at 3 – risky stuff and he’s into 2nd. Meillard out; Giuliano Razzoli green through the intermediates, but into 2nd, +0.12. That’s halfway; Felix Neureuther the first after the break and he’s going well on this course – he leads by 0.54 and that’s the new fastest time on run 2; both parents delighted. Hargin out; that’s good – Stefan Hadalin (SLO) into 2nd.  Next is Kristoffersen – amazing to see him so far down the list – he has 0.64 in hand, and it’s up to 1.04 by inter 1 and still improving – he leads by 1.41; what a run and no surprise that it’s the fastest on run 2! Much more like the Henrik K of old! Simonet in touch to inter 3, but then a big error and he’s 16th. Next away is Marcel Hirscher – green at inter 2, just holding that at 3 – he’s over the line 0.24 ahead, and a new fastest run 2 time; he really did push there! I think I could lip read what Kristoffersen said!? Another break and Matt into 3rd; not for long though as Myhrer has taken over that place, and now it’s gone to Marco Schwarz! Next is Albert Popov, who did so well on run 1 – 0.28 in hand as he starts – he’s red at inter 2 and into 6th; great result and he was apparently a talented junior – one to watch? Now, Christian Hirschbühl – he’s lost a lot of his advantage by inter 1 and it’s going red – he’s just 7th, but that’s a good result for him. A bigger threat to Hirscher next as Alexis Pinturault is away; he’s lost time to inter 1 but he had 0.71 to play with – fractionally red at inter 2 and +0.27 at 3 – he’s gone second and he made up some time on the final section, +0.07. Now Clement Noel, and he’s keeping a lot of green all the way to inter 3; he takes over the lead by 0.29 – Hirscher is going to get fed up with this lad! Just Ramon Zenhaeusern to go – he’s just red at inter 1 and more errors mean he’s over half a second back at 2; he’s faded to 6th! So, Clement Noel gets his second win of the season; Hirscher has charged his way back to 2nd, gaining 7 places and still with the best time on run 2, with Alexis Pinturault getting the final podium place. Kristoffersen in 4th, ahead of Schwarz and Zenhaeusern – Dave Ryding ended up 15th.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Women’s Super G, 26 Jan: And now that Kitzbühel have swapped their programme, this clashes with run 1 of the slalom there! I did think this was supposed to be the downhill today, but the FIS site now has it as a Super G – it seems to be another FIS swap! No Shiffrin today (concentrating on Championship preparations) and no Lindsey Vonn – she apparently has nerve damage from an old injury which means her leg muscles aren’t working properly and skiing results in serious pain? Not a good omen perhaps – the start has been delayed by 30 minutes; and now by a further 30 minutes – at least that avoids it clashing with the slalom!! And now the delay has reached a full 90 minutes – we had a short burst of commentary & video - conditions look awful there; the workers are struggling to clear all the fresh snow. Well – it seems the race is on – the falling snow seems to have eased a bit; Jasmine Flury first away – course looks quite nicely cleared, and she’s safely down. Joana Haehlen swapping between red and green, and that was a great recovery – she takes the lead by just 0.03. Course set by an Italian coach, but it hasn’t really helped Elena Curtoni, who is 3rd. All quite nostalgic – I used to ski this area a lot! Oops – visibility at the top of the course has just reduced quite drastically – it hasn’t stopped Corinne Suter though – she leads by 0.60. Vis back to clear; Mowinckel is just 0.03 slower as she goes 2nd; Sofia Goggia has had a couple scary moments but it’s worth it – she leads by 0.63 – what a way to celebrate her return to World Cup racing! Lara Gut-Behrami into 2nd, that’s more like it; 10 away and it’s Goggia from Gut-B and Suter; no TV breaks until bib 20 as the FIS try to exploit this better weather. Michelle Gisin has skied out; Ester Ledecka green at inter 1 and 2, red at 3 and she’s out at the same place as Gisin; seems OK. Now Nicole Schmidhofer is nicely green at inter 1, even better at 2 and the FIS live timing has gone wrong again, stuck with Ledecka’s DNF – Schmidhofer has crossed the line and she’s 0.23 faster than Goggia. Local Vikki Rebensburg is away – there hasn’t been a German winner of this race since 1996, and it won’t happen today – Vikki out, but she recovered to avoid falling. Brignone off the pace, a full second off at inter 3, but a good final section has got her into 4th. First TV break, with 20 away – Schmidhofer leads from Goggia, Gut-Behrami, Brignone, Suter and Mowinckel. Slight hold, possibly due to the fog drifting around? Conditions are now better, arguably best so far. Romane Miradoli has crossed the line but the timing hasn’t stopped; she’s shown as 19th but she certainly wasn’t over 10 seconds behind Schmidhofer. She’s now shown as 5th, more like it! Grenier and Haaser both out; 30 away - Schmidhofer leads from Goggia, Gut-Behrami, Brignone, Miradoli and Suter; Eurosport swap back to Kitzbühel. Nice run from Marta Bassino into 9th; Germans not having a good day here; all DNF so far except Dorsch who is 32nd at present. That’s it – well done to Nicole Schmidhofer for the win, Goggia in 2nd on her return and Lara Gut-Behrami in 3rd; then Brignone, Miradoli and Suter.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Women’s Downhill (Kandahar), 27 Jan: Weather looks good – bit cloudy but very still; no wind at all in the finish area. Nicol Delago gets the race started – that’s nasty – she’s had a ski come off; looks like a binding failure - I think she’s OK apart from a couple cuts; not nice but could have been a lot worse. Joana Haehlen is away – huge jump low down and she’s living dangerously – she’s down and that time is better than the training runs. Corinne Suter is green at the first intermediate and building on the way down – she too has taken a huge flight off that jump – she leads by a massive 1.46! Race interrupted while the FIS team check out that jump – they may have to “amend” it a bit as it’s more extreme than it was in training; I’m not sure Suter will be happy about them making the course easier! There is some suggestion that Haehlen and Suter might race again – also unfair as they must be tired after doing this beast! Right – Ragnhild Mowinckel is in the start – the jump is much less extreme, but Mowinckel is in the red – she’s 2nd. Kira Weidle is next and she’s more in touch – green lights at times and more often green further down – she leads by 0.27. That’s very popular, especially as Vikki Rebensburg isn’t starting today. Romane Miradoli into 4th; Sofia Goggia is very close to the pace – a mix of just green, just red then nicely green at inter 4 – she’s into the lead! She’s having a good weekend, although I think that last jump was a little close to her limit! Nadia Fanchini into 4th; Ilka Stuhec next – again a mix of light colours but it’s a bit more red at inter 4 and starting to slip away; big flight off that jump – she’s 4th. Ester Ledecka is bib 10; seems to be doing more skiing than snowboarding at present – she’s had to put the brakes on and that’s her run spoiled – into 9th. TV break and now the race is interrupted again – commentator says “that’s not a good idea”, but doesn’t say what the idea is! Seems it might be that jump again – Steph Venier first away after the latest amendment to the course – she’s increasing her lead and she goes first by 0.25. I don’t see quite how you can change a course while the race is in progress? Tamara Tippler on her way to a possible podium, but she’s skied out. Connie Hütter has topped 130 kph on the top section and she’s crashed out – not sure what caused that, a ski getting caught on the opposite boot? Amazingly she’s standing up and walking away from the 3 layers of netting that stopped her; tough (and lucky) lady. Yet another delay – difficult for those yet to ski; Jasmine Flury is next to go, and there’s more sun on the course – she’s skied out, and very annoyed with herself. Nicole Schmidhofer next and in touch – it’s starting to get away from her lower down – into 7th. Fifteen away (in an hour!) – Venier leads ahead of Goggia, Weidle, Suter, Stuhec and Fanchini. Lara Gut-Behrami into 8th; Ramona Siebenhofer is much more in touch – green to inter 3 but she’s off line and into the red – into 8th. Wenig off the pace; Tina Weirather better at the top of the course but into the red at inter 3; nothing obvious but she’s losing time – just 11th. Federica Brignone has crashed off “that” jump (Seilbahn saddle??), but she seems to be OK. Another break to “maintain the course”! There is some suggestion that the course is slowing due to weather and maintenance? Certainly there has been no change to the top 10 since Siebenhofer – at which point Alice Merryweather goes 8th, and then Haaser is into 9th; then another period of no change, although Lisa Hörnblad (SWE) has got into 11th. Forty two racers away and the FIS have decided to end the race “for safety reasons” – the final 10 don’t race, it seems. All a bit odd, and I’m sure there was a level playing field here today! Anyway, well done Stephanie Venier for taking the win, ahead of Sofia Goggia (what a way to come back!) and Kira Weidle. Suter in 4th, ahead of Stuhec and Fanchini.

Kitzbühel – Men’s Super G, 27 Jan: Well a very exciting camera run down this course; the commentary team reckon this is more like another downhill rather than a conventional Super G! No Svindal or Jansrud again today. The weather looks lovely today, but the track is very icy; Josef Ferstl first away and safely down – Walder is out; Theaux into 2nd. Sejersted in touch on the upper sections; a couple big errors and impressive recoveries and into 2nd. Caviezel into 4th – the Super G standings are going to be interesting after today! Matthias Mayer into 2nd, 0.18 behind; now Vincent Kriechmayr is away and green at inter 2 and 3, still green at 4 – bit slow through the final speed gun and he’s into 2nd – apparently Ferstl had already started to leave the leader’s chair! Hannes Reichelt in touch until he got off line – he’s 6th. Lot of bumps on this course, and hard to see in the shadier sections – Brice Roger has had a bit of excitement on the jumps, but he’s into 4th. Kilde is the main Norwegian threat today, and he’s well in touch - into 4th by just 0.19 – all very close! Nice to see Alexis Pinturault here today after his good day on the slalom yesterday – he’s only 0.03 off at inter 4 but then it all gets more of a downhill course – he’s into 6th. Very risky run from Dominik Paris, and he’s gaining time on the final section – he’s just 0.10 off the pace at the finish, into 2nd. So, Ferstl still leads, ahead of Paris and Kriechmayr, but this might well not be over – Beat Feuz to come soon. Feuz is losing time on the technical upper section but he’s skied out on the Hausberg – big surprise! Johan Clarey is well in touch – he’s green at inter 3, and only 0.08 off the pace at 4 – he’s into 2nd by just 8 hundredths too, lovely skiing. So, 20 away and it’s Ferstl, Clarey and Paris on the provisional podium, then Kriechmayr, Mayer and Kilde. Thirty away, no change to the top 10 since Clarey (bib 20). Nice try by Dominik Schwaiger (GER, bib 53) to get into 12th, but apart from that the top 15 stayed the same. Great result for Josef Ferstl, with Johan Clarey in 2nd and Dominik Paris rounding off the podium – he’s had a good weekend! Kriechmayr in 4th, ahead of Mayer and Kilde.

Antholz-Anterselva – Women’s 10 Km Pursuit, 26 Jan: Straight into this from the Men’s slalom, and of course Eurosport had to inject a mass of adverts before joining just before S1 – all very tight; Doro and Denise Herrmann gaining places. Davidova has missed 3; Herrmann has missed 2, as have Yurlova, Kuzmina and Eckhoff. Laura Dahlmeier is clear and leads out, ahead of Hauser (+7.9, from 9th), Roeiseland (1 miss, +22.2), Kaisa M (1 miss), Bescond and Vittozzi. Doro in 7th after 1 miss. On the lap Laura D has pulled away a little from Hauser, then a group of 5 chasers; in for S2 – Dahlmeier clear just as Hauser starts – she’s clear too and shooting fast; Bescond has missed 3! So, Laura D leads out, ahead of Hauser (+10.9), then Doro (1,0; +16.2), Marte OR (1,0; +16.7), Lisa Vittozzi (1,0) and Kaisa (1,1; +45.7). Egan gaining well – 10/10 and up from 22 to 8; Kuzmina 2,1 but still 9th, just over a minute back. Laura about 15 seconds ahead of the chasing 4 as they head in for the first standing shoot – long delay for Laura D, you can hear her breathing hard which is unusual for her, and she’s missed the final one! Doro and Lisa Vittozzi both clear and away in that order; Laura D in 3rd (+21.4), then Hauser (+30.2) Roeiseland (1,0,2; +48.1) and Kaisa (1,1,1; +1:03.1). Egan 15/15 and 7th, Karo Horchler also 15/15 and 15th from 36. Rats – Herrmann is 2,1,3 and losing places! Laura losing a bit on the lap – leading Italians in for the last shoot – they’ve both missed 1 and Vittozzi has lost a bit getting her poles. Laura D is clear, Hauser has missed 1, Roeiseland clear. Out in order Doro Wierer, Vittozzi (+7.6), Dahlmeier (+7.7), Roeiseland (+32.5), Hauser and Kuzmina (+55.4 despite 4 penalty loops). At 9 Km Doro has almost doubled her lead, Vittozzi and Dahlmeier still close; Laura dancing up the hill to try and pull away – she’s away from Lisa V. Doro Wierer (1,0,0,1) wins , ahead of Laura Dahlmeier (0,0,1,0) and Lisa Vittozzi (1,0,0,1). Roeiseland (1,0,2,0) in 4th ahead of Kuzmina (2,1,1,0) who has somehow managed to get from 10th to 5th despite 4 penalty loops – even so she might not be quickest? Hauser 6th, ahead of Kaisa (4 penalties, from 2nd to 7th). So gainers include Doro (8 to 1st), Kuzmina (10-5), Kryuko (17-8), Haecki (20-9), Egan (22-11), Tachizaki (25-16), Hildebrand (27-18) and Aymonier (46-30). Going the other way, the list includes Kaisa (2-7), Davidova (1-14), Herrmann (14-23), Yurlova (16-36), Bankes (26-39) and Mironova (7-43; 4,2,2,1). Julia Simon quickest on the range, with Doro only 4th there; Herrmann fastest on the course, 12.1 ahead of the very quick Kuzmina, who was 8 ahead of Eckhoff; Kaisa in 5th there.

Antholz-Anterselva – Men’s 12.5 Km Pursuit, 26 Jan: I doubt this will be as exciting as the women’s race unless JoBø has a major snag somewhere, and he starts with the best part of a penalty loop in hand! It’s quite sunny there – looks nice! Johannes isn’t hanging around – the gap is up to 22.3 at 1.1 Km. In for S1 – JoBø has missed 1, and was very lucky with another one; Martin F has missed 1, Guigonnat, Eder and Bjøntegaard all clear. So, JoBø out in the lead – ahead of Guigonnat (+8.3), Eder, Bjøntegaard (+10.3), Martin F (+25.8), and Arnd Peiffer (+27.8). There are a few 3s among the misses and Scott Gow on 4 misses. JoBø has already pulled out some 8 seconds on the next lap; Lukas Hofer up with Martin F and Peiffer. Bø has got the gap up to 22.3 as he comes in for S2; 1 miss and another very lucky this time too! Guigonnat and Eder clear, as are Martin F and Arnd P – Bjøntegaard has missed 2. So, Johannes leads but Antonin Guigonnat is just 0.6 behind, ahead of Eder (+2.1), Peiffer (+11.2), Fourcade (+12.0) and Desthieux (+32.3). Guigonnat staying with JoBø on the lap this time, Eder +11.8 at 7.1 Km, then Peiffer and Fourcade some 17 seconds back, Hofer +46.1. The first standing shoot – how will that pace affect Guigonnat? Wind has picked up too – Guigonnat has missed his first but Johannes is clear and away; Eder, Fourcade and Peiffer have all missed 1. Desthieux clear and out, Hofer has missed 2. After S3 it’s JoBø, Guigonnat (+23.6), Eder (+34.8), Fourcade (+39.3), Desthieux (+45.3) and Peiffer (+45.5). At the next split Guigonnat has lost 17 seconds to Johannes who now has 2 penalty loops in hand! Peiffer is losing ground and QFM is past him; Johannes is really flying! He’s in for his final shoot – really quick although he did miss the final shot! Four Frenchmen in a row – Guigonnat clear but Martin F has missed his final shot, QFM and Desthieux have also missed 1 each; so has Peiffer. Out JoBø (1,1,0,1), Guigonnat (0,0,1,0; +29.9), Martin F (1,0,1,1; +53.0), QFM (1,0,0,1:54.7), Desthieux (1,0,0,1) and Peiffer (0,0,1,1; +1:07.0) – Loginov (0,0,1,0) is just 2.5 seconds behind the German! At 12.1 Km Desthieux up to 3rd, but QFM and Martin F are very close; Loginov losing ground overall but past Peiffer. That’s it, Johannes wins again, Antonin Guigonnat 2nd and a photo for 3rd between QFM and Desthieux – Martin F has left them to it and comes in 5th, Peiffer has got back past Loginov; Eder 8th ahead of Hofer and Birkeland. Gainers include Quentin FM (7 to 3), Loginov (26-7), Birkeland (15-10), Weger (35-13), Jacquelin (25-16), Bormolini (44-19), Lesser (31-21 despite 4 penalties), L’Abee-Lund (37-22), Malyshko (52-27) and Kühn (49-28). Going the wrong way the list includes Bjøntegaard (2nd to 17; 0,2,2,2), Pryma (11-26), Nawrath (29-41), Yeremin (18-44), Leitner (28-48) and Scott Gow (20-55; 4,0,2,3). Johannes fastest around the course ahead of Peiffer and Loginov, then Martin F, QFM and Julian Eberhard; and JoBø was also fastest on the range, ahead of Birkeland and Pidruchnyi.

Antholz-Anterselva – Women’s 12.5 Km Mass Start, 27 Jan: This now clashes with the massively delayed Women’s Downhill at Garmisch; no Preuß or Chevalier today. Race away and at the 1.1 Km point Kuzmina leads form Doro W, Simon. Kaisa M and Vittozzi. Conditions look good; the leaders are heading in for S1 – Julia Simon briefly ahead. Kuzmina has missed, twice, and Simon has also missed once, as has Dahlmeier. Egan has also missed 2, and Haecki 3. Out in order Braisaz, Doro, Lisa Vittozzi, Herrmann (clear!), Kaisa and Davidova – all clear; just 12 seconds between the top 10! The schedule seems very demanding, but after today there is a break until 7 February. There is a group of 6 at the front with a gap to the chasing 5, who are pushing hard. Doro leads in for S2 – Vittozzi has missed 2, Doro 1, Herrmann 1, 2 for Hauser and 3 more for Kuzmina (2,3). Out Braisaz, Kaisa M (+2.4), Yurlova (+4.2), Davidova (+4.5), Paulina Fialkova (+5.2) and Tandrevold (+12.2) – all 10/10. Doro in 9th, +18.2; Dahlmeier (1,0) in 13th, +23.0. Eckhoff and Roeiseland both (1,1) and in 17/18 respectively. Kaisa and Justine Braisaz neck and neck just ahead of the leading group of 5. S3 – Braisaz first to strike but she’s missed her 15th and there are very few clear this time! Here we go – all change; Laura Dahlmeier (1,0,0) leads out ahead of Kryuko (1,0,0; +4.3), Hinz (1,0,0) Braisaz (0,0,1), Kaisa (0,0,1; +16.3) and Paulina F (1,0,1). Doro in 7th ahead of Davidova and Karo Horchler (15/15 – the only one I can see). Kaisa has made up 6 seconds on the lap by 8.6 Km, Doro up to 5th, making up 7 seconds and 4th at the next split time! Herrmann also making up time; 12 seconds by the second split. The final shoot – Laura D is clear while Doro has missed 1 as has Kryuko; Davidova clear and Karo H is 20/20. Out in order Laura D, Vanessa Hinz (+3.2), Davidova (+12.4), Hanna Öberg (1,0,1,0; +16.5), Doro (0,1,1,1) and Horchler (+23.7). On the lap Laura has pulled out from Hinz; Davidova closing, Öberg past Doro, Kaisa up to 6th. At 12.1 Km Laura is 10.8 ahead of Davidova with Hinz 3rd, then a gap to Öberg, who has pulled well away from Doro, who now has Kaisa just behind her! Laura Dahlmeier gets her first win of the season (happy now!); Marketa Davidova takes second and Vanessa Hinz 3rd – all with one miss. Hanna Öberg in 4th ahead of Doro and Kaisa. Horchler the only one to clear all 20, and in 8th; Roeiseland (1,1,1,0) in 10th, Vittozzi 11th, Eckhoff 12th and Herrmann (0,1,1,2) in 13th. Tandrevold, who started well missed 3 at S4 and ended 26th. Haecki fastest (if not most accurate) on the range ahead of Doro and Hanna O; Eckhoff fastest around the tracks, ahead of Herrmann, Davidova, Kaisa and Roeiseland.

