Norwegians Saved the World Cup Opening
Despite the lack of winter weather and high temperatures, the World Cup competition in Lillehammer will take place as planned. Organizers assure that the Lysgaardsbakken hill will be ready to welcome athletes even before November 21. Snow stored from the previous season will help make this possible. Norwegians believe this solution will allow the season to start without delays.
Rising temperatures make it almost impossible to start the season in November.
Fot. Norweski Związek Narciarski
Event manager Terje Lund confirmed in an interview with Nettavisen that the lack of snowfall does not pose a threat to the event. The competition will begin with a mixed team event, followed by individual contests. Organizers are relying on experience from previous years, when similar solutions brought the expected results. As they announce, all preparations will be completed within a week.
Norwegian Snow from Storage
The snow needed to prepare the hill was stored near the venue back in spring. The supply is expected to be sufficient for the competition.
"It looks like all the snow we will use will come from storage," Lund said in an interview. Work on covering the hill began on Monday. Preparations are scheduled to be completed by the following Monday, just before the start of the event.
"It looks like all the snow we will use will come from storage," Lund said in an interview. Work on covering the hill began on Monday. Preparations are scheduled to be completed by the following Monday, just before the start of the event.
The season opening will take place at the Olympic stadium in Lillehammer.Photo: Gorik Francois from Zoutleeuw, Belgium, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The broadcast of the inaugural mixed team event is scheduled for November 21 at 4:00 p.m. The following days will bring individual competitions, which are expected to confirm the readiness of the hill and the effectiveness of the Norwegian solution to the lack of snow. Organizers hope that this proven method will keep Lillehammer on the World Cup calendar regardless of the weather.
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