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SKIIING

Swede in slalom success

Sweden's Jens Byggmark registered his first World Cup success when winning the men's slalom in Kitzbuhel, Austria, on Saturday.

Published: 27 January 2007 17:44 CET

The 21-year-old timed 1min 43.74sec to beat Austria’s Mario Matt by 0.87sec with German Alois Vogl 1.48sec back in third.

Byggmark, taking part in only the eighth World Cup slalom of his fledgling career, was in a strong position after posting the fastest time in the first run.

Despite the snowfall and foggy conditions, the young Swede maintained his dominance in the second – and could not contain his joy upon beating all his rivals.

“It’s amazing,” said Byggmark. “I tried not to go into the second run expecting anything and it all worked out. In the second run I was so nervous.

“I could hear people screaming come on, come on, and it is just unbelievable that I won.”

Defending World Cup champion Benjamin Raich of Austria slipped back from second place after the first run to finish fifth, a result that leaves him joint second with Larsson in the slalom standings.

But even Raich would admit the day belonged to Byggmark, who, like Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark and current women’s alpine queen Anja Pärson, hails from the town of Tärnaby in Sweden’s far north.

Byggmark said he trains occasionally with former World Cup champion Pärson, and he insisted their success was not down to chance.

“It doesn’t date just from today that the Swedes are good in slalom,” he added.

“And it’s not just because of the upcoming world championships are being held in Åre (Sweden) which explains our success.

“We don’t have any secret, it’s down to the programme that’s been put in place for several years. We have a very strong group, that’s all.”

Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal, 13th here, maintained his position at the top of the overall standings with 745 points in front of Switzerland’s Didier Cuche (677 points) and American Bode Miller (640).

SKIIING

Fears grow for British skier missing in French Alps ski resort

A British skier is missing in the French Alps ski resort of Tignes, which is on alert for the heightened threat of avalanches. Search efforts have been hampered by huge snowfall in the recent days.

Published: 9 January 2018 09:58 CET
Fears grow for British skier missing in French Alps ski resort
TIgnes
French gendarmes have launched a hunt for a “John Promell”, 39, who went missing on Sunday afternoon. Although it is believed his surname is actually Bromell.
 
The skier was on a family holiday in the Alps but had gone back up the slopes on his own for “one last run”.
 
He was last seen taking the Pacquis ski lift at around 4.30pm in the Tovière sector above Tignes for a last descent. He was wearing a colourful hat with a pompom and a checked jacket (see the pic).
 
Fears are heightened due to the amount of snow that has fallen in the area in recent days – described as a once in every 30 years phenomenon. The conditions have made it impossible for rescuers to send a search party out on foot up the slopes.
 
Ski slopes have been closed since Monday and the resort is on alert for avalanches. Resort staff are carrying out planned blasts to try to trigger avalanches to make the area safe.
 
A spokesman for Tignes gendarmerie said: “The lost man had been skiing all of Sunday with his family and had set off for one last run alone. Everything is being done to try and find him.”
 
Officers are asking anyone who might have seen him to contact the Tignes Gendarmerie on +33 (0) 479063206.
 
On Monday The country's weather agency Météo France placed the department of Savoie on red alert – the highest warning level –  due to the heightened risk of avalanches caused by heavy snow.

The agency described the danger as of “exceptional intensity” and said numerous avalanches were expected on Monday evening.

More than 1,800 of these avalanches could take unusual trajectories and may hit roads and villages, the agency said.

Meanwhile the Hautes-Alpes department is on orange alert (one level below red) for avalanches and the Alpes-Maritimes is on orange alert for avalanches and storms.  

The public are advised to avoid high roads in the area and to heed the safety advice in ski resorts.

On Monday The Local reported the death of a young British man Owen Lewis, 22, who froze to death after getting lost on his way home from a bar in the ski resort of Risoul.