Antholz-Anterselva – Men’s 15 Km Mass Start, 27 Jan: Again, I doubt this will be as exciting as the women’s race, unless Johannes does something silly! Race on; at 1.6 Km the top 10 are separated by just 2.7 seconds – JoBø leads from Fourcade and Hofer. The pace is fairly reasonable (although not for mere mortals!), and they are in for S1 – Eder has cleared 5 very quickly, Loginov has missed 1, Hofer 2 and Eliseev 4. Out Eder, Guigonnat (+3.8), JoBø, Fourcade, Doll and Quentin FM (+7.3) – all clear. Just 10.9 seconds between the top 15, all of whom are 5/5. In for S2 – wind quite benevolent; Guigonnat clear and fast, Johannes also quick, Fourcade clear but shooting more slowly, Doll has missed 2! Out Guigonnat, JoBø, QFM, Garanichev, Weger, Eder, Fourcade and Peiffer (+8.5) – all clear. Twelve perfect scores at present. Eder is losing places on the lap, he’s dropped from 6th to 11th; still +10.2 though so well in touch. QFM just ahead – apparently he makes rifles, including his own – and he and JoBø have opened up a bit of a gap. Leaders in for S3 – Johannes looking very relaxed; QFM clear, Guigonnat, JoBø and Martin F have all missed 1 – lots of misses among the chasing group. Quentin FM leads out; Windisch 2nd (+10.2), ahead of Peiffer (+11.2), Johannes Bø (+19.2), Guigonnat and Fourcade (+27.7); just the leading 3 15/15. JoBø has already pulled back over 7 seconds by 10.6 Km. QFM is keeping a good gap; Peiffer, JoBø and Windisch chasing, some 14 seconds back. QFM is in for S4 – all 5 down! JoBø has missed his last shot, Windisch has missed 3. QFM (20/20) leads out, ahead of Peiffer (also 20/20), +19.6, JoBø (0,0,1,1), +29.7 and Martin F (0,0,1,0), +36.4. Ye gods, at 12.9 Km Johannes has closed on Arnd Peiffer by 6 seconds; at 13.6 Km he’s up to 2nd, just. Fourcade isn’t catching the leading 3. At 14.6 Km QFM has 12.9 over Johannes, who is now almost 10 seconds ahead of Peiffer! Quentin Fillon Maillet takes the win – with perfect shooting. JoBø in 2nd, despite 2 misses, with Arnd Peiffer 3rd, also 20/20. Martin F gets another 4th, ahead of Guigonnat and Weger. Guigonnat marginally faster on the range than Johannes with Birkeland 3rd there; JoBø fastest around the course ahead of Hofer, Julian Eberhard, and QFM.

Ooops - forgot to post this one!

Schladming – Men’s Night Slalom, 29 Jan: Well, Aksel Lund Svindal has confirmed that he will retire after the World Championships. So, the night slalom – Noel is bib 3, Kristoffersen 6 and Hirscher 7; Dave Ryding goes 10. Conditions look good – piste is icy, and not bumpy. Manuel Feller is first away – and, he’s out; pushed onto the back of his skis and he’s gone! Michael Matt is next and he’s safely down – that’s more to the crowd’s liking! Now, there’s a real upset – Clement Noel has won the last two slaloms, but he’s straddled 6 turns in, and he’s another DNF. Alexis Pinturault is flying – he’s much quicker than Matt; smooth but aggressive – he’s leading by 1.66! He’s back on form, and just in time for the World Championships. Henrik Kristoffersen is on the course – just green at the top, red by inter 3 but not much and he’s keeping in touch on the final section – he’s not getting the purchase though and he’s 2nd, +0.15. Now, how will Hirscher do – green at inter 1, more at 2 and 0.81 ahead at inter 3 – he leads by a full second! That was stunning, and the crowd loved it! The slow motion shots are impressive – that’s a real race face!! Daniel Yule into 2nd, +0.99; Victor M-J is still not having a good season – he too is struggling with grip and goes 7th; slowest finisher at present. Next is Dave Ryding – maybe also a little short of purchase on the lower section, and he’s into 5th, +1.76. Bib 12 is Ramon Zenhaeusern; he’s into 4th, +1.09; Andre Myhrer is more in touch on the upper sections – in the red at the intermediates and good at inter 3 – disappointing final 10 turns and he’s 6th. First TV break – Marcel Hirscher leads by almost a second from Yule, Pinturault, Zenhaeusern, Kristoffersen and Myhrer. Then it’s quiet for a while – Stefano Gross is a DNF, Christian Hirschbühl goes into 7th and Luca Aerni joins the DNFs. The course is getting a bit rutted; that should make run 2 interesting. Marc Digruber (bib 28) has done well to get into 10th. A bit more UK interest – Laurie Taylor is safely down, and currently in 27th place (better than Dopfer!) – might get a second run? Now, Albert Popov did very well last time out, and he’s nicely in touch at inter 2 – he’s losing a bit but still good enough for 13th place, from start number 46! Zan Kranjec (bib 73) was the highest start number to qualify for run 2; sadly he, and two others, have knocked Laurie Taylor out!
Run 2: Oh dear – course set by a French coach and Victor M-J has straddled! It’s apparently an unorthodox set, which disturbs attempts to settle into a rhythm. Right – 10 away and at present Zan Kranjec (SLO) leads from Matt and Meillard – gate 3 seems to be a problem! Alex Khoroshilov into 3rd, but he isn’t there long as Julien Lizeroux has taken it over. The course seems to be much icier than it was for run 1, and the different snow conditions also seem to be catching people out. Alex Vinatzer (ITA) is the last one before the half way TV break – into 5th; Zan Kranjec still leads (that’s 12 places he’s made up already), ahead of Matt and Lizeroux. Stefan Hadalin was really well in the green, and he’s almost at the finish – he’s out! Next is Albert Popov – he’s lost a bit of time, but he’s kept the light green all the way – he leads by 0.44! That top 10 last Saturday wasn’t a “one-off” then! Felix Neureuther into 2nd – very popular with the crowd! Marco Schwarz is green at inter 2, fractionally red at 3 but he’s going really well on the final section – he leads by 0.38, although the fastest time on run 2 is still held by Zan Kranjec. Marc Digruber into 3rd; Mölgg off the pace a bit and 6th and now it’s Dave Ryding. He has 0.39 in hand at the start; it’s all gone by inter 1, more red at 2 but he’s back to only 0.03 behind at inter 3 – error near the finish and into 5th. Christian Hirschbühl is competing for a place in the Worlds – green at inter 3 by 0.32 and he too has lost time on the last 10 gates - 6th! Myhrer has straddled, and he’s out too; here comes Henrik Kristoffersen – his timing looks a bit off (so I’m told) and he too has straddled – another DNF. Next is Ramon Zenhaeusern – good bit of roaring in the start hut; he’s losing a bit of his 1.06 advantage but he had enough to take the lead despite being only 10th fastest on run 2 - good run! Three left – Alexis Pinturault has built on his advantage and he’s almost doubled it between inter 2 and 3 – he leads by a massive 1.04 – no surprise that he’s also set the new best time on run 2! That was very impressive – perhaps his coach had some input to the set this time ?? Daniel Yule into the red at inter 1, but he’s still in touch at inter 3 and he’s into 2nd. Just Marcel Hirscher to come; a full second in hand at the start, he’s gained by inter 1, and keeps that margin all the way, pushing all the way – truly awesome, and it’s another win – and with the fastest time on run 2 as well – his 68th win! Hirscher wins from Pinturault and Yule; Zenhaeusern in 4th ahead of Schwarz and Popov – well done that Bulgarian! Dave Ryding in 9th.

Maribor – Women’s Giant Slalom, 1 Feb: The “Golden Fox” event; the piste looks rather icy – wet snow apparently but worked on?  All rather grey and trying to rain/snow, from what I can see – quite a few umbrellas on show. Didn’t catch the name of the commentator but it doesn’t sound like one of the usual team?  I gather Gisin is injured after last weekend, so she won’t race today. Tessa Worley the first away, she’s lying 2nd to Shiffrin in the GS standings by just 10 points – safely down, although she doesn’t seem entirely satisfied with the run. Wendy Holdener is over a second slower; Vikki Rebensburg has skied out! Next away is Mikaela Shiffrin; fractionally red at inter 1, green at 2, and she’s almost doubled the advantage again at 3 – she leads by 0.58. Ragnhild Mowinckel is into 3rd, but +1.20; Federica Brignone looks more in touch on the early section, but then she’s getting later on the line – she’s skied out. Petra Vlhova is just 2 hundredths green at 1, one hundredth red at 2, then losing a little – she’s into 2nd, +0.48! Sara Hector into 4th as the visibility gets noticeably worse – Mikaela Shiffrin has an umbrella in the leader’s chair, and she needs it. If you were a recreational skier in these conditions I suspect you might opt for early après ski. That’s 10 away – Shiffrin leads from Vlhova and Worley; Hector in 4th ahead of Mowinckel and Hansdotter. Marta Bassino is the next to be in touch with the leaders, through to inter 3 – lost a bit on the steep final section and unlucky as the cloud drifts across the course – into 5th.  Conditions are getting worse and the later starters seem to be losing quite significant amounts of time, especially on the final section. Visibility in the middle section is poor; you can barely see the skiers at times. No one seems able to break into the top 10 since Bassino; Coralie Frasse Sombet (bib 28) has managed 14th though and Maryna Gasienica-Daniel (POL, bib 33) has gone joint 17th. Also rather impressive, Clara Direz (FRA, bib 50), has just sneaked into the top 20, going 19th.  Alex Tilley is 42nd, so no second run for her today. That’s run 1 over – Shiffrin leads from Vlhova and Worley; then Hector, Bassino and Mowinckel.
Run 2: If anything conditions are even more marginal – the fog seems to have rolled up the hill – course set by a French coach. On  the plus side, visibility is better lower down! Andrea Ellenburger first away, and she’s fallen on the final section. Julia Scheib (AUT) is next, and safely down – her first World Cup finish. Katharina Liensberger (AUT) is faster; Marlene Schmotz (GER) into 2nd. Now, that’s a good run from a speed specialist – Ilka Stuhec has gained a lot on the final section, from 0.40 red at inter 3 to take the lead by just 0.01! That’s a real pity, Alice Robinson (NZL) was 0.58 ahead at inter 2 but she’s out; Marsaglia has lost all her advantage by inter 1 but she’s just green again by 2 – not so good on the final section though – into 6th. Nasty fall for Riikka Honkanen (FIN) but she’s up and skiing down. Ten away, Stuhec leads from Liensberger and Schmotz; 3 DNFs so far. Thea Louise Stjernesund is going well – lost a bit to inter 1 but she’s made it up again by 2 and she’s holding on to it – she leads by 0.64; Clara Direz is also going well – into 2nd from start number 50! Sofia Goggia is gaining time to inter 2, lost a bit to 3 and she’s taken over 2nd place. Only for a short while though as next away is Maryna Gasienica-Daniel, who kept it green all the way to inter 3; slight error then and she goes 2nd. Eva-Maria Brem is next – just in the green all the way and she leads by just 0.01! No TV break at halfway; Katharina Truppe is keeping in the green, and gaining a bit lower down – she’s taken over the lead by 0.21. All very close – Coralie Frasse Sombet is just 0.03 off the pace and into 2nd; Bernadette Schild into 3rd as the cloud rolls back in. Marie-Michelle Gagnon has gained to inter 1, lost it again to 2 and a bit more to 3, but that’s a great final section and she leads by 0.03! It’s changing very quickly – Kristin Lysdahl gained a lot between 2 and 3, and she leads by 0.24. Wendy Holdener has 0.81 in hand, and she’s 1.11 ahead by inter 1, still almost a second ahead at 2 and 3 despite the cloud and she leads by 1.33 – that’s the new best time on run 2, and there is a TV break. Eight to go; the cloud is even thicker as Meta Hrovat skis into 2nd.  Frida Hansdotter is drifting between red and green – into 2nd, +0.37 – good effort in the conditions. Ragnhild Mowinckel is losing, gaining, losing but always green and she’s into the lead – not the best on run 2 though. The visibility really is awful in patches; Marta Bassino into 4th, Sara Hector well in touch until after inter 3 and she’s gone 3rd. Just 3 to go – Tessa Worley has 0.62 in hand; lost a bit to inter 1, got it back to 2, and then a massive mistake, which drops her to 7th – good recovery though, and she gets points! Petra Vlhova is gaining a bit and has a good run from inter 2 to 3 which leaves her 1.13 ahead – she’s into the lead by 0.93, and that is the new best time on run 2 – real pressure on Mikaela Shiffrin. Shiffrin starts 0.48 ahead – almost the same at inter 1, 0.62 ahead at 2, 0.46 at 3, AND a rare error – it’s a dead heat between Shiffrin and Vlhova! So, Petra Vlhova and Mikaela Shiffrin share first place (Shiffrin’s 55th win), with Ragnhild Mowinckel in 3rd; Holdener 4th, ahead of Hector and Hansdotter. What an exciting finish, well done Vlhova!

Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Men’s Downhill, 2 Feb: Race cancelled! FIS statement - "Unfortunately, the classical Kandahar downhill had to be cancelled today at Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Very heavy and wet snowfall covered the race track this morning, which softened the hard surface underneath and couldn’t allow a safe race. In addition to that, the continuous rain at the bottom and wet snowfall at the top would stick on the athletes’ googles, massively reducing the visibility, which is also an important safety issue.   All in all, the decision was pretty clear, and the jury together with the organising committee decided to cancel the race. The process to find a replacement site has already started, and all odds are pointing towards Kvitfjell, the Norwegian venue that already took over many cancelled downhills in the past year."

Maribor – Women’s Slalom (Radvanje Course), 2 Feb: Another commentator’s voice I don’t recognise; are the usual team [Nick/Matt/Finlay] getting a rest before the World Championships?! Has Nick lost his voice? Anyway – the big news today is that Lindsey Vonn has announced her retirement – frankly I think it’s a wise move as surely her body just can’t take the massive strains of alpine ski racing any more – hope she hasn’t left it too late! So, back to the race, Katharina Liensberger first away and safely down, but Frida Hansdotter is faster – she was 0.65 ahead at inter 2 but ends up leading by 0.22. Mikaela Shiffrin is bib 3 – and she’s flying – 0.40 up at inter 1 then 0.71, and at the finish she’s 1.57 ahead, and it all looked so easy!! Bernadette Schild into 4th, but +2.25. That’s quite neat; Anna Swenn Larsson into 2nd; next away will be Petra Vlhova – red at inter 1, bit redder at 2 and although she goes 2nd, she’s a full second back. Holdener into 6th; with 10 away she’s still there! Erin Mielzynski has skied out and straddled for good measure; she’s absolutely distraught. Fifteen away; Shiffrin leads from Vlhova and Swenn Larsson, then Hansdotter, Liensberger and Holdener. New commentator is quite good – lots of background and technical detail but it seems he can’t get all the names pronounced correctly! Next TV break and still no change to the top 6; Geiger (8th) and Costazza (10th) the last 2 changes to the top 10. Of the later starters, on the now rutted course, Maren Skjøld (bib 27) is arguably one of the best, getting into 13th. Meta Hrovat seems to be the highest bib number (29) in the top 20. Alex Tilley among the DNFs.
Run 2: Set by a Norwegian. Relatively warm here for this second run; Gabriella Capova (CZE) first away, and safely down; Josephine Forni (FRA) has gone faster! Lovely run from Chiara Mair (AUT)  - into the lead and by a good margin too! Magdalena Fjaellström (SWE) into 2nd; Roni Remme (CAN) has taken over that spot. Ten away and Charlotta Saefvenberg (SWE) has just taken over the lead from Mair. Paula Moltzan (USA) into 3rd; Katharina Huber next and she’s gained a bit between inter 1 and 2 to take the lead. Not the only leader for long though as Meta Hrovat is having a good run – she’s into joint 1st to the delight of the crowd! Halfway and Hrovat and Huber share the lead, with Saefvenberg third. It stayed that way for a while, until Maren Skjøld went into 3rd; the leaders look a bit uncomfortable trying to share the chair – Katharina Truppe has helped them out by taking over the lead by just 0.09! She hasn’t really had time to get to the chair before Chiara Costazza takes over the lead by just 2 hundredths! Next out is Bernadette Schild – she’s gained to inter 1, and has added even more by 2; she leads by 0.54. Schild leads from Costazza and Truppe, Hrovat down to joint 4th, with Huber. Next TV break, and then Christina Geiger goes 4th. Kristin Lysdahl is next – red at inter 2, and into 2nd; Wendy Holdener next to go – she’s doubled her advantage by inter 1, and gained a bit more by 2 – she leads by almost a full second! Katharina Liensberger into 2nd; Frida Hansdotter is a bit wild, and she’s into 2nd.   Three to go – Anna Swenn Larsson on course; 0.81 in hand at the start, 0.53 remaining at inter 1 and 0.41 at 2 – she’s keeping it green though and she takes over the lead by 0.38; Chiara Mair (AUT) still has the best time on run 2 at present though! I can’t see Liensberger in the standings – seems she might have straddled and been DQ’d? So, Petra Vlhova – just 0.09 to spare and it’s gone by inter 1; she’s 0.70 red at 2, and losing speed – there’s an upset – she’s not even going to make the podium –into 4th. Just Mikaela Shiffrin to go – 1.09 in hand at the start hut – 1.18 at inter 1, 0.82 at inter 2 and she’s taken yet another win, her 13th so far this season (?) – lovely skiing, and she’s 0.77 ahead at the finish. Well done Mikaela; congratulations to Swenn Larsson and Holdener on the podium; Hansdotter in 4th, ahead of Vlhova and Schild. Finally, well done Chiara Mair who still has the best time on run 2, gaining 12 places to end up 15th. That puts Shiffrin 135 points ahead of Vlhova in the slalom standings, and 651 ahead (again Vlhova is in 2nd) in the overall – Mikaela already has 1694 points!

Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Men’s Giant Slalom, 3 Feb: Another race cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Here's the FIS statement - "The classical week-end in Bavaria, that’s concluding an intense racing month, is down on his luck with the weather. Also today, the Garmisch-Partenkirchen men’s giant slalom had to be cancelled due to heavy overnight snowfall, that’s forecasted to continue during the day. Already yesterday, the Kandahar downhill was cancelled due to wet snowfall and continuous rain, that softened the conditions and didn’t allow a safe and fair race. The scenario was similar today. As forecasted, snowfall started around midnight, and the organising committee started to work on the hill at 03:30 with 14 snowcats. But the amount of snow that covered the 1 kilometer long race track was too big. At the top, it was approximately 30 centimeters of fresh snow and continuous heavy snowfall. It was obvious that despite huge efforts and a very motivated race crew, it was impossible to hold a World Cup race today.

Therefore, the jury and the organising committee had to take the decision to cancel today’s giant slalom. Information about a possible replacement site will follow as soon as available. The Garmisch-Partenkirchen week-end was the last one before the World Championships in Åre (Sweden). The men’s Tour is now moving North to start the fight for the medals in the next two weeks."

Åre – World Championships – Women’s Super G, 5 Feb: Well, the BBC were right – I didn’t hear Lindsey Vonn’s “retirement speech” in full, and assumed that because she was in considerable pain her retirement would be with immediate effect – it seems she actually said she’d do the World Championships and then retire? Anyway – she goes 16 today , just behind Mikaela Shiffrin. Looks a lovely day, sunshine and blue sky but very cold – Jasmine Flury is first away on what I understand is a reduced height start (?), and she’s missed a gate. Course set by a Swiss coach too! Now, Tessa Worley – this looks a tricky course – a variation in light and lots of terrain to deal with – she’s safely down. Next is Sofia Goggia, not that long back from injury – her first speed race was Garmisch! She is well into the green by inter 2; she leads by 1.57 seconds, a massive improvement on Worley’s time. Corinne Suter is bib 4 – green at inter 1, bit low in the line so faintly red at 2, green again at 3 – she’s into 2nd by just 3 hundredths! Lara Gut-Behrami is next; again green at 1, but quite red at 2 and she’s into 3rd; commentary team reckon a bit heavy on the edges. Holdener into 4th; Schmidhofer also a bit late in the line and now she’s into 4th. Francesca Marsaglia nicely in touch at inter 1, fractionally red at 2 – only just made the gate after the jump, and that cost her time - into 3rd. Tine Weirather has also skied out; Stuhec in touch at inter 2, and now she goes 4th. Bib 12 is Nadia Fanchini – slightly red at inter 1, which is unusual, more red at 2 but then she’s making up time – into 3rd, but just 0.12 off the pace! Ragnhild Mowinckel is next – bit low after inter 1, gaining from 2 to go green at inter 3 but a slight error drops her to 4th. Steph Venier has skied out; Mikaela Shiffrin next – green at 1, fractionally green at 2 – only just made the gate (where Venier went out) – she leads by just 2 hundredths! Fifteen away, Shiffrin leads from Goggia and Suter – just 5 hundredths between the top 3. Lindsey Vonn goes bib 16 – the light has changed and she’s been thrown into a gate; that tangled her and she’s fallen – stopped by the nets. She’s up, saying thanks to the stretcher team and she’s skiing down. Lots of applause; I wonder if she will do the downhill here? Vikki Rebensburg is bib 19 – bit off line after inter 1, slightly red at 2, recovering by 3 and she goes 4th by just 7 hundredths, only 2 hundredths away from the podium! That was pretty much it – Mikaela Shiffrin wins the Super G title, ahead of Sofia Goggia (+0.02) and Corinne Suter (+0.05); poor Vikki Rebensburg is 4th again (+0.07), ahead of Fanchini and Mowinckel – very close racing!

