PlanetSKI Arrives in The Alps
21st November 2024
Last modified on November 24th, 2024
It’s our first trip of the season and we couldn’t have timed it better. Fresh snow has fallen & the temperatures have dropped. We’re in Gurgl this weekend for World Cup ski racing. UPDATED
Friday 22nd November
Landing at Innsbruck in Austria it was great to see some snow on the surrounding peaks.
PlanetSKI in Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
PlanetSKI in Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
And snow at valley level as we drove out of Innsbruck to the Oetztal Valley.
PlanetSKI in Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Heading up the Oetztal Valley it was like the middle of winter and on arrival in Gurgl it was the middle of winter, or at least it felt like it with temperatures at -8c.
PlanetSKI in Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
PlanetSKI in Austria. Image c/o PlanetSKI
PlanetSKI in Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
It’s always good to see snow falling on arrival in a resort.
Gurgl is the first non-glacier Austrian resort to open.
Its base is not as deep as when it opened last year, but has 30km (19 miles) of slopes open already.
This week the Alps has seen the first main storm of the approaching winter.
Over 1m has fallen in parts of the northern and western Alps, with less in western Austria where Obergurgl is situated.
The cold temperatures have allowed snow-making to take place.
We have reported on the snow across the Alps and beyond here on PlanetSKI:
Obergurgl, or Gurgl as the area is now called, has been open since last week and more terrain has opened with the cold temperatures this week.
PlanetSKI is primarily in resort for the men and women World Cup slalom races that take place on Saturday and Sunday.
Gurgl World Cup. Image © PlanetSKI
It’s the first time the women have raced in the resort, while in the men’s inaugural race last year GB’s Dave Ryding was in fourth place – just missing out on a podium position.
Ryding is sponsored by Gurgl and they have put The Rocket on the race poster:
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Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) will be looking for her 99th World Cup triumph and is up against the likes of Katharina Liensberger (AUT) and Lena Duerr (GER).
The men meanwhile made their Gurgl debut last season.
Frenchman Clement Noel was victorious in last week’s slalom in Levi and currently leads the standings.
Lucas Braathen, now representing Brazil, is striving for his first podium finish after his return.
We reported on the races in Levi, Finland, last weekend:
Next stop ➡️ Gurgl 🇦🇹#fisalpine #worldcupgurgl #skiverrückt pic.twitter.com/L7JTVRjZHK
— FIS Alpine (@fisalpine) November 20, 2024
This is the first trip of the 24/25 season for PlanetSKI’s editor, James Cove.
“I have been waiting for this moment since the end of April when I put away my skis, and it has been a joy packing the gear and looking forward to the weekend ahead,” said James.
Packing for skiing. Image © PlanetSKI
James has a big winter planned for PlanetSKI and he’ll be skiing in Switzerland (Verbier and Crans-Montana, Villars) ahead of Xmas.
Then over the New Year he’s off on a road trip round a few resorts in France (Les Arcs, La Plagne, La Clusaz, Tignes/Val D’Isere, St Foy and and likely some others.
Next it’s Japan for six weeks in January skiing all number of resorts.
Do look out for reports on his extended stay in the country that is No 1 on most people’s bucket list.
PlanetSKI’s team of reporters will be criss-crossing the Alps, the Pyrenees and Scandinavia reporting on the winter, as James is in the powder of Japan.
But now PlanetSKI is focused on Gurgl in Austria with a weekend of skiing and some World Cup racing action thrown in.
Do check back…
