“I hope the situation doesn’t spoil the competition”

It is snowing in Davos. About ten centimeters of stuff has fallen from the sky during the night.

The bottom of the track is soft and it slips badly when the women’s 20 km traditional pursuit starts at 11:45 Finnish time.

– I hope the situation doesn’t spoil the competition, says Iltalehti’s skiing expert Reijo Jylhä.

– It will be interesting to see how well the track can be skied before the race that starts at 10:45 local time. Snowfall can make it not very good to ski from the bow, especially for women. It has a big meaning, he adds.

According to the forecast, the snowfall will decrease during the women’s race, but it may not stop until the early afternoon.

– On the track, you need a grippy ski with slippery grip. The ski must also be slippery when leveling and in the landing position on a considerable part of the track.

Difficult fluoride ban

The ban on fluoride for this season is a bad thing in Thursday’s competition weather. Fluoride would be a significant benefit in the new snot snow.

In Thursday’s competition, big differences can be seen in the equipment. Expertise with maintenance trucks is emphasized.

Jylhä reminds us with the experience of his nine years as a head coach that with the fluoride ban, the old equipment data from different tracks and different weather conditions were in a way invalidated.

– The huge knowledge base has disappeared. Before, we were reasonably well informed about the weather.

If the Finns’ equipment is in order, the expert especially believes in Kerttu Niskanen’s chance of success.

– There should be Kertu hay in that kind of weather and on that track. If he doesn’t ski hard there, it’s a miracle. It becomes a real chase.