This summer, the Alpine teams of the Austrian Ski Association are heading south again. After their first sessions on snow on European glaciers or in indoor ski halls, most of them will be heading to the southern hemisphere in August. The men will hold camps in Chile, and the new WC-4 group will train in Ushuaia, Argentina. The female technical teams will travel to Argentina, and the women’s speed groups will head to New Zealand and Chile.
“Optimal conditions”
“Our ladies can expect optimal conditions overseas to collect important kilometers on the slopes. The conditions in both Chile and New Zealand are very wintry due to the sufficient snowfall,” explained women’s head coach Roland Assinger. Both technical teams will be in Ushuaia, the first group will be there from August 18th. The Speed West group will travel to New Zealand at the end of August, the Speed East colleagues will travel to Chile at the beginning of September and will stay until October. Nina Ortlieb, meanwhile, will continue to work on her comeback at home.
The men are training in La Parva in Chile and in El Colorado, where Marco Schwarz will also be joining the team from the end of August after his cruciate ligament rupture. The WC-4 group is based in Ushuaia. “We can expect excellent conditions in Chile and Argentina, there is more snow than in previous years,” said head coach Marko Pfeifer. “The WC-4 group will also take part in races during the camp in order to, in the best case, collect important FIS points. After returning, further preparation for the season will take place on the local glaciers.”
