Two different downhill courses, two very different experiences in Cortina
In the shadow of the Tofana is the tale of two very different downhill trails. On the one side you find the iconic track, Olympia Della Tofane, which has hosted more women’s World Cup races – 94 – than any other venue. It is an enduring love affair for all who have skied it. Just adjacent is the men’s Vertigine, which due to a confluence of Covid and weather, has felt more like a case of speed dating. And not everyone has made a love connection.
“I don’t like it. I’m at the start and I’m not happy to be there,” Italy’s Christof Innerhofer told NBC after the first training run. “The top is okay, but after the middle passage, I hate it.”
February 10, 2021
It’s exceedingly rare that a world championship speed event takes place on entirely unfamiliar territory. But that will be precisely the scenario the men will face tomorrow in the super G called, appropriately, Vertigo. There is one exception. The Italian nationals took place there in the spring of 2019. It just wasn’t pummeled by feet of snow along with a few helpings of rain on the lower third like the 2021 edition has been.
It’s worth noting that this will be the case with the 2022 Olympic events in Beijing as all nations will be seeing the venue for the first time upon touchdown. In both cases, coronavirus has thwarted the otherwise-obligatory test events. Both put a very high premium on the ability to adapt and improvise.