The floodlights illuminate the white surface of the outdoor ice rink where hockey players train at night. This evening, the dull thud of the puck against the edges is the only sound that resonates in the mourning city center of the usually lively resort of Crans-Montana (Switzerland). Because on New Year’s Eve, a deadly fire broke out in the Constellation bar. Forty people died – half were minors – and 116 people were injured.
In the café facing the skaters, Didier Défago, the former Olympic downhill champion in 2010 and sports director of the Crans-Montana races, explains his difficult mission: to organize the stage of the Ski World Cup, from January 30 to February 1, that is to say exactly one month after the tragedy.
