Sadly, nine of the 12 planned FIS World Cup season opening competitions planned in Europe over the final weekends of October and start of November have had to be cancelled due to snow or weather conditions.

The first World Cup freeskiing events took place on Friday 22^nd at Chur in Switzerland on snow brought in from the occasion and the Alpine Skiing World Cup Tour successfully started on Sunday at its traditional opening venue of Solden with the men’s first GS race won by Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt. The Women’s race on Saturday had to be cancelled though due to poor visibility and warm temperatures.

Sadly though, a much heralded new start to the Alpine Speed Racing Circuit with a new cross-border course (the world’s first) from the formerly year-round ski destination of Zermatt to Cervinia in Italy have had to be cancelled. Two women’s and two men’s races had been planned over the next two weekends but organisers say that despite this being the highest and they’d hoped most snowsure race course in the world, two days of rainfall caused too much damage to the course, and forecast warm temperatures continuing into November, meant the races had to be cancelled.

“We’re already starting to prepare to run the races in 2023” they said.

Similarly the planned start of the World Cup SnowboardX and SkiX tours at Les 2 Alpes in France with four competitions (two men’s, two women’s) over the same upcoming  weekends have been cancelled de to inadequate sow cover on the glacier there.