Stelvio (ski course)
Stelvio is a World Cup downhill ski course in northern Italy, considered as second hardest in the world. Located on Vallecetta mountain in Bormio, it debuted at the World Championships in 1985.[1][2]
| Stelvio | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Place: |  Bormio |
| Mountain: | Vallecetta |
| Opened: | 1985 |
| Level: |  expert |
| Downhill | |
| Start: | 2,255 m (7,398 ft) (AA) |
| Finish: | 1,245 m (4,085 ft) |
| Vertical drop: | 1,010 m (3,314 ft) |
| Length: | 3.270 km (2.03 mi) |
| Max. incline: | 32.2 degrees (63%) |
| Avr. incline: | 17.7 degrees (30.9%) |
| Most wins: | Dominik Paris (7x) |
Widely considered as the second most difficult and scariest downhill course in the world, after the Streif at Kitzbühel, many consider it even as the toughest downhills of all. It hosted two World Championships (1985, 2005), and three World Cup finals (1995, 2000, 2008).
Dominik Paris has seven World Cup downhill victories on the Stelvio, a record for a single discipline on one course.
Course
Sections
Sections of the slope from start to finish:
- "Praimont" – start fall with 63% incline (32.2°), the steepest part of the slope.
- "La Rocca" jump – first difficult part right after start with no time to breath with high speed.
- "Sertorelli" little channel – dive towards the Fontana Lunga section. Surface is uneven and that makes it hard to be precise.
- "Valdisotto" crossing
- "Fontana Lunga" jump – skis are often off the surface. The tunnel makes it possibel to ski in the rest of the area and is another insidious undulation of the surface.
- "Pian dell'Orso" – a part of the course where skier starts to feel tired and hard to be precise. There is no time for mistakes on this section.
- "Carcentina" – a terrible diagonal to the right and it is not easy to find the best line to keep fast. It is a passport for talent.
- "San Pietro" jump – spectacular and breathtaking. A scary jump into empty space. The starting point of a dive, the most difficult and decisive part of this course.
- "La Konta" – legs are burning hard here, intoxicated by lactic acid, but this wall in the shade knows how to recognize true champions and rewards them with its curves.
- Finish area – course ends with 25% incline jump just before the finish line.
World Championships
Men's events
| Event | Type | Date | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | DH | 3 February 1985 |  Pirmin Zurbriggen |
Peter Müller |
 Doug Lewis |
| KB | (DH) 1 February 1985 (SL) 5 February 1985 |
Pirmin Zurbriggen |
 Ernst Riedlsperger |
Thomas Bürgler | |
| GS | 7 February 1985 |  Markus Wasmeier |
Pirmin Zurbriggen |
 Marc Girardelli | |
| SL | 10 February 1985 |  Jonas Nilsson |
Marc Girardelli |
Robert Zoller | |
| 2005 | SG | 29 January 2005 | Bode Miller |
Michael Walchhofer |
Benjamin Raich |
| KB | 3 February 2005 | Benjamin Raich |
 Aksel Lund Svindal |
Giorgio Rocca | |
| DH | 5 February 2005 | Bode Miller |
Daron Rahlves |
Michael Walchhofer | |
| GS | 10 February 2005 | Hermann Maier |
Benjamin Raich |
Daron Rahlves | |
| SL | 12 February 2005 | Benjamin Raich |
Rainer Schönfelder |
Giorgio Rocca |
Women's events
Combined event 1985 (slalom held on "Stelvio" and downhill on "Cividale" course).
| Event | Type | Date | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | KB | (DH) 31 January 1985 (SL) 4 February 1985 |
Erika Hess |
Sylvia Eder |
Tamara McKinney |
| SL | 9 February 1985 |  Perrine Pelen |
Christelle Guignard |
Paoletta Magoni |
World Cup
Men
downhills and record 7 events in total
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Women
Not in original World Cup calendar. It replaced other venues.
References
- "Stelvio: the history of a legendary slope". bormioski.eu. 23 November 2021.
- "Slope profile in PDF" (PDF). bormioski.eu. 23 November 2021.
External links
- Bormio ski map bormioski.eu