The World Cup in Ski Mountaineering Begins

This weekend marks not only the start of the UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup, but also the beginning of the World Cup and Slovenian Cup in competitive ski mountaineering. At the Ski Mountaineering World Cup race in Pelvoux, France (January 8-9, 2011), our representative Nejc Kuhar will also compete, representing the colors of Slovenia and the Slovenian Alpine Association as the best Slovenian competitor in ski mountaineering.



The Ski Mountaineering World Cup is organized by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation, ISMF, http://www.ismf-ski.org/, which is the umbrella ski mountaineering organization. Under its auspices, World Cup races as well as world and European championships are organized. Presentation of ISMF on the PZS website and a brief about competitive ski mountaineering: http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5328.



Competitive ski mountaineering falls under endurance sports, as it requires great physical and mental preparation; often there are extreme conditions on the course, where only the head can handle all the effort and overcome all the altitude ascents and descents that frequently alternate during the race. Races are often at high altitudes, which demands additional effort from the body.

ISMF rules for competitive ski mountaineering require all mandatory equipment for safety that belongs in the mountains in winter: avalanche beacon, probe, and snow shovel. Aluminum foil and a windbreaker are also mandatory.

The disciplines in which ski mountaineers compete are: ascent, pairs, individual.



More about the first World Cup race this year (January 8-9, 2011): http://www.teamecrinshautesalpes.com/Presentation-coupe-du-monde-2011.html and a brochure about the venue itself with altitude profiles of the course for tomorrow and Sunday: http://www.teamecrinshautesalpes.com/images/stories/brochure.pdf.



Yesterday, January 8, Nejc Kuhar wrote from France, specifically from Les Deux Alpes. (news published on: http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5385). In Les Deux Alpes, he completed the final part of preparations before the start of the World Cup. Nejc writes before the first World Cup race: "The upcoming weekend starts the highest-level races for me, or the first real races this year. In December, I competed in a few preparatory races, which showed significant progress compared to previous seasons. I hope I can show this progress on Saturday and Sunday at the first World Cup stop in Pelvoux, France. On Saturday, sprints are scheduled, qualifications in the morning and elimination fights in the afternoon. On Sunday, the classic individual race follows with 1700 meters of elevation gain in the beautiful alpine world under the peaks of Ecrins."

About the final preparations before the race: "Before the New Year, I did high-altitude acclimatization in a tent, which will greatly benefit me in the January races. The last week, I am in Les Deux Alpes in France, where I completed the final part of preparations and especially skied a lot."



Our national team:



The Slovenian ski mountaineering national team under the auspices of the Slovenian Alpine Association consists of seven enthusiastic guys and the team leader Iztok Cukjati, who has been working with the team for a year and a half. By education, he is a professor of physical education, specializing in conditioning training. He is currently completing a scientific master's degree in the field of exercise physiology. The 30-year-old team leader comes from Logatec and is a member of PD Vrhnika. He is also an athlete himself (marathon runner, cyclist, sport climber, and alpinist). In 2010, he was the leader of a successful expedition to Muztagh Ata. In preparing competitors for competitive ski mountaineering in Slovenia, he is literally breaking new ground.



Nejc Kuhar's greatest achievements: at the 2010 World Championships in Andorra, he achieved 16th place in the individual category. Internationally, the victory at Mountain Attack 2010 and second place at Dachstein Extreme 2010 mean a lot. He started the 2010/2011 season excellently, achieving three second places in three international races: at two Vertical Race events in Italy (http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5322) and at the race in Gosau, Austria (http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5360), where our representatives achieved an exceptional team success and even overshadowed the host Austrians.



Member presentations:

Iztok Cukjati, leader, presentation: http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5383.

Nejc Kuhar, presentation: http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5382.

Anže Šenk, presentation: http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5381.

Matjaž Mikloša, presentation: http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5380.

Klemen Triler, presentation: http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5379.

Marjan Zupančič, presentation: http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5378.

Žiga Klemše, presentation: http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5377.

Luka Mihelič, promising junior, presentation: http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5376.



The Slovenian Alpine Association has equipped the Slovenian national team with new, uniform jerseys that nicely represent Slovenia and the Slovenian Alpine Association. We published the news about this on the website, direct link http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5358.

The team tested the jerseys right on the first day of the new year, January 1. Beautiful photos were also taken. The news about this is published http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5373.



Participation in races:



Nejc Kuhar will participate in four out of five World Cup races and the World Championships in competitive ski mountaineering:

2011 World Cup races:

January 8-9, World Cup Pelvoux, France (http://www.teamecrinshautesalpes.com/Presentation-coupe-du-monde-2011.html),

February 5, World Cup Transcavallo, Italy (http://www.coppaitaliaskialp.it/transcavallo/transcavallo-coppa-ita),

March 6, World Cup Marmota Trophy, Italy http://www.marmotta-trophy.it/marmotta_tropy/de/),

April 16, World Cup Zakopane, Poland (http://www.memorial.topr.pl/).



2011 World Championships: February 18-25, World Championships Claut, Italy (http://www.transclautana.it/en/).



The team leader regarding the other team members and their participation in races says: "Certainly, most will also participate in some World Cup race. It all depends, unfortunately, on finances. Nejc has his entry fee and accommodation paid by the organizers, the others do not..."



Otherwise, our representatives, led by Nejc, will certainly participate in the most important races abroad, such as the Mountain Attack competition (January 14, 2011, Saalbach, Austria, http://www.mountain-attack.at/), where Nejc was 1st in the shorter distance last year; the extremely demanding Pierra Menta (March 17-20, 2011, Areches, France

http://www.pierramenta.com/) and some others. "These competitions, 'classics,' are for some even more prestigious than World Cup competitions, although with promotion and appropriate measures in recent years at ISMF, they have achieved that all the best participate in World Cup races. At the classics, there are TV crews in helicopters, thousands of spectators along the course... Truly attractive, unfortunately too little known here," says Iztok Cukjati, himself an athlete (marathon runner, cyclist, sport climber, and alpinist).



They will also participate in domestic Slovenian Cup races in ski mountaineering, but not all.



Slovenian Cup races in competitive ski mountaineering. The first race "Vertical Race Stari vrh 2011" is already today, January 8, starting at 5 PM.

SLOVENIAN CUP 2011 (http://www.pzs.si/index.php?stran=Novice&novica_id=5337):



January 8, 2011 - Vertical Race Stari vrh, Cup, ascent, organizer: TSK Olimpik.

January 21, 2011 - Vogel, Cup, individual, organizer: ŠD Stara Fužina.

January 29, 2011 - Luka and Rado Memorial, Jezersko, Cup, NC, pairs, organizer: PD Jezersko.

February 5, 2011 - Pokljuka Chamois, Cup, individual, organizer: AO Radovljica.

February 12, 2011 - Race at Zelenica, Cup, NC, individual, organizer: GRS Tržič.

March 12, 2011 - Veninšek, Lihteneker Memorial, Okrešelj, Cup, pairs, organizer: GRS Celje.



Prepared by Zdenka Mihelič