Åre – World Championships – Men’s Super G, 6 Feb: Looks a bit gloomier today; course set by a Norwegian! Beat Feuz the first away today; commentators Charlie Brougham ( haven’t heard him much before?) and Finlay Mickel. Feuz is working hard; he’s hit a couple gates and a few line error too but he’s down. Tummler is a DNF; Bib 3 is Dominik Paris – he’s going well, just over a half second ahead at inter 1, over a second by inter 3 and a full second ahead at the line. Brice Roger next – green at inter 1, but a couple errors put him into 2nd, +0.41. Kilde away, but there was a big line error early on, another error lower down with an impressive recovery, but 1.63 off the pace at the line. Jansrud in the gate – his broken hand still strapped up – similar error to Kilde but green at inter 1; red at 2 though and he’s 4th, 1.18 behind. Sejersted also looking ragged but he’s into 3rd, after finding some time on the final section. Bib 9 is Vincent Kriechmayr; this looks smoother and quick too – green at inter 1; fractionally red at 2, lost a bit lower down, pulled some of it back and he’s 2nd, +0.09 – very close! Cook has skied out, and now it’s Aksel Lund Svindal – better line than some of the Norwegians at the top but he’s not as fast – red at inter 1 and 2 – he’s 5th, 0.92 off the pace; odd that the Norwegians aren’t doing so well, after their coach set the course! Ganong out; Matthias Mayer was green at inter 2 but he’s missed a gate – great line until then! Johan Clarey is next – green at 1 and 2, slightly red at 3 – he’s into joint 2nd with Kriechmayr, and his arm protection has torn through the race suit! Josef Ferstl into 4th; Paris still leads from Clarey/Kriechmayr. Caviezel has also missed a gate; Christof Innerhofer is a bit wild, but still in touch at inter 2 – he’s into 4th, again finding time on the lower section. Reichelt has also missed “that” gate; Adrien Theaux next and he’s not error free either – into 5th. Steve Nyman in touch too – big error after inter 2; he’s 8th. He’s there a while, until Mattia Casse (bib 30) joins him; two tied places in the top 10 today! That was it – Casse was the last to break into the top 10. So, Dominik Paris wins the Super G title, with Clarey and Kriechmayr tied in 2nd place; Innerhofer 4th, ahead of Theaux and Ferstl. Svindal ended up 16th, Feuz 18th and Jansrud 22nd.

Canmore: Due to the extreme cold weather, there have been some changes to both events and start times – from Biathlonworld: IBU Race Director World Cup Borut Nunar commented, “This is a tentative schedule, which might see further changes depending on the temperatures in the forthcoming days. We have agreed on these changes with the teams, the local organizing committee, the medical delegate and the broadcasters. Our highest priority is to guarantee the health of our athletes and carry out fair and safe competitions. We have cut out the coldest parts of the course and changed the start times for some events to a later hour to have higher temperatures. The free Sunday gives us some more flexibility in case the temperatures wouldn’t allow competitions earlier.”

Canmore - Men’s short 15 Km Individual, 7 Feb: The first change because of the cold weather – what was 20 Km is now 15, and the start has been delayed as the forecast is for warmer conditions later today. An added amendment is that, in the Individual, the normal 1 minute added for each target missed (no penalty loops in this race) has been changed to 45 seconds because the distance has been reduced – not popular with the best shooters, I suspect!. Looks like the rest of the programme has also moved – Saturday (relays) seem to have moved to Friday, with the Mass Starts (Sunday) moving to Saturday and becoming sprints? Whatever – the 15 Km Individual is on; JoBø away number 6, and Martin Fourcade isn’t here; he’s missing Salt Lake City as well, as far as I know. Right – early starters are at S1; Garanichev fastest at present even with 1 miss; Ermits (EST) has gone clear, and leads the Russian by 23.6 seconds. At 2.5 Km, guess who is fastest – not difficult to guess that it’s JoBø! Christiansen has also missed 1 at S1, but JoBø is clear and out – 33.3 ahead of Ermits! Windisch had a small snag with the bolt at S1 – another snag from the cold temperature? He too has missed 1; just 4 clear from the first 10 – Burnotte (CAN) has missed 3; Hofer 2. Antonin Guigonnat is clear at S1, and out 2nd but still +27.2. Johannes Bø is at S2 already – he’s clear again, the only 1 of the first 5 and he was shooting quickly too! Erik Lesser clear at S1, and fractionally slower than Guigonnat; Alex Loginov has missed one here. Iliev and Weger have also missed 3 at S1; Hofer is having snags at S2 – his ammunition doesn’t seem to be loading, but he has cleared all 5. Guigonnat has missed 2 at S2 – 16 through so far and only JoBø is clear! Arnd Peiffer is also clear at S1, and he’s the closest to Bø - +17.9! Speaking of Johannes, he’s just left S3 – 15/15 so far and he’s 1:22 ahead of Christiansen (1,0,0). Erik Lesser is 10/10 but he’s a full minute behind Bø’s time, 23.9 ahead of Christiansen – only 3 clear at S2 so far, of 25 who have gone through. And, Florent Claude (BEL) is the 4th to go 10/10 , some 12 seconds slower than Christiansen. Desthieux, Kühn and Birkeland all clear at S1 and in touch. That’s surely the race over – JoBø has cleared all 20! Desthieux and Lesser are clear at S2; Peiffer has missed 1. While the TV team have been looking at JoBø, Erik Lesser is already at S3 – clear again but now 1:21.9 behind – only just ahead of Christiansen who has missed 1. Kühn has missed 3 at S2; Claude is 15/15 but not quite fast enough over the snow. Back at S1 Christian Gow (CAN) is clear and faster than Guigonnat there. Erik Lesser (0,0,0,1) has missed his final shot at S4 – out 3rd, behind Christiansen (1,0,0,1), but only 10 seconds ahead of Windisch (1,0,0,1). Loginov (1,1,0,0) has cleared at S4 and he’s out ahead of Lesser; Florent Claude has missed 2 in his last shoot. Back at S1 Philipp Nawrath (GER) is clear and in 2nd as he leaves the range; meanwhile the only other 20/20 so far, Alex Povarnitsyn (RUS) has crossed the finish line in 8th. The Germans don’t seem to have fast skis – Lesser +3:01 minutes at the finish with just 1 miss, Peiffer +3:29 with 2 misses; Doll +1:31 at S2 with all 10 targets down? Nawrath has missed 1 at S2; Femling 10/10 and out 4th. Peppe Femling is now 15/15, but slower than Christiansen who had missed 1 by that stage. At the finish it’s currently Johannes Thingnes Bø (0,0,0,0) leading, ahead of Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen (1,0,0,1; +2:10.2), Alex Loginov (1,1,0,0; +2:41.0), then Birkeland (1 miss), Windisch (2) and Eder (2). Back at S4 Christian Gow is out 7th (0,1,0,0); he’s over the line in 8th. Femling has gone 20/20, and is out in 3rd – 8 seconds behind Christiansen! He’s losing time on the final lap though – he’s behind Loginov at 13.7 Km and behind Birkeland at 14.5 Km – he’s over the line in 8th. Not for long though, as Simon Fourcade (0,1,0,0) has just gone 7th! Rather a boring race as regards the win; the interest was centred on the places as Johannes won by over 2 minutes! Christiansen in 2nd, with Loginov taking the final podium place. Birkeland in 4th ahead of Windisch and Eder; Simon Fourcade best of the French in 8th, Lesser best German in 8th, with Femling 9th and Christian Gow in 10th. JoBø fastest around the course, ahead of Christiansen, Loginov and Garanichev – no data from the range totals, for some reason!

Canmore - Women’s short 12.5 Km Individual, 7 Feb: Again, a shorter course, with the penalty again reduced from 1 minute to 45 seconds per miss. Hard to recognise some of the athletes with all that tape! It’s a really balmy minus 11 as they start; most of the big names going in group 1. Odd to see Laura Dahlmeier going at number 1; it’s looking windier as they begin the race. Kaisa Mäkäräinen away bib 4, just ahead of Hauser and Tandrevold. At 2 Km Kaisa is fastest, ahead of Dahlmeier – early days though. Laura D is at S1 – hesitated before her 4th shot but that’s all 5 down. Kaisa is fast but she’s missed 2, Lisa Hauser however is clear and just faster than Laura D. Tandrevold is also clear and out +4.7; Franzi Preuß also clear and just behind Hauser. Four clear at present, despite the gusting wind; Roeiseland has missed 1. Laura D is at S2 – she’s missed her 2nd shot but the rest are clear; back at S1 Vittozzi (at least, we are told it’s her, with all that tape it could be anyone!) is clear and fastest so far. Kaisa clear at S2, her first standing shoot, Marketa Davidova clear at S1 and fastest there so far, until Doro Wierer goes even faster. Franzi P has missed 2 at S2, but Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold is the only one so far to go 10/10 and she’s 39.4 ahead of Laura D. Back at S1 Kuzmina is clear and leads from Paulina Fialkova, then Wierer and Davidova. Bescond (1,0) 2nd at S2 at present; Roeiseland fastest of the 2 misses in 5th. Laura D at S3 – she’s 0,1,1; Vanessa Hinz clear at S1 and faster than Dahlmeier. Now, Davidova is 10/10 and even faster than Vittozzi who is also clear at S2. At S3 Kaisa M is having a few snags – 2,0,3; Doro W is 10/10 and 1.4 ahead of Davidova. At S3 Tandrevold is the only one so far who is 15/15; she’s 1:13 ahead of Preuß (0,2,0) – Bescond (1,0,1) has just gone 2nd, and Haecki (1,1,0) is 4th. Kuzmina and Eckhoff have both missed 1 at S2 – Laura D clear at S4. That’s impressive – Vittozzi is 15/15, so is Davidova (just 1.0 behind) with Tandrevold 3rd at S3, for the present! Oops – Doro has missed 2 at S3 – ammunition snags in the cold conditions? Tandrevold has missed 1 at S4 but she’s still 23.6 ahead of Dahlmeier (0,1,1,0); Hauser (0,1,1,0) 3rd, ahead of Preuß (0,2,0.1). Bescond (1,0,1,0) into 2nd place, Roeiseland (1,1,1,1) has gone 4th, and Julia Simon (2, 0,1,0) into 6th. However, Vittozzi is 20/20 and leading until Davidova also goes 20/20 and 4.2 faster – this is a better race! Vanessa Hinz (0,1,0,0) is going well, now 3rd after S4 but just 4 seconds ahead of Tandrevold. Davidova is gaining time on Vittozzi at 12 Km; Hinz is losing time. Back at S3 Franzi Hildebrand is 15/15 and out 3rd, but Eckhoff’s time is better despite her 1 miss- she’s only 6 seconds behind. At the finish it’s Davidova from Vittozzi (both 20/20), then Tandrevold, Hinz, Bescond and Kuzmina (0,1,1,1), for the present. However, Tiril Eckhoff (0,1,0,0) is flying on the final lap - she’s over the line 9.8 ahead of Davidova despite her 1 miss. What are the Norwegians doing to their skis today?? Now at S4 Julia Schwaiger is 20/20 and 5th (+1:02) but more excitingly so is Franzi Hildebrand, who is more in touch – 4th and +21.3. Emilie Aagheim Kalkenberg (NOR, where else?) was 15/15 but she’s missed 2 at S4; Franzi H over the line in 4th. So, Tiril Eckhoff wins (although she might not have done it with a full 1 minute penalty for a miss?), ahead of Davidova, Vittozzi and Hildebrand (all 20/20), then Tandrevold and Hinz (1 miss each); Dahlmeier in 9th, Roeiseland in 12th (despite 4 misses!), Herrmann in 14th (also 4 misses), Doro W (0,0,2,1) in 22nd and Kaisa M (2,0,3,1) in 48th – no points for her! Roeiseland fastest around the course, ahead of Herrmann and Eckhoff; Sola, Lunder and Haecki fastest on the range. Norway get the double on day 1!

Åre – World Championships – Women’s Alpine Combined, 8 Feb:  Anything Canmore can do … the start of the Downhill section of the Combined has been delayed for an hour! Now it’s gone back 30 minutes to 1130 CET – I do wish they’d make their minds up! Good grief – is that Bode commentating? It was, but for the race we seem to have the UK Eurosport team back; Charlie and Finlay! Conditions don’t look good for this downhill run – it’s snowing and the visibility is poor due to low cloud. First away is Lindsey Vonn, and she’s missed some of the training because of her crash in the Super G; she’s on her way, and safely down – not intending to do run 2 as I understand it. Lara Gut-Behrami next – green at inter 1 but then drifting into the red; she’s +0.91 at the finish. Gagnon into 3rd; Vonn’s time is looking good at present. Christina Ager (AUT) green at inter 1; red lower down but still in touch despite looking a bit tentative – into 2nd, +0.59. Nevena Ignjatovic down – over 2 seconds back but she’s more of a slalom skier; Lisa Hörnblad (SWE) is even more in touch than Ager – she goes 2nd, just 0.16 off the pace! Next away is Ragnhild Mowinckel – green all the way and she’s gained time from the final intermediate to the finish – she leads by 0.66; that was a great run! The snow seems to be getting heavier; Ricarda Haaser is putting plenty of aggression in – great recovery round the tricky gate – she’s into 2nd, +0.55. Now, Ilka Stuhec is away – red at inter 1 but then back into the green; nicely judged and she leads by just 5 hundredths! Nicol Delago into 5th; I don’t see Shiffrin in the start list but Petra Vlhova is there and she’s next to go – that’s good from a technical skier – she’s into 4th (I think – the FIS live timing has gone crazy again); yes now showing as +0.71 for Vlhova; joint 4th with Vonn.  Paulathova hasn’t shown up on the live timing yet, so now it’s Federica Brignone – red all the way but not by much – she’s into 3rd,, +0.59. Alice Merryweather into 7th; Wendy Holdener, the defending champion, is away next – green at 1, then into the red and she’s over the line in 3rd, +0.41 – that gives her 0.30 over Vlhova in the slalom. Fifteen away; Stuhec leads from Mowinckel and Holdener; Brignone in 4th ahead of Haaser and Vlhova/Vonn. What a run – Ramona Siebenhofer into the lead by just one one hundredth of a second! Tina Weirather seems to be having trouble with her set-up; perhaps better today than in training, but she’s 12th, and 0.98 off the pace. Corinne Suter away – it’s red but not by much, and she’s pulled back a little time on the final section to go 4th, +0.34. Probably a good job that I can’t speak Swedish, as I’m sure Ida Dannewitz used a few naughty words as she missed a gate and skied out! Now, bib 30 is Ester Ledecka; good in training yesterday apparently but she’s off the pace a bit today – just 14th at present, +1.14. Jasmine Flury is the last to go – she’s into 17th, and that’s the downhill part of this event finished!
Run 2 – Slalom: Eight DNS listed including Vonn, Gut-B, Weirather and Suter. First away is Marusa Ferk; safely down but Gritsch is 1.27 faster, and Roni Remme is quicker still, on a course set by her Canadian coach! Gagnon in touch at the top, but she’s made a big error and lost her rhythm; Coletti (Monaco) the first DNF of run 2 as she straddles. Marta Bassino has also had problems – she’s into 4th. Ten away – Remme leads from Gritsch and Barthet. Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (NOR) is having a good run – she’s drifted into the red by inter 3 but that’s good enough for 2nd. Interesting to see the speed specialists trying to cope with this slalom; it’s tricky! Alice Merryweather is a case in point – started 1.15 ahead but she’s +1.48 at inter 3 and over 3 seconds behind at the finish – into 12th. Next away is Petra Vlhova – 1.25 in hand at the start, and she’s green all the way, to take the lead – very good run on a course that is beginning to rut, but she hasn’t gained anything though and Remme’s time is still the fastest on run 2! Haaser has had a good attempt but she’s fallen – might have straddled earlier too? Federica Brignone next – red at inter 1; it’s technically OK but it’s not fast enough and she goes into 3rd. Now, Wendy Holdener; she’s lost a little to inter 1, more to 2 and dead level at inter 3 – brilliant final section and she leads by just 0.03! Ragnhild Mowinckel on course – lost time to inter 1, pulled a tiny bit back by 2 but red at 3 – she’s into 3rd. Roni Remme off the podium – still having the fastest time on run 2 might be a slight consolation? Ilka Stuhec into 9th; just Ramona Siebenhofer to go - just red at inter 2, 0.31 behind at inter 3 – she goes 4th, just 0.04 off the podium – hard to bear! So, Holdener retains her title; Vlhova gets Slovakia’s first championship medal, and Mowinckel gets the final podium place. Siebenhofer in 4th, ahead of Remme and Brignone.

Åre – World Championships – Men’s Downhill 9 Feb: Seems to be confirmed at the scheduled start time, but apparently from the lower (Super G) start point? Postponed for an hour as it’s windy – it also looks like there is some cloud on the upper sections. Well, later on it’s perhaps less windy but it is snowing hard and the visibility is worse; even Bodie doesn’t know why they are racing! Anyway, it seems to be on, Adrien Theaux (bib 2) is first away as Hannes Reichelt (bib 1) wasn’t at the bib draw so he now goes after bib 45! Both Bodie and Finlay are glad they are commentating and not in the start gate – conditions really do look very close to the limit – fresh snow and fog/cloud! Theaux is safely down; he doesn’t look impressed. Mauro Caviezel is faster – green all the way and he leads; he certainly didn’t back off at all. Ben Thomsen away next; red at inter 1 and 2 but in touch on the upper section – he leads by 0.08! Matthias Mayer next – looked like an odd line but it’s got him the green light at inter 2; he leads by 0.10! Now, first of the Vikings – Kjetil Jansrud; 0.29 ahead at inter 1; 0.41 at 2, and 0.65 ahead at the finish – from what I could see it looked a very aggressive run – an all-out attack. Kilde next – feedback from the early starters suggests that the vis is not too bad, it’s the snow that is causing problems – Kilde is into 4th. Carlo Janka, a controversial pick for the Swiss team, is off the pace; now, it’s Aksel Lund Svindal on his final race – just green at inter 1, 0.02 behind at inter 2; one tiny error and  0.10 behind at 3 - he’s into 2nd by just 2 one hundredths – he seems happy! The snow is getting heavier as Bryce Bennett does his run – he’s into joint 6th with Caviezel. Bib 13 is Dominik Paris – just green at 1, but 0.48 behind at 2 and more red at 3 – he’s into 4th – one threat to the Vikings gone. Clarey off the pace, he isn’t happy about skiing in these conditions; Beat Feuz on course after him – 0.28 behind at inter 1, slightly better at 2 – he goes 3rd, +0.44. That’s 15 away – Jansrud leads ahead of Svindal and Feuz. Vincent Kriechmayr on course – just 0.03 red at inter 1, 0.07 red at 2 – it’s a great run but he’s more red at 3 – into 3rd at the finish, +0.33. Looked painful – Otmar Striedinger has fallen just short of the finish, off the final jump – both skis off but he’s slid over the line, so he does finish – luckily he’s up and seems OK. There is a lot of soft snow around and the blue lines are almost invisible now – Innerhofer into 11th. Twenty away – Jansrud leads, Svindal 2nd and Kriechmayr 3rd; then Feuz, Mayer and Paris. That was about it; arguably one of the best of the later starters was Ryan Cochran-Siegle (bib 35) who got into 12th; no change to the top 10 since Kriechmayr. Perhaps the only chance of a late upset was Hannes Reichelt, who didn’t go at his assigned bib 1 slot – he ended up 29th, so if that was a tactical decision, it wasn’t a good one? Congratulations to Kjetil Jansrud, although I have to confess I did want Aksel Lund Svindal to win on his final race- just 2 hundredths away from it! Interesting to see Christoffer Faarup (DEN, bib 39) get into 22nd, and Henrik von Appen (Chile, bib 40) end up 24th – good efforts!

