Alpine World Cup to begin in Copper Mountain

The world’s best skiers will continue their bid for glory with less than 50 days to go until Sochi 2014. 17 Jan 2014

Great Britain's Kelly Gallagher and guide Charlotte Evans in action in La Molina

ⒸMarcus Hartmann Photography

By IPC

With just under half of the scheduled IPC Alpine Skiing World Cups left to run, and the finals in Tarvisio, Italy, concluding only a few days before the start of the Winter Paralympic Games on 7 March, athletes are looking to maintain their momentum on the Copper Mountain slopes.

Around 75 skiers from nearly 15 countries are gathering in Copper Mountain, Colorado in the USA, starting on Friday (17 January) with only 49 crucial days to go until Sochi 2014.

With just under half of the scheduled IPC Alpine Skiing World Cups left to run, and the finals in Tarvisio, Italy, concluding only a few days before the start of the Winter Paralympic Games on 7 March, athletes are looking to maintain their momentum on the Copper Mountain slopes.

Fresh from three World Cup wins in the super combined, super-G and giant slalom in the host resort of the 2015 World Championships in Panorama, Canada, Great Britain’s Kelly Gallagher and guide Charlotte Evans head out in the giant slalom and slalom events at Copper Mountain. The super-G world champions had a slow start to the season at World Cups in Australia and New Zealand, but have clearly turned a corner and will face American husband and wife team Danelle and Robert Umstead, winners of three World Cup podiums this season.

In the women’s standing races, France’s five-time world champion Marie Bochet is no stranger to victory either in 2013-14 with three World Cup wins already under her belt. American Allison Jones joined Bochet on the giant slalom podium in third place earlier this month (8-14 January) and aims to pick up more valuable World Cup points in her bid to join Team USA in Russia.

A quality field will be heading out in the men’s standing events, highlighted by France’s slalom and giant slalom world champion Vincent Gauthier-Manuel and Austria’s 21-year-old double world champion Markus Salcher. Swiss-born Micheal Bruegger and Austria’s Matthias Lanzinger, also heading out in Copper Mountain in the same classification, hold a total of eight world and Paralympic medals between them.

The men’s sitting races will see Japan’s giant slalom world champion Taiki Morii, straight from two wins in the super-G and giant slalom in Panorama, continue his preparations for gold in Sochi. Teammate and 2012-13 World Cup overall slalom winner Takeshi Suzuki and fellow Panorama podium winner Josh Dueck of Canada look to join the party.

Austrian sit-skier Claudia Loesch will be pitting her wits against American Paralympic champion Alana Nichols, who is returning from injury. Giant slalom World Champion Loesch had a good start to her World Cup campaign in Panorama with two podium finishes.

Brothers Mac and guide BJ Marcoux could continue with their run of form in the men’s visually impaired, against the USA’s super-G winner from Panorama Mark Bathum and guide Cade Yamamoto.

IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup races run at Copper Mountain until 20 January, before a further two events take place in Tignes, France, from 27-31 January and St. Moritz, Switzerland from 3-6 February.

The 2014 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup finals will take place from 24-27 February.