Very much snow in Cuneo for the World Championships

This edition, the third, of the ski-mountaineering World Championships will certainly not have problems of snow!
Over the last few hours, the peaks of Monviso and Mondolè have been covered by a blanket of snow that will guarantee perfect racing conditions for the four races scheduled from 28 February to 4 March in the province of Cuneo.
The count-down is getting faster and the complex organisational machine is working relentlessly in order to prepare such an important event at best.
The number of entries – a total of 300 skiers from 35 countries – is unprecedented and there will be "new" nations for ski-mountaineering with many possible outsiders, who will try to be up to the skiers coming from those countries, which have monopolised the sector in recent years, i.e. France, Switzerland and Italy.
The organisation of a top-level event like this implies great efforts, as confirmed by deputy chairman Augusto Boselli, who was often involved in the organisation of great ski-mountaineering events in the past. But, as Boselli himself says: "being part of the organising committee of a World Championship is something different; duties and problems are much greater and more difficult to solve".
The choice of two racing places certainly does not make the task easier, especially because Crissolo, where the first two races will be held, and Artesina, where the final races will take place, are not very close and are rather far away from Cuneo too, which is the logistic base of the event, held for the first time in Italy.
This choice was made in order to guarantee that races could regularly take place, also in the event of lack of snow in one of the two resorts, although snow is not a problem at present, but it undoubtedly implied great efforts to set up facilities in two different areas.
A great result achieved by chairman Mariotta and Boselli was to unite and co-ordinate the volunteers of Crissolo and Artesina and surrounding areas, including Saluzzo, Mondovì and Cuneo. It cannot be forgotten that there will be four races and that efforts are much greater if compared to a single World Cup race.
On Tuesday, 28 February, there will be the Vertical Race followed on 1 March by the Team race, both in Crissolo. On Friday there will be the demanding Individual race followed on Saturday by the exciting relay, in Artesina. This year the women relay will see for the first time the participation of four athletes and young competitors will be protagonists too, as the teams shall include at least one cadet and one woman. There will be mixed relays too, formed by skiers from different nations. The aim of the organising committee is also to support the International Federation (UIAA) in the efforts to have ski-mountaineering included in the Olympic Games programme.
Ski-mountaineering is worth it, especially if considering the event which will take place in Cuneo. There will be a large TV coverage, with 2 hours of transmission of RAI Sport (the Italian broadcasting company sports channel) alone and races are designed in order to enable the public to follow them as close as possible, especially the first and the last two races. Ski-mountaineering is certainly spectacular, and although it was the first skiing discipline, it is still a niche sport that is becoming increasingly popular. The presence of 35 nations demonstrates that the event of Cuneo is more than a World Championship. The first official appointment is with the opening ceremony on Monady 27 February in Piazza Galimberti in Cuneo, at 7.00 p.m.: an event that cannot be missed.
Info: www.skimountcuneo2006.it

Mario Facchini - Press Office