Åre – World Championships – Women’s Downhill 10 Feb:  Well, the banner on the FIS live timing says the start is confirmed, and there’s no mention of a lowered start. Spoke too soon – the banner has just announced “from second reserve start (Super G)”, which strips out the most testing bit of the course apparently? Interesting stuff from Bodie pre-race, both about the competitors and the background to the whole race scene. This will be Lindsey Vonn’s final race (unless … ??), and she has bib 3 today; racing despite a black eye and bruised ribs after the Super G crash. Vikki Rebensburg is first away – better conditions than yesterday, and she’s quicker than the training run – looked error free, apart from a slight twist off the final jump? Jasmine Flury is quite a bit slower – over the line, +0.54. Now it’s Lindsey Vonn;  +0.23 at inter 1 but then gaining time – 0.07 at inter 2 and green at 3 – she leads by 0.33! Charlie seems to be determined to get more hoarse than Nick! Nadia Fanchini green at inter 1 and 2 but then lost time where Vonn gained – into 3rd. Bib 5 is Sofia Goggia, another of Bodie’s tips – green at 1, 0.04 red at 2, but again she’s losing time on the lower section –  a final error and she’s just 4th, 2 hundredths behind Fanchini! Next is Ragnhild Mowinckel – green at inter 1, 0.37 ahead at 2, lost a little to 3 but still green – bit slow through the final speed gun, and an error on the very final section – into 2nd, +0.10. Stephanie Venier is also green at inter 1 and 2, just green at 3 and now she’s 2nd, +0.04! This is all very close – Nicol Delago is next, and again green at inter 1 and 2 – she too has drifted into the red at 3; she’s only 0.13 off the pace at the finish but that’s only good enough for 4th. Bib 9 is Ilka Stuhec, the defending champion  – 0.41 green at inter 1, 0.75 green at 2; lost a bit to 3 (0.47 green) – she leads by a massive 0.49 – what a brilliant run! Ten away – Stuhec leads from Vonn and Venier; Mowinckel 4th, ahead of Delago and Tippler. Weidle in touch at the top but losing time lower down – great recovery as she caught an edge just before the finish, into 8th. Michaela Wenig has taken over 8th; now it’s Ramona Siebenhofer – she’s a bit red at inter 1, and she’s another who has lost a bit on the final section – just 6th.  Bodie reckoned Ramona Siebenhofer might do better than Nicole Schmidhofer on this course, and Nicole is bib 15 – she is slightly red at inter 1, but it’s slipped out to +0.61 at inter 2 – she’s over the line 7th, so Bodie was right! Miradoli very close to the nets, but safe; Tina Weirather is also off the pace, she doesn’t seem to have found the correct set-up here? Lara Gut-Behrami is a bit more in touch, but just 7th; looks like we might have the “retiring champion” in 2nd again today? Or will we – Corinne Suter is 0.04 red at inter 1, 0.06 red at 2 – lost a bit to inter 3 after a little error – fast through the final gun and into 2nd! Ester Ledecka isn’t going to steal another late win – just 17th today; that’s 20 starters away – Stuhec (SLO) leads from Suter (SUI) and Vonn (USA); then Venier, Mowinckel and Delago.  The light conditions are getting worse, which won’t help the later starters; last change to the top 10 was Suter. Kajsa Vickhoff Lie into 19th, the only one of the later starters to get into the top 20 since Ledecka. So, well done to Ilka Stuhec; the defending champion has held on to her title! Great run from Corinne Suter to go 2nd, and Lindsey Vonn gets a podium place in her final race – apparently that’s the 6th World Championships in succession in which she has won a medal!

Åre – World Championships – Men’s Alpine Combined, 11 Feb: Aha – Nick is back in the commentary box! Once again it’s a lowered start/shortened course; possibly the best conditions on the downhill course this week lower down, but windy at the top? No Marcel Hirscher today and Jansrud isn’t racing either. Thomas Mermillod Blondin the first away and he’s down safely; Carlo Janka is more than a second faster! Romed Baumann into 2nd, but lucky to recover from catching an edge just before the finish. Klemen Kosi very similar, even to the stumble near the finish; he’s 3rd. Marco Schwarz has done well for a technical specialist – into 4th, and well placed for run 2. Next away is Stefan Hadalin, another tech racer; courageous stuff and some great recoveries, +1.28, in 5th. Next away is Alexis Pinturault; good run but off line at times and not as quick as he would have liked – he’s 5th, +0.92. Bryce Bennett into 4th; Victor M-J has had a big skid just before the final jump – 6th position. Vincent Kriechmayr next and green at inter 1; green again at 2 and he leads by 0.16. Dominik Paris is 0.33 ahead at inter 2; 0.44 ahead at 3 and the same at the finish. Caviezel into 4th, +0.63; Niels Hinterman goes 5th and Ted Ligety has made a similar error to Pinturault but more so – he’s 15th at present. Kilde into 2nd +0.38; Innerhofer really in touch at inter 2; lost a bit lower down but he goes joint 3rd with Kriechmayr. Recovery of the day by Filip Zubcic; lucky to avoid a fall, and amazing that he got inside that gate! Tonetti into 9th, just over a second off the pace – good work for a tech skier. Ryan Cochran-Siegle is bib 22; red at inter 1 but he’s pulling back time and he’s green at inter 2 by 0.20 – 0.02 red at 3 and just 3 hundredths behind at the finish! So, Dominik Paris leads, from Ryan C-S and Kilde; Innerhofer in joint 4th with Kriechmayr ahead of Carlo Janka. I thought that might have been it, but Mattia Casse (ITA, bib 30) fought his way into 6th, and even later Sejersted (bib 44) got into 9th, the last skier to change the top 10!
Run 2: Joined this late, about halfway through – Alexis Pinturault leading, from Stefan Hadalin (best time on run 2 so far) and Marco Schwarz, then Tonetti, Strasser and Muffat-Jeandet – 11 to go. The course is getting rutted, not helped by some of the speed boys going quite a long way around the gates! This looks like a bit of a beast of a slalom; not exactly friendly if you are a speed expert. That was a good attempt by Mauro Caviezel – still green at inter 2, but he lost his chance (perhaps a bronze?) about 3 gates from home and ended up 7th. Carlo Janka didn’t do too badly in the downhill leg, but he’s making too many errors in the slalom – only 16th! Mattia Casse next, and he has a full second in hand; most gone by inter 1 and very red at 2 – he isn’t a slalom skier (says he, who never got the hang of it); +2.86 at the finish. Vincent Kriechmayr is much the same, although he did look more at home on the shorter skis – 1.08 green at the start – then 0.09 at inter 1, and +2.12 at the finish; 16th place! Christof Innerhofer was looking a bit better; more green at inter 2 than many before him BUT he’s missed a gate and that’s a DNF. Kilde is 1.14 ahead at the start, 0.33 at inter 1, but he too is red at 2, and he’s lost a lot on the final section – he’s 20th. Two to go – Ryan Cochran-Siegle next – his mum was a slalom champion, but he isn’t; 17th place! So, just Dominik Paris to come – 1.52 in hand; the course is now very rutted; he’s lost half his advantage by inter 1, +0.24 at 2 and he goes 9th! They should have made the downhill section more vicious – too easy for those with slalom skills!! Well done to Alexis Pinturault (FRA), who gained 23 places on run 2; Stefan Hadalin (SLO; 30th on run 1) gained 28 places and had the fastest time on run 2, and Marco Schwarz (AUT) was probably delighted to hang on to bronze.

Canmore - Men’s 4 x 7.5 Km Relay, 8 Feb: Quite a good crowd, given the conditions – minus 18, without wind chill! Twenty three teams tonight, some not as strong as they might be! Race on – at the first split it’s Garanichev leading ahead of Birkeland, Varabei (BLR), Guigonnat, Rees and Bormolini, but there’s only 6.8 seconds between the teams. Quite a pace into the range – quite windy; lots of misses, the Swiss will be doing 3 penalty loops! Garanichev (clear) leads out, ahead of Birkeland (1 spare), Pryma (UKR; 0), and Leitner (0). Guigonnat (2 spares) in 8th, Rees (2) in 11th. Italy doing 2 loops, so are China. Leading 2 in for the standing shoot – Birkeland has missed his 5th, but he’s out with just 1 spare, Guigonnat clear; Garanichev is having a mare – all 3 spares and slow too he’s out in 8th. Birkeland (2 spares so far) leads out, ahead of Guigonnat (2), Pryma (1), Christian Gow (5), Zahkna (EST; 3) and Leitner (1). Buta (ROM) seems to be the only one to use no spares; Wiestner (SUI) has now done 5 penalty loops. At the first exchange France lead (Jacquelin taking over), ahead of Norway (Christiansen), then UKR/CAN/EST/RUS. Germany in 12th, behind Belgium (9th) and Romania (11th). On the lap Latypov (RUS) has gained places and is up to 3rd, but +31.8, Scott Gow dropping back a little. Leading 2 are in for S3; Jacquelin clear and out, Christiansen needs 1 spare but out +0.9; Ermits (EST) clear and out 3rd, +32.7 ahead of Latypov, Semenov (UKR) and Gow. Erik Lesser clear and up to 8th, but +1:01.7. Christiansen back into the lead on the lap, but Jacquelin is still with him; they are pulling away from Latypov and Ermits – by 4.5 Km of leg 2 they’ve lost some 20 seconds! Leading 2 in for S4 – they’ve both missed 1, and are out and away; Latypov clear and out 3rd (+47.2), ahead of Gow (+1:14.1), Semenov and Eder. Ermits has done a penalty loop, so has Lesser. Commentary Mike seems to have problems with his data screen – he reckons only 2 teams have been on the penalty loop so far, and he hasn’t included the Swiss who have done 5! On the lap Christiansen is pulling away; he’s pulled out 15 seconds already! So, exchange 2 and Norway lead France by 22.9 seconds; Russia in 3rd, but 1:16.6 back, then CAN/AUT/UKR – Germany in 7th, just ahead of Italy. On the lap Bjøntegaard has pulled out a little on Simon Fourcade; Loginov has gained a little in 3rd, Burnotte in 4th, just ahead of Nawrath and Landertinger. Bjøntegaard in for S5; he’s missed his first as Fourcade settles, one spare and away, Simon F clear. Loginov has missed 2, but he’s out after 2 spares. Landertinger and Nawrath both clear – order after S5 is Bjøntegaard, Fourcade, Loginov (+1:22.7), Landertinger, Nawrath (+1:27.8) and Burnotte (3 spares here), +1:53.9. Bjøntegaard in for S6 – he’s missed 2; loading spares in these conditions is fiddly! Simon F has used 1 spare and he leads out, 7.9 ahead of the Norwegian. Loginov has missed 2, as has Landertinger ; Nawrath has used all 3 spares. Loginov 3rd (+1:13.3) ahead of Landertinger (+1:22.1), Nawrath (+1:32.5) and Lessing (EST; +2:35.0); Burnotte has done 2 penalty loops. The final exchange, and Norway have one Johannes Thingnes Bø on the last leg! Norway lead France (QFM taking over) by 8.7 seconds; Russia in 3rd, +1:15.2, then AUT/GER(+1:46.5)/CAN (+3:04.6). JoBø seems to have fired up the rocket pack already – he’s gained 8 seconds by the first split.  JoBø in for S7; all clear and that was fast too. QFM needs 1 spare and he’s now 50.6 behind. Povarnitsyn clear, and so is Kühn – out 3 (+1:33) and 4 (+2:02) respectively; Eberhard on the penalty loop for 2 loops! I missed that – USA did 5 penalty loops on leg 3, and they’ve been lapped. JoBø in for his last shoot – it’s gusty but he’s cleared all 5 again; QFM has missed 2 – he needed all 3 spares. Povarnitsyn has missed 2 but he’s out after 2 spares; Kühn has done 2 penalty loops, but he’s still out 4th, comfortably ahead of Krupcik (CZE) with Eberhard in 6th. This isn’t the most exciting race!! Johannes has actually managed to ease off a little – he cruises gently to win for Norway (0+7); France (0+8) second but +1:10.4, Russia (0+9) getting the final podium place, +1:48.4). Germany (3+12) in 4th, ahead of Austria (3+11), then CZE/UKR/ITA. Just 12 teams finished – the rest were lapped, including Sweden, who had 4 penalty loops on the final leg.

Canmore - Women’s 4 x 6 Km Relay, 8 Feb: Nineteen teams this time. Perhaps a little warmer, but not a lot; Anais Chevalier the early leader, ahead of Beaudry (CAN) and Emilie Aagheim Kalkenberg (NOR); Vittozzi coming up into 3rd. In for S1 – Canada having snags. The IBU feed shows almost everyone using 3 spares which isn’t right! It shows Vittozzi leading, ahead of Dunklee, Kalkenberg, Sola (BLR), Tang (CHI) and Hinz. Ah, the data has caught up – order is correct and the spares are now correct. Beaudry and Vasnetcova (RUS) doing 1 loop each, Kim (KOR) is doing 3. In for S2 – Vittozzi clear and away, Dunklee has missed 2 – all 3 spares needed, Kalkenberg is on the loop – 2 loops to do. Vittozzi (0 spares) leads out, ahead of Hinz (1), +20.2, Chevalier (3), Kadeva (BUL; 0), +40.2, Dunklee (3), +46.2 and Oja (EST; 2). Charvátová (CZE) also on the loop twice, and Sola has 1 loop to do. The first exchange and Italy lead (Gontier taking over); Germany (Hildebrand) 23.5 behind with France (Braisaz) +24.2, then EST/USA/JPN/BUL/AUT/SUI/UKR. Braisaz and Franzi H aren’t closing on the lap; Gontier already at S3 – clear and out! Franzi H has missed 1, Braisaz clear and out (+24.0), Tomingas (EST) clear and out (+46.5) ahead of Hildebrand (+50.1). Looks like Egan (USA) has done 2 penalty loops and Lunder (CAN) has 5!  Gontier is in for her standing shoot, having held off Braisaz; 1 miss, 1 spare and away. Braisaz also 1 miss and 1 spare; same for Tomingas and Hildebrand; Japan will be on the loop. Order after S4;  Gontier, Braisaz (+28.2), Tomingas (+47.4), Hildebrand (+48.5), E Gasparin (+55.1), Stoyanova (BUL, +1:15.3). Second exchange – Gontier has done really well, especially given her standing statistics – Doro W has 34.3 seconds in hand. France is second, ahead of Estonia and Germany. The SUI/BUL/AUT/UKR/UKR/NOR/JPN. Sadly the first team to be lapped are Canada, who have done 6 penalty loops so far; Korea also out. On the lap Doro is away, Denise Herrmann up to 2nd, ahead of Bescond and Talihaerm (EST); Tiril Eckhoff gaining a bit – she’s 9th, +1:57.5. It’s quite windy as Doro comes in for S5 – all 5 down and she’s out and away. Herrmann needed 2 spares, Bescond only 1, same for Talihaerm. Out Doro, Anais Bescond (+34.7) then Herrmann (+47.9) and Talihaerm (+50.1). Eckhoff clear and up to 6th, +1:48.4. On the lap Denise H is up with Anais B. Doro is in for S6; fast but 2 misses – 2 spares and out. Herrmann has outshot Bescond – 1 spare for Denise, 3 for Anais. Out Wierer, Herrmann (+26.8), Bescond (+46.3) and Tiril Eckhoff (+1:39.6). Talihaerm is 5th, ahead of Meinen (SUI). Herrmann flying on the final section; gap down to about 10 seconds at 5.5 Km! She’s caught Doro! Final exchange – Laura Dahlmeier away with Sanfilippo 3 seconds behind. France 57.1 behind, and Norway 1:26.9. Julia Simon versus Marte Roeiseland on this lap – not sure about the Norway exchange? Laura D has pulled out 14 seconds on the lap, Roeiseland isn’t catching at present. It’s just been mentioned that Russia aren’t having a good day – they were 1+13 at exchange 3. Laura in for S7 – 2 spares needed. Sanfilippo also needing 2 spares and she’s slow; Simon has used all 3 and had a fall leaving the range;  Roeiseland is clear. So, Laura D leads, Sanfilippo 2nd (+48.4), Roeiseland (+1:22.0) and Simon (+1:25.3). Sanfilippo has lost about 10 seconds by 3.5 Km, Roeiseland is also slipping back a little. Laura has missed her first 2, and 1 more – 3 targets, 3 rounds – she’s on the loop! Sanfilippo has missed 2, the wind is gusting a lot – Julia Simon has cleared her 5 with 1 spare and she’s out 2nd, +27.1; Roeiseland used 2 spares, slowly, and out 3rd, +48.5. Sanfilippo has done 1 loop, but out 4th, Haecki 2 loops and out 5th, Hauser 1 spare only and 6th. Now, on the final lap Roeiseland is closing on Simon. Germany (1+12) win the relay (at last!), Norway (2+7) into 2nd and France (0+12) in 3rd. All credit to Germany, and especially Denise Herrmann who shot well and skied out of her skin. Julia Simon is still on the ground at the finish – she’s given it all – she’s OK now. Italy (1+8) in 4th, ahead of Switzerland (2+10) and Austria (1+9). Better race again!

And finally - the original schedule for Canmore had the Mass Starts on Sunday; due to the cold weather that was changed to the much shorter sprint races, and moved to Saturday, leaving Sunday as a spare day; BUT on Saturday the IBU said: "Due to the weather forecast with temperatures below -25 degrees Celsius there will be no competitions on Saturday in Canmore. The two sprint competitions are rescheduled for Sunday."
And on Sunday they said: "Both Sprint competitions at the BMW IBU World Cup Canmore have been cancelled after a jury meeting on Sunday morning (local time).  The temperatures in Canmore will remain around -20 degrees Celsius for most of the day. Thus, the competition jury decided to cancel the sprint competitions for both Men and Women." Pity - but racing in those temperatures isn't a good idea if you want to stay healthy - on the Salt Lake City!

