Preview: This Is What Winter Sports Will Bring On Friday

The Roamed Bauman begins on the descent into Lake Louise. Photo: zuma / dpa. via Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press Photo: DPA

For the speed riders around Romed Baumann, the World Cup winter begins in Canada. Nordic United athletes began the Olympic season with a gold quartet from Pyeongchang.

Lake Louise – Now the Olympic winter is really gathering pace. For alpine, the first speed event in Canada is on the schedule, with cross-country skiers meeting in Finland and skeleton races in Austria.

Alpine Skiing

World Cup in Lake Louise, Canada

8 p.m.: Departures, men (Eurosport and ZDF streams)

World Cup runners-up Romed Baumann and Andreas Sander led the German Ski Association team in the first speed events of the season over the weekend in Lake Louise. In February at the title fights at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Baumann won silver in the Super-G, Sander silver in the downhill. “I believe, I think the shape is right, and I’m glad things are starting again now,” Baumann said before the race. The German quintet for the race in Canada is completed by Josef Fürstel, Simon Jocher and Dominic Schweiger.

nordic combination

World Cup in Finland, Maine

11 a.m.: Ski Jumping Large Hill (Eurosport 2) 3.10 p.m.: 5 kilometers of cross-country skiing (ZDF and Eurosport 2)

READ Mancini appoints Italy's provisional EM squad around Grifo

At the World Cup in Finland, combined athletes have to prepare for extreme weather conditions. Temperatures for Ruka are forecast to remain well below freezing point and minus 20 degrees Celsius at night. “The hills are difficult to jump, and the conditions are not easy either,” said Vinzenz Geiger, who was second in the overall World Cup last winter behind the excellent Norwegian Jarl Magnus Riber and the best German. Nevertheless, the team of national coach Hermann Weinbach is looking forward to the start of the season.

ski jumping

World Cup in Nizhny Tagil, Russia, Women

3.30 pm: Start of the first round (Eurosport 2)

A week after the men, the women’s ski jumpers begin the World Cup winter. The season also begins for mixed world champion Katharina Althaus and her teammates in Nizhny Tagil, Russia. The anticipation is great. “It’s finally going, we’re finally jumping on the ice,” said Althaus of Oberstdorf. For the first time ever, the jumpers at the Winter World Cup will be looked after by new national coach Maximilian Mechler. The former athlete has replaced longtime coach Andreas Bauer.

langloff

Stopped, World Cup in Finland

12.30 pm: Sprint Finals, Classic Techniques, Women’s and Men’s

Like combiners, cross-country skiers begin their winter season in Ruka. It starts on Friday with a sprint in classic technique. German athletes are not among the favorites. Laura Gimler has the best potential for the top spot. “I did everything to the best of my ability and I see some opportunities in the classic sprint,” said the 27-year-old. “Of course everything has to fit, because the Scandinavians have been known for their top form from the very first World Cup. I’m definitely well prepared, and then we’ll see what we’re going to do.”

Skeleton

World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria

10.00 am: Men, 2 runs at 2.30 pm. Women, 2 runs (summary ZDF from 3.30 pm)

National coach Christian Baud was satisfied with the men with the first season at the same venue only a week earlier. The women had huge backlogs, which the national coach attributed mainly to weak start times. After intense training sessions and changes in technology, it should now improve slightly, but he’s not expecting great success just yet, especially for the women around Jacqueline Lawling and Tina Herman.