Marco Odermatt the ‘big loser’ from cancellation-hit start to FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season, says Johan Clarey

Marco Odermatt is the “big loser” from the heavily-disrupted start to the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season, according to Eurosport expert Johan Clarey.

Six of the first seven men’s races this season have been cancelled due to adverse weather.

The only race to take place so far was the slalom at Gurgl, which was won by Manuel Feller.

Odermatt has been the overall winner for the last two seasons but Clarey believes the cancellation of several speed races could impact his chances of a third straight success.

“For the general standings, the big loser, without even having put sticks behind the gate, is Odermatt,” said the 2022 Olympic silver medallist.

“We must say what it is: looking at the fairness of the general standings, that raises questions.

“He also loses Beaver Creek which suited him really well. He has a huge shortfall. He had at least 200 points in his bag potentially, so it’s a tough blow for him.”

Clarey also described the weather situation as “exceptional” and says the top contenders will “have to adapt”.

“You have to know how to stay calm, it’s the only thing to do for them. Even if it’s unfair, unequal, they can’t do anything about it anyway.

“The schedule is overloaded so you just have to be patient. If they want to see the positive side: it allowed them, after a complicated summer for everyone I think, to get in some kilometres without racing and therefore perfect their preparation.

“I have been on the circuit for 20 years, I have never seen such a start to a season.

“As much as Zermatt was predictable given the location of the races – on a glacier at more than 3000m, we take risks – but Beaver Creek, I had never seen that.

“There, the weather is often a little unstable but we always manage to run. But in Colorado, when we have a storm warning like that, we can’t do anything, we won’t go down.”

Michael Vion, general secretary of the Federation of International Skiing (FIS), says the plan is to reschedule three of the cancelled races.

One has been added to the Val Gardena schedule this month on Thursday, December 14.

That will mean three races in Val Gardena followed quickly by two in Alta Badia.

When that comment was put to Vion following the latest rescheduling, he said: “We didn’t want Bormio [in late December] to include a downhill because the piste is too difficult, and we’d be endangering skiers’ safety with three events in three days.”

The men’s World Cup circuit moves next weekend to Val d’Isere, France, for a giant slalom and slalom race.