Åre – World Championships –Alpine Team Event, 12 Feb: Oh dear – the 1/8 final has no less than 8 heats, 4 runs per heat; this could take a while! The heats will be confirmed just before the scheduled start time, but at present poor Argentina have “drawn” Austria! Mind you, GB has got Germany! So, head to head slalom, men and women, swapping courses each time. We have Nick and Finlay – the course seems to be rather tricky; not a straightforward slalom course. We start with Liensberger against Barruzi Farriol; the Argentinian is a DNF. Birkner de Miguel v Matt next – Matt won but only by 0.03 – that was a surprise! Truppe v Nicol Gastaldi and Katharina wins by 0.72; 3-0 to Austria. Marco Schwarz had made it 4-0 as he beats Sebastiano Gastaldi. Heat 2 – Slovenia v Slovakia; Ferk v Moravcikova (SVK) first away; no Petra Vlhova today – Ferk wins. Marovt (SLO) v Falat next – Tijan Marovt is a DNF – 1 all! Ana Bucik v Petra Hromcova (SVK) next; Bucik wins, as you might expect given her ranking. However next is Spik (SLO) v Adam Zampa, who has a better ranking this time – Jacob Spik is a DNF so they look at the best times from each team – Slovakia go through on tie break. Next heat – NOR v CZE; Stjernesund beats Capova; now it’s Foss-Solevaag v Zabystran – but it seems the wrong racer is in the start – it’s Berndt not Zabystran. Once that gets sorted Solevaag wins; Zabystran is shown as DSQ. Lysdahl has beaten Dubovska; just Leif K N-H v Berndt; Leif makes it 4-0.
Next heat – Italy versus Finland; Della Mea v Korpio to start – Italy take that one; now Maurberger v Henttinen, and already the course is starting to cut up; Maurberger takes it but only by 0.04 – very close racing! Now Irene Curtoni v Rikka Honkanen – there’s an upset, Curtoni a bit wild and she’s made an error – Honkanen gets one back for Finland. Alex Vinatzer v Joonas Rasanen – Italy get it by 0.10; Italy 3-1 up. Heat 5 – France v Russia; Worley v Tkachenko away first – Tessa Worley gets it, as expected but only by 0.08! It seems to be snowing too, as Lizeroux goes against Trikhichev; Russian ahead until he hits the gate and is a DNF; France 2-0 up. Escane v Gornostaeva – Doriane Escane has fallen early on, heavy edge catch but she seems to be OK. Just Clement Noel v Ivan Kuznetsov – the Russian has skied out so France go through 3-1. Now then, Germany v Great Britain; with Geiger v Tilley first away; Geiger has taken it by 0.64. Next Linus Strasser v Laurie Taylor – bit closer but Strasser has taken it, and his time is the best so far tonight. Lena Dürr v Charlie Guest – Germany go 3-0 up, but we still have Ryding v Tremmel – Dave has set the fastest time so far to make it 3-1. Heat 7 – Sweden v Canada; Anna Swenn Larsson v Erin Mielzynski to start – Sweden go 1 up; fans are delighted and very vocal. Now Hargin v Erik Read; Mattias has made it 2-0, but that was pretty close. Hansdotter v St-Germain – Frida a bit nervous at the start but she gets Sweden through to the 1/4 finals; just Myhrer v Philp – and the Swede who invented cross blocking (?) is a DNF! Sweden though 3-1, but well done Trevor Philp! Final Heat – Switzerland v Belgium; Danioth v Vanreusel – Danioth wins but only by 0.08! Now, Zenhaeusern v Verbeke, who has lost one pole early on – he’s a DNF. Holdener v Decroix, and Wendy makes it 3-0 to the Swiss. Just Yule v Van Den Broecke; the Belgian is a DNF, but at that stage he was a gate ahead of Yule!
QF races: We start with AUT v SVK – Liensberger v Moravcikova; Liensberger takes it by 0.51. Michael Matt v Matej Falat next – Matt takes it by 0.62. Now Truppe v Hromcova; Katharina Truppe has made it 3-0 by a comfortable margin – 0.83. Bit academic but Schwarz v Zampa to finish – Marco has made it 4-0. Now – Norway v Italy; Stjernesund v Curtoni first; that was really close – Norway get it by 0.02! Seb Foss-Solevaag v Vinatzer – Foss-Solevaag has had a ski release, and is a DNF – 1-1. Lysdahl v Della Mea; Italy take that one by 0.37. Now, Leif K N-H v Simon Maurberger and the course is starting to cut more – that was another very close one; Maurberger nicks it by 0.02 and Italy go through 3-1; Norway out! Heat 3 of the QF races – France v Germany; Worley v Geiger – something of an upset, Christina Geiger has taken it by just 6 hundredths. Tremmel v Lizeroux – France take that one – 1-1. Escane v Dürr next and Lena Dürr take sit by 0.54. This should be good – Clement Noel v Linus Strasser; Strasser maybe not on his best form at present – good enough to make it 3-1 though and he’s beaten Noel by 0.29 – France (defending champions) out. Last QF heat – Sweden v Switzerland; Anna SL v Wendy Holdener; Swenn Larsson has skied out – curse of Nick? Next Hargin v Yule – this time the Swiss have the DNF, 1-1. Hansdotter v Danioth – no real surprise that Frida gets that one. Another massive contest now – Andre Myhrer v Ramon Zenhaeusern. Ramon has taken it to tie the race – the Swiss have the better 2 times and go through – Sweden are out.
Semis: AUT v ITA – Katharina Truppe has beaten Irene Curtoni; Alex Vinatzer has gone just 0.06 faster than Michael Matt; 1-1. Now Liensberger v Della Mea, as the snow gets heavier and the course ruts even more – big errors from Della Mea gifts it to Liensberger! Schwarz v Maurberger – Simon Maurberger gets that one, to go 2-2 but Austria qualify on time countback. Now – Germany v Switzerland; Geiger v Holdener to get that going; Wendy H gets the Swiss 1 up. Now, Yule should beat Tremmel, but he hasn’t; Anton Tremmel takes it by 0.42 – times pretty much tied too. Dürr v Danioth – Lena has put Germany 2-1 up. Strasser v Zenhaeusern to settle it; Ramon Z takes it by an impressive 0.40, which gets the Swiss through by 0.20 on time countback – both Semi-finals decided by tie-breaks!
Finals: Small final first, Italy v Germany to decide bronze – Lara Della Mea v Christina Geiger - Bodie reckons Italy should take it; Nick & Finlay disagree! Lara has taken the first leg – score one for Italy (and Bodie). Next Maurberger v Tremmel – Simon M has taken it fairly comfortably after a late error by Tremmel. Now Curtoni v Dürr, as Nick and Finlay wonder why they bet against Bodie Miller. Lena Dürr has taken 1 back for Germany. Linus Strasser v Alex Vinatzer –Germany need to win, and by 0.68 at least; Vinatzer has skied out and it looks as though Germany has won BUT Linus Strasser has straddled, it seems, and he’s DSQ. Italy take bronze 3-1! The GB commentary team will be buying Bodie’s beer! The big final – Wendy Holdener has put the Swiss 1 up by beating Katharina Liensberger by 0.28. Next Yule v Matt, and Daniel hasn’t seemed to be happy in this event; he hasn’t had a good evening and Michael Matt wins, by 0.48. Now Katharina Truppe v Aline Danioth; Truppe gets it but only by 0.21. Schwarz v Zenhaeusern to settle it – Ramon Zenhaeusern has won, and by a mighty 0.54 – that gives Switzerland the gold by 0.77, on time countback. What an evening for Ramon Zenhaeusern, the star of the Swiss team with Wendy Holdener! Switzerland win the gold, Austria the silver and Italy in bronze.

Åre – World Championships –Women’s Giant Slalom, 14 Feb: Sounds as though the snow might be liable to deteriorate as the race goes on, so it might also be very rutted for the final stages of run 2 – and, the start has been lowered again today because of the wind – they aren’t having much luck with the weather! Looking at Bodie – it’s pretty windy at the bottom of the course too! First away today is Ragnhild Mowinckel, the course already looks a bit “faded” – it’s warm , it has been raining and the course has been salted twice already. That’s Mowinckel safely down and it looked pretty good – let’s see how Mikaela Shiffrin does – green at inter 1 and 2 but just red at 3 – she’s 0.07 behind at the finish – there’s a surprise! Vikki Rebensburg is massively faster most of the way – lost a bit on the final section but she’s into the lead by 0.37! Petra Vlhova next and her coach set the course; a big error after inter 2 but she’s recovered well – into 2nd, +0.19. Tessa Worley on course – red at 1, green at 2; nice line and just red at 3 – but the tricky final gates have cost her time – 5th, +0.73. Wendy Holdener is off the pace – into 6th of 6; Brignone also having snags as the bumps build – into 6th. So, at the moment it’s Rebensburg leading, ahead of Vlhova (+0.19), Mowinckel (+0.37), Shiffrin (+0.44) then Worley and Brignone. Austria aren’t having a good championships yet – Ricarda Haaser into joint 7th, with Holdener, which won’t satisfy the Austrian fans and press! The wind seems to have increased; apparently the race jury seriously thought of cancelling this race but there are no spare days to reschedule. Bernadette Schild has fallen and hit a gate – she’s up and skiing down but holding her face and neck; some gates have solid panels today because of the wind, which won’t have helped her. Meta Hrovat into 9th, fighting a strong uphill wind; Frida Hansdotter has taken over that position. Marta Bassino has done slightly better – into 7th; that’s 15 away – no change to the top 6 since Federica Brignone. Bib 17 is Sofia Goggia – she’s into 6th, +0.91 which is good skiing as the piste cuts up and the wind increases. No further change to the top 10 until Coralie Frasse Sombet (bib 21); again, not in ideal conditions, but she skies it well and goes 9th. As it turned out, that was the last change to the top 10; Andrea Ellenberger (bib 25) the last one into the top 20, getting 18th place. Alex Tilley was 21st after her run, and ended up 24th – so she will get a 2nd run. Run 1 over.
Run 2, under floodlights: Delayed by 15 minutes; still very windy and the start is again at the reserve height. Bodie reckons the result might be Rebensburg, Shiffrin and Vlhova in that order; we’ll see! Alice Robinson (NZL) is the first away, and she’s making good use of the new course, set by an Italian coach – bit less twisty and faster, aiming to suit his team!? It didn’t work for Francesca Marsaglia who is the first DNF on run 2; Aso Ando (JPN) into 2nd; not for long though as Romane Miradoli has gone 2nd – Robinson has already gained 3 places. Alex Tilley next to go, 0.24 in hand at the start; 0.08 green at 2 and she’s skied out. Truppe into 2nd; Clara Direz (FRA) is doing better – 0.77 ahead at inter 1 and keeping it just under half a second green at 2 and 3 – she leads by 0.57. Ylva Staalnacke (SWE) into 2nd; Marlene Schmotz is very close – 0.04 ahead at inter 2 but then she’s lost time – into 4th. That’s 10 away – Direz leads from Staalnacke and Robinson. Gagnon unlucky with the wind, which gusted at the wrong time – into 5th; Lara Gut-B is next – she’s taken over 5th – still hasn’t got her old form back. Now Andrea Ellenberger (SUI) did well on run 1 from bib 25 – green almost all the way, just losing a little on the final section to go 2nd. Now Sara Hector is going well – keeping it green and she’s gained between inter 2 and 3 – she’s taken the lead by 0.27 – good run! At the halfway point Hector leads from Direz and Ellenberger; Robinson still has the best time on run 2, and she’s already gained 11 places! Liensberger off the pace; hit by a strong gust at just the wrong place; she really has been unlucky with conditions, and into 6th. Frida Hansdotter was green all the way to inter 3 but lost time to end up 4th at present. Now, Wendy Holdener – still green at inter 2 but then a big error and she’s just 7th. Ricarda Haaser has gained time to inter 1, lost it to inter 2, quite red by 3 and she’s 7th! Coralie Frasse Sombet had a good run earlier and she’s going well here too –still green at inter 3 but fading on the final section to go 3rd. Marta Bassino is another one who has kept her advantage on the upper section despite a massive headwind, but it’s taken its toll lower down and she is now 7th! Federica Brignone next – 1.11 at the start, she gained to inter 1, bit more at 2, lost a tiny bit to 3 and she leads by 1.07 – brilliant skiing, very impressive! Nasty – Sofia Goggia has fallen – looked nasty but she’s up and skiing away. Tessa Worley away, 0.22 in hand but she’s red at inter 2; that wind really is bad now, despite which she’s got into 2nd, +0.22. Now Mikaela Shiffrin has 0.51 in hand – she gains a little to inter 1, lost a bit to 2 and 3 and then gained again; what a race face – she leads by 0.49! Next is Ragnhild Mowinckel – just red by inter 1, bit redder at 2 after a good recovery and she’s just green at 3; into 2nd, +0.12. Here comes Petra Vlhova – 0.25 ahead as she starts; various shades of green at the intermediates, and very unlucky with the wind, great closing turns and she has taken the lead – risk rewarded! Vikki Rebensburg is 0.19 ahead – she’s gaining small amounts all the way to get 0.40 ahead at inter 3 – where did it go? Nick thought she had it, but she’s into 2nd, over half a second lost in the final 10 turns! So Petra Vlhova takes the gold medal, ahead of Rebensburg and Shiffrin. Mowinckel in 4th, ahead of Brignone and Worley. I see that the top four places (1,2,3,4) were bib numbers 4,3,2,1 in that order. Alice Robinson ended up 17th, still with the best time for run 2, having gained 13 places!

Åre – World Championships –Men’s Giant Slalom, 15 Feb: Lovely looking weather, although a bit warm – lots of salt down again; good background from Bodie again! Apparently Marcel Hirscher has cancelled a lot of PR stuff – probably fed up with being asked about Austria’s lack of gold medals; there’s also a rumour that he has flu! Henrik Kristoffersen will be the first away, starting from the top of the mountain today! That’s a very aggressive start and he worked the terrain well too – the course was set by a Norwegian coach! Kristoffersen is really pushing and he’s safely down. Alexis Pinturault next and he’s green at inter 1 and 2, lost a bit by 3 but he gains again and takes the lead by 0.18. That’s a long course for a GS race; he looked fairly tired by the end! Kranjec into 3rd, +0.84; Fanara has taken over 3rd, +0.42 and Hirscher is next. Marcel Hirscher away – one hundredth green at inter 1, red at 2, +0.02 at inter 3 and into 2nd, +0.10. Meillard goes 5th; local boy Matts Olsson is off the pace – he’s 7th, +1.61! Luca de Aliprandini is very exciting to watch, but he’s suffering as the surface is already breaking up – 8th, +1.92. Leif K N-H made a big error early on – still into 7th; Ted Ligety is bib 10 – a 3 times winner in this event, but he hasn’t won a GS race since 2015 – into 8th, +1.58. Stefan Luitz has straddled – quite a fall but he’s up and seems OK. Sadly he’s stopped further down and is limping away – hopefully not yet another ACL injury? Victor M-J still isn’t having a good season – into 11th; Mathieu Faivre is better and into 7th; Tommy Ford into 9th. Feller into 12th; that’s 15 away – Pinturault leads from Hirscher (+0.10) and Kristoffersen (++0.18); Fanara in 4th, then Meillard and Kranjec. It’s still plus 7 degrees in Åre, and the top of the course is in the sun – not good! Kilde has skied out, maybe a muscle strain too? Mölgg well off the pace and slowest of those who have finished; Caviezel also out, and so is Tummler. Tonetti has made it 3 DNFs in a row, but Marco Odermatt (SUI) is going well – very risky stuff, and he’s into 7th – great work! That’s a second good run in a row – Alex Schmid (GER, bib 23) also well in touch; quite risky but now he’s into 7th, +0.92. Stefan Brennsteiner (AUT, bib 30) has gone 12th – good effort! No change to the top 10 since Alex Schmid, and with the run over, no change to the top 20 since Brennsteiner.
Run 2: Back under the floodlights; hopefully a bit colder now. This run set by a German coach, who has gone for a more open, faster pattern of gates; Finlay reckons the snow looks better as well so this should be quick! Tomoya Ishii (JPN) the first away, and he’s safely down; Sam Maes (a Belgian from Austria) into 2nd. Simon Maurberger (ITA) into the lead; it seems that if you get off the narrow strip of “salt hardened snow” then it gets very mushy and slow! Samu Torsti (FIN) was surely on track to take the lead but he’s made a big error and goes only 3rd. Good grief – Trevor Philp (CAN) has put together a brilliant run – he leads by 1.26! That time might last a while? Leitinger has straddled (looked painful) and he’s out, but seems OK; Zubcic into 2nd – the commentary team reckon this run looks a bit more like a Super G than a GS? Stefan Hadalin lucky to recover but into 3rd; Ryan Cochran-Siegle has taken over that position. Next is Victor M-J, and he has just over a full second in hand – he was losing time, but has pulled something back between inter 2 and 3 – he’s taken the lead by 0.76; the 2nd best time on run 2 so far. Manu Feller has gained a little on the top section, but he’s into the red by inter 3 – he goes 2nd. Marco Schwarz is also gaining time at the top – he has lost a bit between 2 and 3, but he’s gained a lot back and at the finish he’s 0.68 ahead – best time on run 2 as well. That’s half-way – Schwarz leads from Victor M-J and Feller. Rasmus Windingstad (NOR) into 2nd; Matts Olsson will be disappointed with 5th. Ted Ligety on course; into the red at inter 2 (just) but he’s lost it a bit lower down, catching a knee on a gate – great recovery and somehow he’s 2nd. Now, Stefan Brennsteiner, who had a good run from a relatively late start on run 1 to get here; green until inter 3 but it’s a bit wild – he’s into 2nd. Tommy Ford into 4th; Leif K N-Haugen red at inter 2 but he’s got it back to green at 3; into 2nd by just 0.04. Mathieu Faivre already just red at inter 1 – not one of his best and he’s into 10th; Marco Odermatt also had a good first run; he’s lost a bit this time on the final sections – into 4th. And speaking of good first runs – here’s Alex Schmid; he’s lost almost half his advantage by inter 2, but that’s still a good result for him – into 3rd. Zan Kranjec is losing a bit of time but he’s holding on to the green light – he too seems to be tiring a bit by the end – it’s a long, tough course – he’s got exactly the same combined time as Schwarz; dead heat for first at the moment! Next is Loic Meillard – 0.96 in hand – still 0.60 ahead at 2, just 0.07 ahead by inter 3, but he’s good from there and leads by 0.12. Four to go – Meillard leads from Schwarz and Kranjec in joint 2nd. Fanara has fallen quite early on, sliding out, so now it’s Henrik Kristoffersen – 0.57 ahead as he starts – up to 0.90 at inter 1 and he’s over a full second ahead at inter 3 – he leads by 0.92, although astonishingly it’s only the 5th best time on run 2! At least he will get his first World Championship medal! Now, Marcel Hirscher is just 0.08 ahead as he starts; 0.22 ahead at inter 1, dead level at 2, a couple small errors; 0.19 red at inter 3 and he’s into 2nd, +0.20 – great recoveries but not quite enough on the night. Just Alexis Pinturault to come – 0.18 at the start, 0.33 at 1, 0.13 green at 2 and he’s going red – he’s into 3rd! What a race – Kristoffersen at last beats Hirscher – his first Championship medal is gold! So, Kristoffersen wins, Hirscher in silver and Pinturault bronze; Meillard in 4th ahead of Schwarz and Kranjec in joint 5th. Best time on run 2 was Marco Schwarz, Hirscher only 10th and Pinturault 19th! It has to be said that Marcel Hirscher doesn’t actually look well, but maybe that’s just the effects of the 2 long runs?

Salt Lake City (Soldier Field) – Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 14 Feb: Bit grey and overcast, but warmer than Canmore; snow maybe a bit wet, if anything! I think this is the highest venue in the programme? Celia Aymonier the early pace setter at the 1 Km timing point; the commentators suggest that it’s not ideal to go in group 1 after yesterday’s fresh snow, but it also seems that the later starters might suffer as the snow gets slushier? Aymonier has missed 1 at S1; Iana Bondar (UKR) has gone clear – Kuzmina now fastest at 1 Km. Good shooting by Beaudry – all 5 down quickly but she’s a bit slower on the skis. Kuzmina shooting fast, and clear at S1, 25.4 faster than Bondar. Karo Horchler has missed her 5th at S1; Davidova has also missed 1 there. Fifteen through S1 – 7 clear. Kaisa M clear at S1 and out 8.8 behind Kuzmina. At S2 Aymonier is 1,1 but faster than Bondar who missed 1 here. Doro W is clear at S1, and out 3rd but Vittozzi missed 1. Franzi Hildebrand clear at S1 and out 4th, until Roeiseland also goes clear and takes over that place; out +16.5. Kuzmina has missed 1 at S2, but her ski speed is so good she might get away with it. She’s out 31.2 ahead of Vasileva, who is 10/10. Davidova is 1,2; Horchler 1,2 and so is Gontier; back at S1 Tiril Eckhoff has missed 3. Kaisa has missed 1 at S2 but she’s out 1.6 ahead of Kuzmina. Doro W has missed 1 at S2 but is still out 3rd, +16.3 but Vittozzi is clear this time – out 6th. Good effort, Franzi Hildebrand is 10/10, and out in 1st after S2 but slower than the “chasing” 2 over the snow. Marta Roeiseland has just gone 10/10 and she’s out 10.7 ahead of Kaisa’s time! At 6 Km Kaisa has pulled out 13 seconds against Kuzmina, and it’s 16.2 at 6.6 Km. Monika Hojnisz is clear at S1 and out just ahead of Roeiseland! At the finish, with 20 through the line, Kaisa (0,1) leads, 16.7 ahead of Kuzmina (0,1) with Doro 3rd (0,1). Franzi H (0,0) has gone 2nd, but Roeiseland (0,0) has gained time on the final lap, going even faster than Kaisa and she leads by 11.5 seconds. Hojnisz is also 10/10 and out after S2 in 5th, just 0.7 behind Kuzmina; at 6 km she’s 3.7 ahead. Back at S1 Julia Simon is clear and a second faster than Marte O-R. Hojnisz into 4th, pushing Kuzmina down to 5th; Kamila Zuk is also 10/10 , and out just ahead of Doro’s time. Justine Braisaz has missed 2 at S2; Zuk over the line in 6th, between Kuzmina and Doro W. Dunklee clear at S1 and out 9th, +20.4; Thekla Brun-Lie also clear and 4.5 seconds further back. Franzi Preuß not having a good day (1,3 ); Dunklee has missed 3 at S2 and Herrmann 2 at S1 – bit unlucky with the wind there. With over 50 across the finish line, Roeiseland leads, ahead of Kaisa and Franzi H; Hojnisz in 4th ahead of Kuzmina and Zuk, with Doro 7th and Vittozzi in 11th. Brun-Lie has missed 1 at S2; Denise Herrmann is clear here, and out 13th, +48.7! She’s over the line in 7th, just behind Zuk. Franzi Hildebrand (0,0) the best German in 3rd; Denise Herrmann next best in 7th despite 2 misses. That’s it – well done Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, great win. Kaisa in 2nd, and Franzi H in a very creditable 3rd. Hojnisz in 4th, ahead of Kuzmina and Zuk (good day for Poland – 2 in the top 6); Herrmann 7th ahead of Wierer, Högberg and Dzhima. Doro W fastest on the range, ahead of Simon, Hauser and Beaudry; Kaisa quickest on the tracks, then Herrmann, Kuzmina and Roeiseland. Should be an interesting pursuit!

