Alpine skiing: Marcel Hirscher ennobles ÖSV team mates: “He is a winner”.

Marcel Hirscher was full of praise for his downhill team colleagues after his arrival in the USA. “They are ready to celebrate serial victories,” the Levi slalom winner is convinced, after Max Franz (victory), Vincent Kriechmayr (2nd and 4th) and Hannes Reichelt (4th) have followed up last week in Lake Louise. The World Cup lead for Speed-Ass Kriechmayr does not surprise Hirscher.

“Vince is a victory driver. He already showed that last season”, World Cup defending champion Hirscher believes the Upper Austrian himself to be very confident in the overall ranking. Possibly the two will meet next Sunday in the giant slalom of Beaver Creek even directly against each other.

Hirscher used the days after his arrival in Colorado mainly to adjust to the extreme altitude and the time change of eight hours. Besides giant slalom, the man from Salzburg also wanted to train some slalom in Vail.

With a heavy heart, Hirscher will not be taking part in the Super-G, which opens the three-day race programme on the “Birds of Prey” track on Friday. “I’d like to drive. But I simply believe that at the moment I have to give more attention to the technical disciplines”, the 29-year-old explained this decision.

That’s not easy for him. “Every time I come here and see the bird of prey trail, I think, Super-G, that would do me good. I once won a Super-G here, the only one of my life. This has always been an extreme motivation,” Hirscher emphasized. “Just for fun, we’re not here. I have to collect points, and it doesn’t look so good in Super-G at the moment.”

For the time being, Hirscher will concentrate entirely on the final giant slalom at the North American World Cup, which will be the first in the World Championship season after the cancellation in Sölden. The man from Salzburg has already won the RTL three times here, last year sensationally right after his ankle fracture.

“This time we have a completely different situation,” Hirscher said confidently. The body is accustomed to the ski load, the ski boot does not hurt any more. Last year was crazy.”

The challenge in Colorado is to find the right setup for the American snow in just a few days. “It’s very different from Europe. For us Europeans this is sometimes a big challenge.”

By Sunday, the announced bad weather is said to have disappeared again. “Of course, we’d prefer the sun to shine all week. But I’m sure nothing stands in the way of a great race.”

With regard to his own giant slalom form, he had a real international training comparison for the first time in the USA. “Preparing for Sölden was difficult for everyone. Now we’re finally on winter snow, now it counts.”

The main opponents were obvious, said Hirscher. “Henrik Kristoffersen is always one of the top favourites to win technical races. Alexis Pinturalt also drove very, very well,” said Hirscher and also emphasised a compatriot. “Stefan Brennsteiner feels very comfortable on this snow and has shown good training performance.”

However, Felix Neureuther had to postpone his comeback after a cruciate ligament rupture and a one-year racing break. Hirscher’s favourite German competitor is not yet ready for Beaver Creek after his thumb injury suffered before Levi. “If everything goes well, he’ll start again in Val d’Isere,” said Wolfgang Maier, head of the DSV Alpine team.

In the “warm” France, where the Men’s World Cup continues after the North American Tour, they are currently working intensively on snowing the race track. There’s a snow check on Friday. “We’re working our way up,” said FIS Race Director Markus Waldner in the USA. “So far the slalom is confirmed and a shorter giant slalom.”