The stadium announcers did their best, but it took a while for the 14,500 spectators in the finish area to really join in. They gave Henrik Kristoffersen a gentle round of applause as the Norwegian pushed himself onto the Sölden glacier slope, and the affection only grew with every interval. When Kristoffersen then arrived at the finish line, with a new best time, which in the end brought him third place in this giant slalom, many would probably not have naturalized him right away, but the cheering made the mild air at around 2500 meters vibrate a bit.
You still have to get used to this script: That Henrik Kristoffersen, who enjoyed frugal approval ratings in Austria for many winters; who cursed after defeats against Austria’s skiing saint Marcel Hirscher; whom they threw snowballs at on the Planai in Schladming a few years ago – that this Kristoffersen is now putting on the skis of the new outfitter founded by his eternal rival. And of course Austria’s ski media accompany this in the usual deep-stacked manner, the Salzburg news were now: The whole thing has “almost something of a Hollywood story”.
In Wow At least that’s how it is: Alpine sports in Austria always have a bit of Hollywood about them. This also applies to the new alliance of the two super figures, which was also evident in Sölden.
Hirscher is now living out his obsession next to the slopes
The ski racers have been so good for years, and the slopes have been prepared so evenly, that the equipment is becoming more and more important (and riskier to ski). Some connoisseurs even speak of a “battle” in which a few hundredths of a second have to be squeezed out by perfectly matching skis, boots, bindings and edges. Hirscher used to do it so manically that he sometimes had new skis sent to him from his outfitter’s factory between two runs. The obsession drove him to eight overall World Cup victories, it also drove him to exhaustion. It’s not even surprising that he’s now living out his tinkering by producing skis. Finally, he said a year ago, he could create a model himself, down to the last fiber. Freely translated: without an outfitter talking in.
It started with the company name, a reference to Hirscher’s Dutch roots (Van Deer means “Vom Hirsch(er)”), to the staff. The 33-year-old recruited Toni Giger, the former head of sports at the powerful Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV), as well as a lot of staff from the research department of the ÖSV. Father Ferdinand, who most recently promoted Austria’s giant slalom runner, is again at Hirscher’s side: Ferdl, who once carefully built up his son’s career – which used to mean that Hirscher senior did not dare to sit at a table with the ÖSV trainers, they ridiculed his approach so much. Nobody laughs anymore. Especially not in the ÖSV after the recent bloodletting.
It often takes new manufacturers years to establish themselves on the market, and ski production requires large halls and experienced staff. However, he did not want to sell as many models as possible, said Hirscher recently, but rather do what he was best at as a driver: win races in the World Cup. One or the other old alliance also helps: The Red Bull empire, which supports many ski racers, with its own supervisors, training centers and sometimes a private jet, joined Hirscher’s company in the summer, 50 percent. That made it easier to take over another ski brand and its factory in Pinzgau. And after the newcomers initially recruited a couple of pilots from the second row – the British Charlie Raposo, the Norwegian Timon Haugan – they piqued the interest of an old acquaintance.
Comeback in the ski industry: Marcel Hirscher, 33.
(Photo: Image)
Kristoffersen, 28, has been one of the best in his field for years, with 28 World Cup victories and World Championship gold in giant slalom. For someone who was said to be dominating the overall World Cup after Hirscher’s departure, this is above all: not enough. Now he saw an opportunity to finally tap into the trade secrets that had bothered him for years. “It’s amazing what details you focus on in the team,” said Kristoffersen in Sölden, “it’s a different planet. Now I’m slowly understanding how Hirscher was able to achieve eight overall World Cup victories. That makes it very easy for an athlete .” Even if Kristoffersen made two big driving mistakes in the second race and easily traded a second on the Swiss Marco Odermatt, the overall winner in the old winter and favorite in the new winter. And now?
The competitors were relaxed in Sölden, externally. Few, like Austria’s Manuel Feller, went into, well, detail: “I’m really glad Marcel is staying in the sport, but what really pisses me off are your questions,” he told Austrian reporters. “I’ve only been talking about this guy for six years. First I have to explain how good he is. Then how shit we are without him. And now what kind of skis he has.” In fact, they take a very close look at the alpine circus to see if it’s going well: to gather the most ambitious, most meticulous and richest. A lot of knowledge and money also means that many people will have an influence.
The fact that the competition takes the newcomers seriously is also reflected in a piquant detail that the French sports newspaper The Team excavated in Sölden. A few service staff from rival brands who can often identify a ski model based on its shape – what kind of bet would that be with “Wetten, dass…?”! – at least they speculated: Kristoffersen’s new skis were in Sölden in woaness been a model from their old outfitter, just repainted. Of course, such rumors were already circulating in the days of Franz Klammer when an athlete changed outfitters; I guess that’s part of psychological warfare. Van Deer initially left an inquiry unanswered.
In any case, Planet Hirscher has already achieved one success: He is again in discussion.