Salt Lake City (Soldier Field) – Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 15 Feb: Hmm – it’s a bit breezy today! Race is on; Thomas Bormolini first away – early pace set by Benedikt Doll at 1.6 Km. Early starters at S1 – Doll is clear and 28.4 ahead of Bormolioni (also clear); Garanichev has missed 1. Desthieux has missed his 1st, so has Kühn, who was a bit unlucky with some gusts. Johannes Dale (NOR) clear at S1 and 15.5 behind Doll – if anything he was a bit lucky with the wind! Sean Doherty has missed 1 – American but hardly local as he lives over 2,000 miles from here, although he has trained here a fair amount! Bad start for Julian Eberhard – he’s missed all 5 at S1 –amazing given his world ranking. Guigonnat is clear at S1 but a little slow; Alex Loginov also clear and he’s out 14.9 behind Doll. Speaking of whom – Doll has missed 3 at S2; Garanichev is clear though! Simon Desthieux is clear at S2 (1,0) and out 38.8 ahead of Garanichev, 50.4 ahead of Doll. Back at the 1.6 Km timing point JoBø is already 12.4 faster than Doll! At S2 Sean Doherty is 1,0 and out 24.2 behind Desthieux. JoBø is at S1 – clear and that was quick despite the wind. Still no one clear after S2; Lesser and Christiansen clear at S1; Guigonnat has missed 1 at S2. Amazing – Loginov has missed 3 at S2; Eder has missed 2. Dale isn’t gaining time on Desthieux on the final lap but he is gaining places against others – up to 2nd at present. QFM is 0,1 and 17.2 behind Guigonnat after S2; Alex Povarnitsyn has gone 10/10, but he’s +30.8 after S2. Johannes Bø is at S2 – he’s missed his first 3, and his 4th as well! Bjøntegaard has missed 3 at S2 – the commentary team have missed Povarnitsyn going 10/10; at last they’ve realised! Erik Lesser has also gone 10/10, so has Christiansen; he’s out 5.3 ahead of Lesser; 13.1 ahead of Desthieux. On the final lap Christiansen is losing time against Desthieux; JoBø is, amazingly currently in 4th! At the finish it’s currently Christiansen (0,0), ahead of Desthieux (1,0), Lesser (0,0), JoBø (0,4!), QFM (0,1) and Lukas Hofer (1,0). L’Abee-Lund might just have changed the top 10 but he’s 1,2; Simon Fourcade was in the mix until he missed 3 at S2 – tricky conditions! Philipp Nawrath (2,0) is gaining a few places – out 18th at S2 but up to 11th at 8.8 Km. However, Aidan Millar (CAN) is 0,0 and out from S2 in 11th (+0.48); better is Roman Rees (0,1) who leaves the range in 4th, +29.5 – just ahead of QFM’s time – he might pip Erik Lesser? Nawrath over the line in 11th, but Rees has just done it – he’s into 3rd, pushing Erik Lesser off the podium, despite his 1 miss – his first podium! Meanwhile back at S2 Fabien Claude was clear at S1 and very fast into the range – he’s missed 3! So, well done Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, Simon Desthieux in 2nd (+1.3!) and Roman Rees in 3rd; poor Erik Lesser in 4th, ahead of JoBø and QFM. Eder fastest on the range, ahead of Aidan Millar (who finished 20th) and Doll. Fastest around the course – guess who – JoBø, 28.3 ahead of Desthieux, with Nawrath in 3rd, ahead of L’Abee-Lund, Dale and Windisch. Fabien Claude 7th fastest over the course, and 16th overall. Loginov (0,3) in 28th today!

Salt Lake City (Soldier Field) – Women’s 10 Km Pursuit, 16 Feb: I missed it yesterday, but apparently Johannes Bø has already won the sprint globe for this season! Anyway, back to the pursuit; not very cold but it is below freezing, weather looks nice and the wind isn’t too bad at the moment. The race is on - Røiseland away 12 seconds ahead of Kaisa M. The first 10 are within a minute of the leader; on the lap Kuzmina is up to 3rd. The IBU timing has gone mad – showing bib number 30 and beyond but nothing before. Leaders at S1 – Kaisa has missed 2, Røiseland missed 1, Doro has missed 3? Kuzmina leads out, 8.9 ahead of Hojnisz with Franzi H close behind in 3rd – all clear at S1. Røiseland out 4th, with Herrmann clear at S1 and out 5th. Kuzmina gaining time on the next lap – even pulling away from Herrmann and Mäkäräinen! She’s in for S2 already – Kuzmina has missed 2 at S2; Røiseland has also missed 2 here, Herrmann slow but 10/10, Kaisa clear this time. Franzi H leads out, ahead of Hojnisz (+2.2) and Herrmann (+19.4) – all 10/10, then Kuzmina (+24.0), Vittozzi (0,0; up from 12th) and Kaisa (+38.5). Monika Hojnisz leading in for S3, but she’s missed 2, so has Kuzmina! Franzi H leads out, 15/15 down, ahead of Herrmann (0,0,1; +29.2), Vittozzi (0,0,0), Hojnisz (0,0,2), Kaisa (2,0,1; +1:00.2)and Kuzmina (0,2,2; +1:07.7). Doro Wierer (3,1,1) is 15th, +1:48.7. On the lap Denise Herrmann is closing a little, but Franzi H has pulled out a little on Vittozzi. So, Franzi H is in for S4 – 1 miss, high but central; Herrmann has also missed 1, Vittozzi has missed 2; Kaisa and Kuzmina clear this time, but Doro has missed another 3. Franzi H leads out, Herrmann in 2nd, +11.9, then Kaisa +30.6; Kuzmina is +31.9, Røiseland in 5th, +35.2 and Vittozzi is +50.6. At 9.1 Km Franzi H is still 2.4 ahead, Herrmann in 2nd, Kaisa pulling away from Kuzmina and Røiseland. At the finish Denise Herrmann (0,0,1,1) has taken it – very impressive acceleration! Franzi H (0,0,0,1) gets another podium with Kaisa (2,0,1,0) in third. Røiseland (1,2,1,0) has just pipped Kuzmina (0,2,2,0) in a photo finish with Vittozzi in 6th – that will give her the yellow bib back. So, gainers include Denise H (7 to 1st), Lisa Vittozzi (12-6), Vitková (19-9), Kaisheva (20-11), Davidova (32-12), Hauser (27-13), Gontier (39-18), Tandrevold (35-19), Bescond (40-24), Dunklee (45-26) and Preuß (50-28). Losing ground, the list includes Doro Wierer (8 to 20), Simon (13-23), Dzhima (10-33), Crawford (24-34), Brun-Lie (26-38) and Bondar (18-48). Doro W missed 8 targets in all – 3,1,1,3 – most unusual! Julia Simon fastest on the range, ahead of Doro and Vitková. Denise Herrmann fastest around the course, ahead of Doro and Aymonier; then Bescond, Davidova and Gontier. I’m not sure that course total data is correct – it shows Kuzmina as 35th, Røiseland as 50th, and there’s no sign of Kaisa at all – very odd, and there are a few anomalies in the range time too. Anyway – the main thing is that Denise Herrmann won – well done to her, a very well judged race, and great to see Franzi Hildebrand on the podium again.

Salt Lake City (Soldier Field) – Men’s 12.5 Km Pursuit, 16 Feb: Sunshine and light winds for this one – very nice but it is going to soften the tracks I suspect. Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen will lead off but he’s got a real pack chasing him – Desthieux almost level with him, then Rees, Lesser, Johannes Bø (+0.42) and QFM! Race on – Christiansen away fast; the 2 leaders together at 1 Km – QFM sticking with JoBø, who has the gap down to 33.9 by 1 Km; the gap is 28.6 at 1.6 Km and QFM is losing touch slightly! Two leaders in for S1 – Desthieux just ahead – pretty much shot for shot, both clear and away. Now – Lesser, Rees and JoBø are in; Rees has missed 1 but the other 2 are clear here, and so is QFM. Out Desthieux, Christiansen (+2.0), Lesser (+19.4) and JoBø (+30.5) – QFM in 5th, +36.1. Rees (in 6th, +51.6) the only one in the top 10 after S1 to have missed a target. The tracks are looking a bit soft and rutted now; Lesser is closing on the 2 leaders on the lap while JoBø has almost halved the gap to the leaders by 3.5 Km! The leaders are looking quite relaxed; Lesser just 8.6 behind with JoBø now with him at 4.1 Km. Two groups of 2 coming in for S2, a bit more wind; Christiansen and Desthieux have both missed 1; Lesser clear and out but so is JoBø, QFM also has 10/10. Sean Doherty was going well, but he’s missed 3 here, and so has Windisch; Loginov was gaining places but he’s missed 2 here. Erik Lesser leads after S2, but with JoBø now only 5.5 seconds behind; Desthieux 3rd (+16.4), then Christiansen (+17.0), QFM (+28.8) and Hofer (+46.4). JoBø is past and away on the lap – 6.4 clear of Lesser at 6.6 Km; Desthieux and Christiansen about 20 seconds back. Johannes Bø in for S3; first standing shoot and the wind has picked up – JoBø has missed 2, so has Erik. Desthieux has missed his 15th, Christiansen clear and away and so is QFM; Guigonnat has missed 4! Out Christiansen (0,1,0), Fillon Maillet (15/15, +7.4), Desthieux (0,1,1, +19.4), Bø (0,0,2; +23.6) and Lesser (0,0,2; +37.0). Doll (0,1,1) up to 6th; Loginov clear this time and up to 12th from 28. Christian Gow is going well – 15/15 and up from 44 to 11! At 9.1 Km Christiansen is fractionally ahead of QFM, with Desthieux and JoBø about 16 second back; QFM leading in for the final shoot. S4 – and it’s windy; QFM clear and out (all 20 down!), Christiansen also clear; JoBø has missed 3, Lesser 2, Doll 3. Out in order QFM, Christiansen (+3.0), Desthieux (+40.0), JoBø (+1:31.6) and Lesser (+1:42.4). Christian Gow is the only other 20/20 I can see – up to 8th now. QFM has accelerated on the lap, and opened up a good gap to Christiansen – 15.2 seconds at 11.6 Km. So, well done Quentin Fillon Maillet (0,0,0,0) for the win; Christiansen (0,1,0,0) in 2nd and Desthieux (0,1,1,1) in 3rd. JoBø (0,0,2,3) in 4th, ahead of Lesser with Benni Weger getting up to 6th; Loginov (0,2,0,1) up to 7th, ahead of Christian Gow. So, gainers include QFM (6 to 1st), Loginov (28-7), C Gow (44-8!), Eder (37-13), Pidruchnyi (33-14), Simon Fourcade (23-15), Rastorgujevs (29-19 and Eberhard (46-27). The list of those losing places includes Guigonnat (9-17), Rees (3-18), Nawrath (12-22), Windisch (11-24), S Gow (17-25), Kühn (18-33) and Millar (20-39).

Åre – World Championships –Women’s Slalom, 16 Feb: The weather has turned fairly awful again – it’s still windy but warm too and has been (is) raining – course today set by a Swiss coach (Wendy Holdener’s coach apparently) and it’s got a lot of “across the hill” gates. Katharina Liensberger is the first away – safely down and seems happy with her run. Now, Mikaela Shiffrin is bib 2 – amazingly she’s red at inter 1, and +0.30 at 2; still red at 3 and the commentary team reckon she isn’t getting the full response from her skis – she’s gained time lower down to go into the lead by just 0.12. She doesn’t look impressed! Wendy Holdener next and she’s green all the way – skis working well and nicely through the royal flush – she leads by 0.15. Now, local Anna Swenn Larsson – she’s into the green (just) by inter 1 and gaining to inter 3 – the final section isn’t so productive – she’s into 2nd, +0.11. Bernadette Schild is off the pace - +2.12 at the finish; now it’s Petra Vlhova, and she’s +0.35 at inter 1 – better to 2, but losing time again to 3 and she’s into 5th, +0.46 – her skis don’t seem to be working well either? Frida Hansdotter on course next – good at the top but she is losing time on the final gates, where Shiffrin gained time – Hansdotter into 6th, +0.56. St-Germain into 7th; the track is getting rutted already despite all the work they put into preparing it. Noens into 9th, +2.83; Truppe is bib 10, and into 8th; Holdener leads from Swenn Larsson and Shiffrin. Erin Mielzynski into 9th, Lysdahl 11th and Irene Curtoni has straddled and is the first DNF. Good effort from Christina Geiger to get into 7th, +1.51 – 15 away so far. The wind has apparently died down and the rain eased but it looks very gloomy and it’s the snow conditions that are causing most concern – Nick reckons that if this was a World Cup race it would have been cancelled (and possibly other races this week too). Katharina Huber into 9th; Meta Hrovat looking good to also get into the top 10 but the royal flush has seen her off – she has finished but surely missed a gate? Conditions seem to be getting worse again; it’s snowing at the top, raining heavily at the finish and the visibility is poor – all a bit of a farce. It must be hard to retain any enthusiasm for the race if you’re one of the later starters, with no chance of getting a good time – we are seeing time gaps of up to 5 seconds. Staalnacke has straddled about 4 gates – it’s amazing that there are only 3 DNFs so far in these conditions. Having said that – the flush is getting very bumpy and it’s taken another scalp – Elena Stoffel (SUI) a DNF. Last change to the top 10 was Huber going 9th; highest bib number into the top 20 at present is Ana Bucik (bib 26, into 19th); the DNF list is growing! Gave up watching and went for a walk; hope nothing exciting happened at the end of run 1!! Doesn’t look as though it did – Charlie Guest was 30th when I left, and she’s starting run 2.
Run 2: Rumour has it that Shiffrin isn’t well either! The weather looks a bit better but the course almost certainly won’t be! Charlie Guest away, on a clean course – safely down, on a course set by a Norwegian coach. Gutierrez (AND) has taken the lead despite a few errors; Amelia Smart (CAN) has done well on the final section, she was +0.54 at inter 3, but leads by 0.03! Jelinkova (NED) has taken the lead; Della Mea on target to take over but she’s fallen – looked nasty but she seems OK. The visibility is much better now – Maren Skjøld into the lead. Moltzan into 2nd; 10 away – Skjøld leads from Moltzan and Jelinkova. Bucik out – a complete 360 degree turn; Charlotta Saefvenberg (SWE) into the lead – very popular! Aline Danioth has gained time from inter 3 to the finish and goes 2nd by just 0.03; Nastasia Noens has been gaining time from inter 2 onwards – she leads by 0.66 at the halfway point. After the TV break Lena Dürr is on course and she’s staying in the green – she leads by 0.23. Lysdahl looked set to take over but she’s out – at the point where the snow changes from cool to softer in the sun. Roni Remme into 2nd; Bernadette Schild is going well on this run – much more like her normal performance, and she leads by 0.84. That’s the 2nd best time on run 2 – best still with Jelinkova! I thought Erin Mielzynski would take the lead but she lost a bit of time on the final gates and goes 2nd. Katharina Truppe has skied that well – she leads by 0.48, and that is now the best time on run 2 as well. Next away is Katharina Huber – she has taken over the top place by 0.13 – Austria in all the podium places at present – Huber, Truppe and Schild! Eight to go – Laurence St-Germain briefly red at inter 3 but she’s pulled back time on the final gates to lead by 0.20 – now that was a real “race face”. Tina Geiger has skied out; Frida Hansdotter next away, great top section, lost time between inter 1 and 2 after an error – more errors but she recovers from them all to lead by 0.21! Petra Vlhova on course, 0.10 in hand – she’s 0.60 ahead at inter 2, 0.63 at 3 and then an astonishing final section to lead by 1.36!! No surprise that she has the best time on run 2 as well! Four to go – Katharina Liensberger the first of them; she’s gained a bit between inter 1 and 2, still green at 3 but she can’t match Vlhova on the final turns – into 2nd, +0.40. Now, Mikaela Shiffrin – 0.31 ahead at the start, 0.62 at inter 1, 1.18 ahead at 2, and even further ahead at 3 – she’s taking and but she’s really pushing hard – she leads by just over a full second! What a run – she now has the fastest time on run 2. Swenn Larsson away – red from inter 1 to 3 – she’s into 2nd, +0.58 – second fastest time on run 2! Just Wendy Holdener to go – 0.15 in hand; Nick reckons it will be “all or bust” – she’s missed a gate early on – she’s gone back for it, but she’s dropped way too much time – 17th position! So, Mikaela Shiffrin wins the gold medal (again – that’s her 4th, back to back slalom gold – no one else has done that!), with Anna Swenn Larsson in silver and Petra Vlhova taking bronze. Very sorry for Wendy Holdener, but that’s racing! Top 3 have the three best times on run 2, in the right order – wonderful. And, Shiffrin really isn’t well, it seems – some sort of lung infection; hope she’s better by Stockholm!

Åre – World Championships –Men’s Slalom, 17 Feb: Well, the weather looks good today, and it’s been cold overnight. Clement Noel will be first away today, on a course set by an Austrian coach; 100 starters today from 53 nations! Noel arguably a bit late in the line on the final section but he’s safely down – that was nice, but perhaps he doesn’t think it’s good enough. Kristoffersen next – green all the way and over half a second faster at inter 3 – he ends up 0.48 ahead. Marcel Hirscher is bib 3; he’s 0.26 green at inter 1, 0.78 ahead at 2, 1.25 at 3 and he’s a truly amazing 1.70 ahead at the finish! I’m guessing that he has his set-up sorted, but he does look tired so maybe he still isn’t fully fit? Alexis Pinturault is on course and he’s nicely in touch at inter 1 and 2; just 0.06 behind at inter 3 – a couple small errors late on but he’s into 2nd, +0.56. Michael Matt into 3rd; he’s only there for as long as it takes Marco Schwarz to get down the course and take over – Austria in 1st, 3rd and 4th at present. Daniel Yule well in touch on the top section; only 0.11 behind at inter 2, but the change from icy to soft snow has caught him out and he’s fallen – first DNF. Manu Feller into 5th; next is Ramon Zenhaeusern – 0.29 behind at inter 2, lost a bit to 3 and then he’s made the same mistake as Yule, at the exact same spot – he has recovered but he’s 8th. The lower section is getting rutted already, which isn’t helping the later starters; Loic Meillard into 7th and now it’s Dave Ryding in the start hut – despite Nick’s enthusiastic commentary he’s just into 13th, +3.12. Hirschbühl has gone 9th; that’s fifteen down, Hirscher leads, ahead of Pinturault (+0.56), Schwarz (+1.22) and Matt (+1.35); then Feller and Kristoffersen (+1.70). TV break and then it’s Victor M-J – he’s also off the pace, and into 14th. Looked as though Lizeroux straddled, but he’s still showing as finished, not DSQ – ah, the referees have seen the replay and Lizeroux is out. That’s another TV break – no change to the top 6; Hirschbühl (bib 15) the last to get into the top 10. Slightly disappointing to see some of the top 30 getting times of over 3 seconds behind the leader – the weather really has generated some challenges in these championships. That’s not bad – Alex Khoroshilov (bib 30) into 16th; sadly Laurie Taylor has joined the DNFs – Billy Major and Zak Vinter did finish but won’t get a second run. That’s run 1 over – Dave Ryding in 20th.
Run 2: Filip Zubcic the first away, on a course set by a French coach – a lot of swing and physically demanding. Zubcic lucky to recover from a big error but he’s down. Spain’s Juan del Campo into 2nd; Alex Vinatzer (ITA) almost a full second up at inter 1 – he’s 1.80 faster at the finish – that was good! Nice run from Zan Kranjec; some problems in the middle but he’s actually gained time on the lower section and he leads. Dave Ryding is the 11th away – 1.28 in hand at the start; he’s 1.76 green at inter 1 – much more like it and he leads by 1.11; 3rd fastest on run 2 – best is still Vinatzer! Victor M-J into 2nd; Mölgg into 4th and the course is already a little cut up. Alex Khoroshilov into 2nd, and that’s the halfway point – Ryding leads (4 places gained so far), ahead of Khoroshilov and Victor M-J. Foss-Solevaag into 2nd; Razzoli off the pace on this run and into 10th. Stefano Gross has lost a lot of his advantage by inter 1 – he’s better lower down, and now he’s 2nd. Now, Ramon Zenhaeusern, with 0.80 advantage – he’s got 0.50 left at inter 2, 0.33 at inter 3 – some spectacular recoveries and he’s just enough in hand – he takes the lead by 0.21. Felix Neureuther has stumbled out of the gate; he’s settled but it looks like he might have straddled – at present he’s shown as 2nd, +0.03 – yes, that looks like a straddle, but he’s still listed as finishing at present. Hirschbühl into 5th; TV break, during which Neureuther has vanished into the DSQ list! Clement Noel looking a bit off form – good finish though and into 2nd. Loic Meillard also off the pace, being bumped around and he’s just 8th. Next is Henrik Kristoffersen, 0.62 advantage – even he has lost half of that by inter 1, just 0.09 left at 2 and he’s red by inter 3 – he’s 3rd, pushing Dave Ryding down to 4th and only the 15th best time in run 2. Manu Feller has 0.94 in hand – but he is also losing time and goes red by inter 2; he’s pulled back a little lower down but not enough – into 2nd, by 0.08. Austria again – this time Michael Matt – he’s lost a little but he’s keeping in the green; great run despite a few line errors and he leads by 0.31! I wonder if Michael will ever do a run without Nick mentioning brother Mario!? Marco Schwarz next; red by inter 2, but again he’s pulled a little back – 2nd place, +0.11. Now – course set by a French coach and here comes Alexis Pinturault – he’s gained a little to inter 1 and is back to 0.77 ahead by inter 2 – red at 3 though after a massive error and despite a great recovery and final section he’s third. Just Marcel Hirscher to go – 1.35 ahead as he starts; he’s 0.96 at inter 2, 0.61 at 3; he’s looking tired but he’s done it – 0.65 ahead at the finish! What a race – Austria take all the podium places, which should please their press – Hirscher wins from Matt and Schwarz; PInturault in 4th ahead of Zenhaeusern and Feller. That’s Marcel Hirscher’s third gold in this event! He’s just said it might be his last World Championships – I wonder? Dave Ryding ended up 9th, gaining 11 places.

