The former German alpine star Felix Neureuther sees difficult times ahead for German skiing.
The gap behind the top drivers is very difficult to close, said the 37-year-old in an interview with Sports Illustrated magazine. Neureuther justified this with the different framework conditions than in countries such as Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France and Norway with their glacier areas.
For a German, skiing is massively complex. “We will never produce as many skiers as the other nations,” predicted Neureuther. “We are very dependent on parents who are willing to put in the effort to enable the child to play such a sport. I’m afraid there will only be very, very few in the future,” said the Bavarian and spoke of a huge task for the German Ski Association.
Neureuther also sees the regional future of alpine racing in higher-lying areas in view of climate change. “Skiing on the glacier actually makes a positive contribution to the fact that the glacier lasts longer because snow is made, groomed and compressed, which means that the ice melts much more slowly,” said Neureuther. It is the great task of skiing to position itself in the future in such a way that the energy for snow production and the operation of lift systems is clean energy.
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