Well, that's it from Åre and the World Championships - I suspect many of the competitors will be glad to go - quite extreme conditions at times; I suspect the organisers will need a good rest after all that!

Salt Lake City (Soldier Field) – Single Mixed Relay, 17 Feb: Some relatively weak teams, but I see Italy are listing Wierer and Hofer as their two! Bjøntegaard and Tandrevold might do well, as might Eder/Hauser and Guigonnat/Simon – not sure about Doherty/Dunklee given their recent shooting stats? Men going first today. Pretty much straight in to S1; Simon Eder clears the lot and he’s out ahead of Zahkna (EST), Bjøntegaard, Dovzan, Dolder and Stegmayr – timing data might be a bit dodgy there; it’s updating itself after the event? Sinapov and Krupcik on the penalty loop. In already for S2 – standing; lots of spares being used and then it’s straight to the handover. Pidruchnyi (UKR) leads out of the range ahead of Zahkna, Rees, Hofer, Tachizaki and Eder (1 spare). At the first exchange it’s – UKR/EST/GER/ITA/AUT/JPN – looks like Doro leading as they head in for S3. Estonia clear again, Doro needing a spare. Out Oja (EST), Dzhima, Wierer, Hauser, Preuß, Tachizaki. Canada have used 6 spares already; the Swiss have been on the loop. The timing is odd – it had Doro leading out of the range, which she didn’t, but now seems to have caught up. Anyway, Doro leads in for S4 - all 5 down, fast and she’s out; Preuß using all 3 spares. This time Doro does lead out, ahead of Julia Simon, Oja, Hauser, Dzhima and Skottheim (SWE). At the exchange ITA; FRA (+8.8); EST (+10.6), then AUT/UKR/SWE/USA/POL – Germany in 10th, Canada in 15th. Gaps much the same as they head for S5, but Pidruchnyi has passed Eder and Doherty is up to 6. Hofer has used 1 spare, he’s out ahead of Eder (+6.4, clear), Guigonnat, Zahkna, Pidruchnyi and Stegmayr (+28.3); Norway in 10th and Germany 11th. Guigonnat past Eder on the lap; Zahkna also through – why is Eder a little slow today? Lukas Hofer in for his last standing shoot – he’s missed his first; Eder clear, so are Estonia but Guigonnat has 3 targets still standing with 3 spares. Eder leads out, ahead of Hofer and Zahkna – straight to the exchange; AUT just ahead, then ITA (+1.4), EST (+3.6), then UKR (+32.5)/FRA/POL; Norway 7th, USA 9th (10 spares!) Germany 10th (only 4 spares!). Doro just ahead of Hauser as they head for S7; Oja has lost 11 seconds from the exchange. Hauser clear and out, Doro 1 spare and out 1.1 back; Julia Simon in 3rd (+36.8; clear) despite Guigonnat’s penalty loop, Dunklee clear and up to 4th (+43.3); Oja on the loop, what a real pity after Estonia were going so well. The final shoot – Doro leading in; vintage Wierer, all 5 down and she’s away. Lisa Theresa Hauser also clear and out (+15.8), Julia Simon also clear and out (+49.2). Dunklee has had a meltdown – 2 penalty loops. Dzhima is out 4th, ahead of Skottheim and Preuß, who has Tandrevold right behind her. Doro cruises to the finish – Italy (0+6) take the win! Austria (0+2) 2nd, France (1+8) getting the final podium place. Preuß has got Germany (0+6) up to 4th, ahead of Norway (0+6) and Ukraine (0+6). Estonia ended up 8th, Russia 11th, Canada 12th and USA (2+13) 14th.

Salt Lake City (Soldier Field) – Mixed Relay, 17 Feb: Again, it looks as though the men are going first this time – 2 x 7.5 followed by 2 x 6 Km. Third day on the trot for the men! Herrmann is apparently ill and has been replaced by Vanessa Hinz at short notice. Norway look very strong – Christiansen, JoBø, Eckhoff, Røiseland. Anyway – at the first split Lesser leads from Christiansen and Finello; by 1.6 Lesser is down the list to 6th and Christiansen leads. In to S1 – all very close; Stenersen (SWE) leads out, ahead of Varabei (BLR), Christiansen, Finello, Slesingr and Ermits (EST) – all clear with no spares. KAZ have done 4 loops! QFM (who was 8th, but just +7.2 at the range) ahead of Christiansen with Lesser coming up to 3rd. In for S2 already; Lesser clear and out, but just 0.8 ahead of QFM; then Slesingr, Stenersen, Ermits and Tyshchenko; Christiansen used 2 spares and out 7th, +20.4. So, exchange 1 – Doll takes over, and is out dead level with Desthieux; then Norway (JoBø taking leg 2!), CZE (Krcmar)/EST/LTU/UKR. JoBø is already up with the two leaders, 12 seconds pulled back by 1 Km on leg 2. In for S3 – three in the lead, FRA/GER/NOR – Desthieux out ahead of JoBø; Doll using 1 spare and +7.7, then Krcmar (+35.7), Loginov (+57.7) and Weger (+1:00.1). Doll back up with the leading 2 on the lap, so maybe JoBø is saving himself for the lap to the exchange? The pace of the leaders looks fairly relaxed (not for club skiers!!) but Loginov has only gained 6 seconds. In for S4 – JoBø clear and out, Desthieux 1 spare and out 2nd, +6.0 and Doll has used 2 spares and out +19.6. Krcmar 4th, ahead of Weger but Alex Loginov has used all 3 spares and is out +1:10.1 in 6th. At 6.6 Km on leg 2 Desthieux is 20.8 behind JoBø, with Doll +35.5. At exchange 2 – it’s NOR(Eckhoff)/FRA/GER/CZE/SUI/RUS. At the next split Eckhoff has pulled a bit more out on Aymonier, and Franzi H has lost some 7 seconds. Eckhoff in for S5 – she has missed 2; 2 spares and out; Aymonier and Hildebrand both clear. So Tiril E leads, ahead of Aymonier (+0.7), Hildebrand (+21.6), E Gasparin (+43.1) , and Davidova (+53.1). On the lap it seems Tiril is skiing within her limits, keeping something back for her lap to the exchange; Aymonier and Franzi H both pretty much holding the gap. S6 – Eckhoff has missed 3, Aymonier used 2 spares and away, Hildebrand clear and out 2nd (+5.8), Eckhoff on the loop, out 3rd (+25.0)! Gasparin 4th, ahead of Davidova and Andersson (+1:25.0). Franzi H is closing on Celia Aymonier, Tiril has pulled some 7 seconds back too. Last exchange, Germany just lead, from France (+0.5). Then NOR (+17.8), SUI/CZE/SWE (+1:44.8). Well done Franzi H – no spares and about 39 seconds gained on her leg! Chevalier has passed Hinz, with Røiseland losing a tiny bit; Haecki in 4th. S7 – Chevalier clear and out, Hinz 1 spare (+13.6), Røiseland clear and out 3rd (+15.8). Haecki is doing 1 loop; out 4th but just 2.4 ahead of Puskarčíková with Högberg 6th. Røiseland past Hinz on the lap; Chevalier coming in for S8, just ahead of Røiseland – Chevalier clear and out, Hinz 1 spare and away (+27.0), Røiseland is on the penalty loop and out 3rd, +55.2. Eckhoff and Røiseland not learning from JoBø, perhaps – easy pace, fast final lap? At 5.1 Km Vanessa Hinz has closed some 6 seconds on Anais Chevalier but it’s surely not enough, Røiseland losing time! So, France win the mixed relay (0+3), Germany in 2nd (0+6; + 13.5) and Norway 3rd (2+11; +1:02.2). The Swiss in 4th, ahead of Sweden and the Czech Republic.

Stockholm City Event – Parallel Slalom (Men & Women), 19 Feb: Quite warm; 6 degrees this evening. Some interesting head to head pairings coming up in the 1/8 finals, such as Dave Ryding v Marco Schwarz – second and first on New Year’s Day! Interesting that Foss-Solevaag meets Kristoffersen in round 1! Ladies first – and the first “bout” is Shiffrin v Mowinckel; Mikaela has won run 1 by 0.33. Now Truppe v Mielzynski – Erin is a DNF! Costazza v Swenn Larsson – Costazza also a DNF; popular win for the Swede! Next – Curtoni v Holdener; that one goes to Wendy Holdener – so far all 4 wins from the red course. Now, Lysdahl v Hansdotter – relatively easy win for Frida H – another win for red! Next St-Germain v Liensberger; Score 1 for blue – St-Germain has taken that one for Canada; not sure cross blocking works for Liensberger? Geiger v Schild – slow start by Schild, and another win for blue as Geiger wins by a good margin; finally Noens v Vlhova – no real surprise that Petra has won; she won the New Year’s Day event. That’s run 1 – now to swap red and blue; on to the me for their run 1. First away is Marcel Hirscher v Victor M-J; Marcel H has taken it easily. Now Feller v Zenhaeusern; Ramon has won, again by a good margin; apparently he wanted to be a basketball player but was persuaded to go for skiing instead! Next Hirschbühl v Pinturault – very close but Alexis gets it by 0.05. Meillard v Yule – Daniel Yule takes it; 4-nil to the red course so far. This might be interesting – Mölgg v Noel; Clement Noel takes that one. Now, Myhrer v Matt – a win for blue at last, as Myhrer wins this one. Here it comes – Ryding v Schwarz; that was extremely close, but Marco has won it by 0.01! Finally Foss-Solevaag v Kristoffersen – I reckon the Norwegian will win this one .. quite a surprise that Sebastian F-S has won it – first real upset of the evening?
1/8 Finals – run 2: Right, back to the women for run 2, on the “other” course from run 1 – Shiffrin wins as Mowinckel falls just before the finish, but Mikaela had that sorted anyway. Truppe has beaten Mielzynski, despite Erin pulling some time back. Swenn Larsson v Costazza again – Anna SL well ahead, and through to the QF. Holdener v Curtoni, and run 1 was quiet close; this one easier for Wendy as Irene has fallen. Now, Hansdotter v Lysdahl – the Swede wins fairly comfortably. Liensberger v St-Germain – both making errors but the Canadian has taken this one too! Geiger v Schild, and the German wins – Schild out. Finally Vlhova v Noens; Petra is tall enough to make the cross block work well, and Noens is out. Back to the men – Hirscher v Victor M-J; Marcel H wins and goes through to the QF – that gives him the slalom globe for this season; that’s his 6th time! Good competition between Hirscher and Vlhova for most serious race-face. Zenhaeusern has beaten Feller – he looks very impressive in this format and will be up against Hirscher next round. Pinturault v Hirschbühl – another very close one, but the Frenchman takes it. Yule and Meillard again – Loic is a DNF; Daniel through to the next round, where he will meet Pinturault. Noel v Mölgg ; Noel over the line first but that looked like a straddle, on the very last gate; yes Noel DSQ. Matt v Myhrer; Matt joins the DNFs, Myhrer on to the QF. Now Schwarz v Ryding – not as close this time and Ryding is out; 2-0 to Marco in this event. Just Kristoffersen v Foss-Solevaag to go – Seb F-S takes out, Henrik K out in the first round.
Quarter Finals – First away is Truppe v Shiffrin; that was quite close, Shiffrin by just 0.14! Holdener v Swenn Larsson; not good news for the local fans, as Holdener takes it by 0.18. St-Germain v Hansdotter – the course is already quite rutted; Laurence St-G wins again, by 0.24. Poor Christina Geiger – she’s got Petra Vlhova this time – Petra gets it by 0.33. Back to the men – Zenhaeusern v Hirscher; arguably that should have been the final – that’s something you don’t often see, Hirscher hooked up in a flag and he has skied out – DNF. Yule has beaten Pinturault, who straddled – quiet an obvious one too. Myhrer v Mölgg; Andre M has won this one, relatively easy this time. Last one of run 1 – Fosse-Solevaag v Schwarz; Seb takes this one, but by just 0.04. All 4 wins on the blue course!
QF run 2: Shiffrin v Truppe – another close one; Shiffrin has won it but only by 0.16; I wonder if she’s fully fit? Swenn Larsson v Holdener – that’s an upset, Wendy with the advantage but she’s skied out off the jump! Anna SW goes to the Semis – crowd very happy. Hansdotter has nicked it – a couple errors by St-Germain on the final section cost her the win. The crowd love that – both Swedes through, after being down after run 1. Another big upset – Petra Vlhova has gone out pretty much as Holdener did – the ruts on the jump claiming another victim! Men again – Hirscher v Zenhaeusern, and Ramon has 0.50 in hand – he’s 0.49 ahead at the finish, and Hirscher is out! Pinturault v Yule; Daniel has taken it, so he gets Zenhaeusern next round; an all Swiss affair. Mölgg v Myhrer; another Swede wins! Finally Schwarz v Foss-Solevaag, and the last run was very close – Marco has reversed things to go through, after Seb F-S has a glitch on that same rutted jump.
Semi Finals, run 1: First to go, Swenn Larsson v Shiffrin – another upset, Anna take sit by 0.09! I thought Mikaela seemed to be having difficulty breathing in the last round? Now, Geiger v Hansdotter and the German wins round 1. Men back on course – Yule v Zenhaeusern; quiet close – but Ramon wins by 0.14. Myhrer v Schwarz – another VERY close race, Marco by just 0.02. Run 2 – Shiffrin v Swenn Larsson, with the Swede 0.09 up; ye gods, that was so close – Mikaela takes it by just 0.01! Hansdotter v Geiger now – another really close one, but Tina Geiger has just won by 0.04. So, the women’s small final will be an all Swedish affair. Last runs of the Semis – Zenhaeusern v Yule; Zenhaeusern through to the big final – great work through the last gates! Just Myhrer v Schwarz and then the finals; Myhrer has taken it, by 0.26.
Finals: Small Final, run 1 – Hansdotter v Swenn Larsson; Frida has straddled, and she’s a DNF. The course really is cut up. Geiger v Shiffrin for the first run of the big final – extremely close, Geiger the early leader but Shiffrin has come back to take it by 0.01! Men’s small final – Schwarz v Yule – Marco takes this one by 0.11; Nick thought he might have straddled, but Schwarz seems to be OK. Now Myhrer v Zenhaeusern in the “proper” final – close racing and Ramon has had a small problem; Myhrer has had a bigger problem on the jump and he’s a DNF. Masses of adverts, and at last we’re back. Anna Swenn Larsson has won the small final to take 3rd place in this event. Now, Mikaela Shiffrin v Tina Geiger – very close at the top, Shiffrin better on the final gates and she has won another event, which I think gives her the slalom crystal globe – yes, she has, and that’s her 6th one too! Well done her, and great effort from Tina Geiger getting 2nd place, ahead of Anna SW. More blasted adverts; now Yule v Schwarz for 3rd place – Yule has fallen; Marco Schwarz goes 3rd – he’s on form at present! One race to go – Zenhaeusern v Myhrer; the Swede has skied out – pity both of these runs were decided by DNFs. Ramon Zenhaeusern hasn’t put a foot wrong this evening – a very well deserved first place. Good result for Andre Myhrer (hope he doesn’t retire yet) with Schwarz in 3rd – good effort!

Bansko – Men’s Alpine Combined, 22 Feb: The speed part of the combined event first, and this time it’s a Super G rather than a Downhill; conditions are apparently good, although snow is forecast,  and both Kristoffersen and Hirscher are here today. Now, Luca Aerni on course, first away – quite a lot of terrain to deal with and Aerni has missed the final gate – a little ironic as his coach set the course. Matthias Mayer next and he too has missed a gate! Third away is Stefan Hadalin, silver medallist from the recent AC in the World Championships in Åre – he’s had a few problems but he is safely down. Rather a surprise, Christof Innerhofer is into 2nd, +0.49 and he’s behind a slalom skier; he doesn’t look comfortable here today. Victor Muffat-Jeandet next – rather off the pace given his pedigree, he’s into 3rd, +1.79. Possibly the coaches have over-reacted to the first 2 DNFs? Bib 6 is Ted Ligety, bit late in the line at times, but he’s into 3rd, +1.32. Now, Alexis Pinturault is away next – gold medallist from Åre and probably the favourite today – he’s 0.41 green at inter 2, 0.87 green at inter 3 – a narrow escape off the jump, great recovery and he leads by 0.84. Mermillod Blondin into 4th; Marco Schwarz away bib 9 – again, very hairy stuff off the finish jump and he’s into 3rd, +1.07 – that’s a lot given Pinturault’s slalom form! Surprising to see Kilde, a speed specialist, having problems and ending up 1.33 behind Pinturault! Quick TV break, and Riccardo Tonetti has had a good run – into 2nd, +0.72. Dominik Paris next – a huge speed specialist, but he’s 0.56 behind at inter 2; over a second off the pace at 3 and 1.25 behind at the finish – that’s his day over, surely? Mauro Caviezel away – slightly green at inter 1 and 2, on a Swiss set course – he’s into the lead but only by 0.16, and I can’t see him matching Pinturault on slalom skis. You might wonder why Alexis Pinturault doesn’t race more Super G, or even downhill? Bib 15 is Kjetil Jansrud – 0.25 red at inter 1, nearly a second behind at inter 2 and miles off at 3 – he’s just 12th, +2.62 – what a strange race this is, Jansrud not at all happy with his run. Vincent Kriechmayr next and he’s more in touch; slightly red at inter 1 and 2, just green at 3 and into 2nd, +0.06 – sadly that leaves him only 0.10 ahead of Pinturault for the slalom! Romed Baumann into 4th; bib 18 is Marcel Hirscher – red at inter 1, about a second off at inter 2; that’s a good effort for a tech skier, nicely over the final jump, and he’s 11th, +1.83 – his first Alpine Combined in 3 years apparently. That’s a lot to make up on Schwarz and Pinturault. Twenty away – Caviezel leads from Kriechmayr and Pinturault, then Baumann, Tonetti and Hadalin (+1.00). Paris 8th, Hirscher 11th. Another break and then Rasmus Windingstad is into 6th; Stefan Rogentin (SUI) into 8th - he’s much better placed than Carlo Janka, controversially selected for Åre when Rogentin wasn’t – who is currently last! Felix Monsen (SWE, bib 27) has taken 10th place; Ryan Cochran-Siegle has done even better – into 7th. After the break Loic Meillard is starting his first World Cup Alpine Combined – not a bad run, into 18th, +2.01. Now, what can Henrik Kristoffersen do – almost a second behind at inter 2, 1.87 red at 3 – he’s into 25th, +2.51 – Hirscher currently 16th, +1.83. There is a rumour that Marco Schwarz has pulled a ligament on landing during run 1 and is being flown off for an MRI, missing run 2? Kline and de Aliprandini are both DNFs – it’s clouding over and the light is not as good as it was. Jack Gower was looking good at inter 1, but then he lost time – 35th. Good run from Adrien Theaux to inter 3, but then he lost over a second to the finish; 29th. The timing seemed to lose Marco Odermatt (SUI) but he’s popped up again – into 16th, +1.68! The timing is going peculiar – Aerni and Mayer have been changed from DNF to DSQ, but it looks as though Christopher Neumayer (AUT) has gone into 13th while Eurosport was showing adverts; Gino Caviezel has gone 16th which drops Kristoffersen to 31st. Sadly the rumour about Marco Schwarz seems to be true, and he won’t be in run 2; hope he isn’t too badly injured. Late change – Mattia Casse (ITA) has had a flyer (sadly after the main video coverage has finished) – bib 53 and in to 9th place! That’s run 1 over – no more late changes to the top 10, Kristoffersen in 32nd.
Run 2: Quite a few listed as DNS; not surprising to see the list includes Paris and Jansrud, sad to see Schwarz there; apparently Reichelt has had a similar problem? The slalom course has been set by a French coach, and it’s apparently a tight, tricky course – doing no favours for any speed specialists remaining! Linus Strasser first away, and he’s safely down; Hrobat is next and over a second slower. Ted Ligety has made a couple errors, he’s into 2nd; Trevor Philp is gaining time all the way to inter 3 – slight loss of time to the finish but he goes into the lead, 0.66 ahead. That’s a pity – Thomas Mermillod Blondin, in his last race, has straddled – not an ideal way to bow out. Filip Zubcic into 2nd; Loic Meillard goes 4th and now it’s Marcel Hirscher – green all the way but he has lost a bit lower down – he leads, but only by 0.47 – joint best time on run 2 with Trevor Philp. Halfway through the top 30; Hirscher leads ahead of Philp, Zubcic, Strasser, Meillard and Johannes Strolz. Neumayer had a good result from run 1, but he’s skied out; the course is getting a little rutted now. That was close – Stefan Hadalin had a good advantage but he’s losing a bit of time on the way – still 0.26 green at inter 3 – he’s 2nd by just 0.01! Not that many tech capable skiers left of the top 30; Windingstad skiing well though and he’s into 4th. Tonetti is keeping in the green; he too has lost a bit between inter 3 and the finish to go 3rd. Baumann into the red at inter 1 and into 18th; now, Alexis Pinturault, with a massive 1.67 in hand – his race to lose! He still has just over a second advantage at inter 2, 0.71 at 3 and he leads by 0.68 – that’s the 6th best time on run 2. That surely gives Pinturault the AC crystal globe for this season – that would be his 5th! Kriechmayr into 10th; that’s a great run from Mauro Caviezel – into 6th, +1.17. Quick break, and then we get the “rest” – those who finished outside the top 30. Normally not a concern but Kristoffersen will be the second of them! Kristoffersen hasn’t gained any time – the course isn’t really suitable for that and he’s 16th. So, Alexis Pinturault wins the alpine combined race and also takes the discipline crystal globe; Marcel Hirscher second, taking another 80 points towards his overall total (and going joint 5th in the AC standings), and Stefan Hadalin (SLO) getting the final podium place. Riccardo Tonetti in 4th, ahead of Philp (joint best time on run 2 with Hirscher) and Mauro Caviezel. Victor M-J has straddled – some consolation for Marco Schwarz who will now finish second in the AC standings. Interesting race! In the overall standings Marcel Hirscher now leads with 1328, ahead of Pinturault (868), Kristoffersen (708), Schwarz, Paris and Kriechmayr. Dave Ryding is 22nd, on 290 points.

Crans-Montana – Women’s Downhill, 23 Feb: Good weather here, but rather warm, hence the early start  – interesting camera run by Bruno Kernen; this looks a bit of a beast! And it is a beast – first away is Ilka Stuhec, and she’s had a nasty looking fall – through three layers of netting and neither ski released. She is up and walking; looks as though she will ski down? Yes, she’s on her skis and down – hope she hasn’t any after-effects. The race is interrupted while they repair all the netting; Jasmine Flury will be next away; despite the early start there is a good crowd watching – that’s odd – the timing worked to inter 5, but seems to have missed her finish and it’s showing her as a DNF despite the fact that she’s crossed the line! Matt Chilton is confused, and so am I; race interrupted again – it doesn’t seem that Flury missed anything, and she’s in the leader’s chair but she doesn’t have a finish time. This is a bit amateur – must be embarrassing for the Swiss to have problems with their clocks, especially when it affects a Swiss skier? Stephanie Venier is on course – hopefully the organisers have the timing issue sorted, but what will they do about Flury? Right – Venier has finished, and the timing has worked; the FIS site says that she leads, but how do they know that Venier was faster?? Federica Brignone red all the way, and showing as 2nd. The FIS timing now shows a time for Flury, which puts her 3rd, +0.16; Nicole Schmidhofer on course and green all the way to inter 4 – dead level at inter 5 but a good finish puts her in the lead by 0.16. Joana Haehlen next – just red at 1, just green at 2; into red at 3, back to green at 4, red by 0.18 at inter 5 AND the clock didn’t stop at the finish again, for another Swiss skier – the crowd are NOT impressed! Haehlen also showing as a DNF – this is very poor; another interruption, presumably while the organisers try to find someone competent to sort out their mess! That seems to be resolved – Haehlen (Swiss) is now shown as being in the lead by 0.03; if I was Nicole Schmidhofer I’d want to see how they arrived at that time! Ramona Siebenhofer away at last and over a second behind at inter 2; into 6th. Wenig is also a bit off the pace – has the course slowed as the conditions warm up – she’s 7th, +2.65. Kira Weidle next – she’s into 6th, and it does seem that the final section is a good place to lose time now. Tippler into 7th; there hasn’t been a competitive time since the timing problem was resolved! Corinne Suter next – another Swiss racer – will the timing work this time – she’s green at 1, red at 2, just green at 3, 0.17 ahead at 4, 0.36 green at 5 – she’s drifted off the line a fraction and she’s 3rd, +0.10. Bib 12 is Lara Gut-Behrami – good in training, and green at inter 1 and 2; slightly red at 3, green again at 4 and 5 AND once again the clock has failed to stop, and again it’s a Swiss skier – the crowd are booing, which is no surprise. What a very embarrassing situation, and the delays aren’t helping the course either – so much for starting early! Race back on – Sofia Goggia is green, and going greener – the timing has decided to play at the finish and she leads by an impressive 0.49*. Lara Gut now has a time –all very confusing, so to confirm, with 15 away Goggia leads from Haehlen, Schmidhofer* and Gut-Behrami*. Puchner, good in training, hasn’t matched that pace on race day – a disappointing 14th. Mowinckel looked good, but the time suggests it isn’t as good as it looks – the course is cutting up, and she’s 10th. Nadia Fanchini into 8th; the commentary team reckon the lower section has definitely slowed. TV break, no change to the top 4, Suter still 5th with Venier 6th. Tiffany Gauthier (FRA) has missed a gate, but it looks like she has a knee or leg problem, something seems to have gone on that turn,  very unlucky – race interrupted again. A stretcher is arriving for Gauthier – this is all very unlucky – 80 minutes into the race and only 21 away! It looks as though they are going to use a helo instead – they have but only to move Tiffany to where the helo was before the incident – presumably using another stretcher (not in place?) from there; seems an odd way of doing things?? Ah, apparently they were just settling Gauthier in the helo, and are now on the way to a medical centre. Now 90 minutes into the event and still just 21 racers away – the snow will be warming nicely. Francesca Marsaglia getting ready for her run – she’s been very patient but to no avail – she’s missed a gate! Kasja Vickoff Lie has also missed a gate and she’s out too; Alice Merryweather was also good in training, but again she can’t match that pace on race day; course is probably not helping – 17th, +2.17. Nadia Fanchini (bib 20) the last to get into the top 10; well, here we go again – Priska Nufer (Swiss) has crossed the line without the clock stopping – wouldn’t have affected the top 6 but even so – why always for the Swiss skiers? The timing app has given up – nothing at all for Marta Bassino who is apparently 19th. That was scary – Nina Ortlieb almost over – great recovery but she’s a DNF.  Nufer is now shown as 13th, and because of all the delays Eurosport have run out of time before Wendy Holdener’s run – she’s well into the red by inter 4 – amazingly (she’s Swiss) the timing has worked at the finish but she’s +3.42 and 26th.  Forty away now, no change to the top 10 since Fanchini. That’s the race over; well done to Sofia Goggia – her first win of the season? That was Joana Haehlen’s first podium of the season, I think so well done to her, and Nicole Schmidhofer’s 3rd place* tightens her grip on the downhill standings. She was just 18 points ahead of Ramona Siebenhofer at the start of this race, the gap is now 70* points. Ilka Stuhec stays in 3rd, but now 81 points behind while Stephanie Venier has closed to just 8 points behind Stuhec. In the overall the order of the top 6 is unchanged with Shiffrin leading on 1794 points; Vlhova on 1075 (neither racing today) and Wendy Holdener remains third, but got no points today. Late news – looking at the timings now (still listed as “unofficial results”), it seems they have been “amended” so that Lara Gut-Behrami has jumped up to third, with Schmidhofer 4th, and Haehlen is closer to Goggia (not that it makes a difference there) while Nufer has moved from 13th to 12th – this is a real foul up (polite version); I hope the Austrians are going to protest about Schmidhofer. If that stands then Schmidhofer loses 10 points in the standings. So much for Swiss efficiency!
The FIS website says: "As a result of implementing the manual backup system, the top three finishers of today's downhill race are: First place, Sofia Goggia (ITA); second place, Joana Haehlen (SUI); third place, Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI). Longines and Swiss Timing are very disappointed by this incident and wish to apologize to the athletes, organizers and spectators." I hope they also checked what the "back up system" timings were for Schmidhofer!

Bansko – Men’s Super G, 23 Feb: Not good news! Cancelled due to heavy overnight snow, and the race will not be rescheduled.

Bansko – Men’s Giant Slalom, 24 Feb: Video only on Eurosport, no commentary it seems as there is so much other winter sport on. At race start Hirscher leads the GS standings with 540 points to Kristoffersen’s 302; Pinturault on 276. Thomas Fanara will be the first away; it’s cold today (minus 8) and cloudy, but at least we do have a race today! Not sure who set the course but it looks very twisty – Fanara is safely down; 1:15.73. Next to go – Marcel Hirscher, green at inter 1, slightly red at 2, but 0.23 green at inter 3 – very fast to the finish and he leads by 0.78. Looks like it’s a little hazy there with flat light; Zan Kranjec into 3rd, just 0.03 behind Fanara. Loic Meillard a bit off the pace - 4th, +1.45; Matts Olsson is more in touch – he goes 2nd, +0.77. Bib 6 is Henrik Kristoffersen (still with that rather nasty moustache) – only just red at inter 1, fractionally green at 2, 0.03 red at 3 – he goes 2nd, +0.22 – Hirscher must have really gone for it on the final section! Pinturault is red at inter 1, and going redder but he’s still in touch and goes 3rd, +0.68 – good final section, he lost less there than Kristoffersen. Very wild run from Manu Feller, and it’s costing him time – he’s 2.42 off the pace at the line, in 8th. Haugen even more off the pace, he’ll be disappointed to be +3.10 behind; it seems to be easy to lose time between inter 2 and 3, and easier still to lose more to the finish. Ted Ligety into 10th; Victor M-J is just green at inter 1, but he’s had a few line errors – he’s 10th, +2.23. Manfred Mölgg the last to go before the first TV break – it didn’t look bad, but he’s 2.91 off the pace – that’s a tricky course! Hirscher leads, ahead of Kristoffersen (+0.22), Pinturault (+0.68), Olsson, Fanara and Kranjec. Race on again and Kilde has skied out – I think he seriously considered breaking a ski pole; he’s not happy! Marco Odermatt (bib 19) has just made it to 10th; hard to tell from the TV pictures but I think it’s getting hazier at the top? Stefan Brennsteiner into 10th – good run! Thirty away, no change to the top 10 since Brennsteiner and it’s time to switch to Crans Montana to see if they can get the timing right this time!
Run 2: With commentary this time, although Ed Drake’s microphone seems to be playing up? That’s OK now – this course set by a French coach. Erik Read away first, and keeping in first at present. Apparently Marco Schwarz does have an ACL injury, and will be out for the rest of the season. Leif K N-Haugen much better on run 2 and he leads by 1.07 – some consolation for a poor first run? Trevor Philp going well between inter 2 and 3; he’s lost a bit on the final turns but he’s 2nd; ten away, Leif K N-H leads, Philp in 2nd and Noger 3rd. Ryan Cochran-Siegle is another racer who has gained between 2 and 3 – he’s into 2nd, +0.56. Riccardo Tonetti really well in touch to inter 3; lost time on the final section, but still good enough to go 2nd. Manu Feller is all over the place again – very wild, great recoveries and 5th! As Nick suggests – if he could just tidy things up a bit, he’d be impressive in the right way! Alex Schmid green all the way to inter 3, and into 2nd, +0.09. Huge error from Ted Ligety leaves him slowest of the 15 so far. Victor M-J red at inter 2, pulled a bit back to 3, lost it again to the finish and he’s 4th. Haugen has already gained 12 places; it’s 13 now as Mathieu Faivre goes into 3rd. Now, will Rasmus Windingstad displace his fellow Norwegian – he’s got 1.05 in hand; he’s lost quite a bit to inter 2, gained a bit back to 3, and a great final section too – he leads by 0.51. Marco Odermatt just red at inter 1, back just green at 2, bit greener at 3 and into 2nd, +0.17. Stefan Brennsteiner the first for a while to be gaining time all the way to inter 2 – lots of attack, but he’s skied out – pity! Tommy Ford red at inter 1 but he’s pulled back 0.56 to go green at 2, still green at 3, but a few errors and into 3rd. Just 8 to go, and it’s TV break time. Loic Meillard is still green at inter 3 but he’s been steadily losing his advantage all the way down – more time gone to the finish and only 6th. Zan Kranjec next, with 1.24 in hand – he’s keeping well in the green – still 1.13 ahead at inter 3 – he leads by 1.01 at the finish, nice run! Haugen’s time is still the best on run 2 at present. Thomas Fanara is gaining time; he’s turned 0.03 at the start to 0.55 at inter 3 – he leads by 0.27 – second best time on run 2. Matts Olsson into the red at inter 1 and he’s struggling to get his skis working – into 3rd. Alexis Pinturault on course – 0.10 at the start, greener at 2 but red at 3; into 2nd, +0.10. Henrik Kristoffersen next – he’s 0.56 ahead at the start; he’s gained a little to inter 1 and is a massive 1.37 ahead at 2 – he’s lost a full second* to inter 3 but has just enough to take the lead by 0.39. Just Marcel Hirscher to go – 0.22 in hand – I think inter 2 timing is odd – they’ve amended Kristoffersen’s time at inter 2, which makes sense. Hirscher has almost lost it twice – almost over and red at 2, recovering time to 3 but those errors cost him the win – he’s 2nd, just 0.04 behind! So, Henrik Kristoffersen takes the win, Hirscher 2nd and Fanara 3rd; Pinturault in 4th, ahead of Kranjec and Olsson. Since the cancelled GS (from Garmisch) isn’t being rescheduled, Marcel Hirscher’s 80 points from today means he can’t be caught for the GS crystal globe – his 6th GS globe, and his second discipline globe this season. GS standings – Hirscher 620, Kristoffersen 402, Pinturault 326. Overall – Hirscher 1408, Pinturault 918, Kristoffersen 808. Back to Crans Montana – live but no commentary!

Crans-Montana – Women’s Alpine Combined, 24 Feb: I think I saw a report that Ilka Stuhec will be out for the rest of the season, not sure how true that is? Sadly it seems to be true – partial rupture of the ACL and she is out for a while; seems Gauthier is also out for the season. The weather looks better here, but it’s warm again – lots of salt being used. Downhill first and it’s the full course. Glad to hear that the Austrians protested very strongly about the placings being changed yesterday – all very unimpressive, let’s hope today is better! There is apparently a rumour that the system was hacked!? Ragnhild Mowinckel the first away today – that looked pretty good but it’s not as quick as yesterday’s times. Bib 3 is Wendy Holdener; +0.74 at inter 2, but she’s not losing too much after inter 3 – into 2nd, +0.99 and that’s something she can gain on the slalom surely? Amazing to think this is the only World Cup AC of the season for the women. Good run from Romane Miradoli; she gained some time from inter 4 to the finish – into 2nd, +0.31. Federica Brignone is in touch – slightly red on the upper sections but gaining time lower down- into the green at inter 5 and she leads by 0.48 – great final section! Priska Nufer is going well, just red all the way and fastest so far through the speed gun – she’s into 2nd, +0.37. Odd to see Ramona Siebenhofer, second in the downhill standings, off the pace – she’s into 6th, +2.30 – didn’t have a good day yesterday either, by her standards. Marta Bassino into 5th; Nicol Delago going well to inter 5 despite a couple errors but a big mistake within sight of the gate has cost her almost a second – into 6th. Fifteen away – seems not to be a TV break yet; Brignone leads from Nufer (+0.37), Mowinckel (+0.48), Miradoli, Bassino and Delago. Wendy Holdener is currently 7th, +1.47. Good run there from Lisa Hörnblad (SWE) – into 6th. Roni Remme green at inter 1 – she’s in touch but a bit slow through the speed gun – she’s into 5th, +1.20 – she’s a handy slalom skier too. Now there’s a TV break, and then bib 22 is Alice Merryweather – good in training, but didn’t do so well yesterday; she’s 10th today, at present, +1.49, just behind Holdener. Nina Ortleib (AUT, bib 24) is green at inter 1 and keeping really in touch – just 0.17 red at inter 5 – she’s gone 3rd, +0.43. Nasty fall for Heider but she seems to be up and OK. Another good run from an Austrian – Elisabeth Reisinger (bib 27) has skied into 8th, +1.22 – very good for a relative newcomer to the World Cup (her 6th race??). The Swiss are also having a go at the “late start charge” – Nathalie Gröbli quite well in touch to inter 4 – she ends up 14th. Not for long though as Araine Raedler (AUT, bib 31) has taken over that place. That’s the downhill over – Brignone leads from Nufer, Ortlieb, Mowinckel, Miradoli and Remme; Holdener in 11th, but crucially only 1.47 behind.
Run 2: Slalom course, set by an Italian coach; not being shown live (with commentary) by Eurosport, as I understand it. Yep, live but no commentary – pity. With 5 away the course already looks a bit rutted; Jasmina Suter leading. Nevena Ignjatovic (SRB) has gained time on her run, and leads by 1.66 – best time on run 2 by a good way. Gritsch into 2nd; Kajsa Lie 3rd. Patrizia Dorsch (GER) into the lead; Haaser into 3rd. The crowd like this – Rahel Kopp (SUI) into first for the moment. Fifteen away, Kopp leads from Dorsch and Ager. Gröbli went well on the downhill but doesn’t look so comfortable on the slalom skis – into 8th, and it’s a similar story for Raedler – 10th. Top 3 are hanging on to their places, but here comes Wendy Holdener – lost a bit to inter 1 but she’s gaining on the lower section – she leads but only by 0.50; crowd all seem very happy though! I think we can safely say that Nicol Delago is not a tech skier, and neither is Lisa Hörnblad! The course is cutting up – looks quite soft lower down too. Marta Bassino losing time too – she’s into 5th; next is Roni Remme (0.27 ahead at the start); she’s gained time to inter 2 – this is looking good, and the crowd have gone quiet; Remme leads by 0.66, and that’s also the new fastest time on run 2! Romane Miradoli into 6th; Ragnhild Mowinckel on course – most of her advantage has gone by inter 1, she’s not too happy on slalom skis either – into 8th. Now Nina Ortlieb – 0.77 green is 0.77 red at inter 1 and that’s another big error just below, 24th. Priska Nufer away – she’s more comfortable on the short skis, but still losing time- into 7th; just Federica Brignone to go – 1.20 in hand, and it’s 1.28 at inter 1; still 0.64 green at 2 – she’s going well – Brignone has taken the win, by 0.38! Presumably that means she gets the crystal globe too – for just the one race? Well done to Federica Brignone, Roni Remme in 2nd, and Wendy Holdener 3rd; Kopp 4th ahead of Dorsch and Ager.

Late news: It seems JoBø left the range with a round still in his rifle and no one noticed! As I understand it Johannes himself raised the issue and forfeits his 4th place, the 43 World Cup points and the prize money! Here is part of the IBU report: "The International Biathlon Union (IBU) and Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR) have mutually agreed that the Norwegian will not be awarded the 43 points allocated for his 4th place finish at the World Cup Pursuit at Soldier Hollow (USA), 16 February 2019. The World Cup leader further agreed to distribute the prize money of € 7.000 earned at this competition to the athletes ranked behind him in accordance with the official prize money table.  The mutual decision was taken in the spirit of fair play after Boe informed the IBU that he had fired only four of his five bullets at the last standing shooting, which the IBU later confirmed using television footage, and that he arrived at the finish with a remaining bullet in his magazine. The bullet was found in the magazine after the race, but due to miscommunication inside the referee group, this instance was not reported to the competition jury in time before the official result was made public. The IBU acknowledges that this miscommunication led to the inactivity of the competition jury, when it should actually have deliberated the case. In addition, the IBU will review the sport technical control procedure to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

Full report is on the  IBU site click for report.