This spring, the super couple Mikaela Shiffrin and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde were among the 142 athletes who demanded immediate climate action from the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Among the proposals was to move the start of the season to the end of November.
Rebellion against FIS
They were – initially – not heard, and before this weekend’s World Cup opening in Sölden, the environmental debate rages again.
Greenpeace attacks the organizer, and claims that they are destroying the Rettenbach glacier in Sölden to clear the race.
– The destruction of the Rettenbach glacier is catastrophic. Here, skiing is at the expense of preserving nature. The glaciers cannot fall victim to prestige projects, says Greenpeace’s Ursula Bittner in one press release.
In the press release, Greenpeace also claims that the organizer has worked outside the areas they had permission for, and that since April they have destroyed the glacier to prepare the World Cup tracks.
The pictures Greenpeace uses in the press release was taken on 12 September this year, but shows the work that has been done to get the World Cup tracks ready for this weekend’s race.
JOB: This is how it looked then Photo: Mitja Kobal / Greenpeace Show more
Dagbladet has tried to get a comment from FIS, so far without success.
Sölden manager Jakob Falkner calls Greenpeace’s accusations “malicious”:
– What is happening is normal, and we have been approved for all the work being done, he adds Tirol.orf.
READY FOR SEASON: This is what it looked like in Sölden on 19 October this year. Photo: NTB Show more
The pictures before the start of the season have caused several stars to react. Dagbladet attended a digital press conference with Shiffrin on Thursday afternoon:
– There hasn’t been much snow here, admitted the American star.
She also spoke about the letter during an Atomic meeting a few weeks ago. There she repeated her desire to postpone the start of the season:
– Is this a good time to start the season? Hardly. The calendar should be changed.
DEMANDS THAT ACTION BE TAKEN: Mikaela Shiffrin. Photo: NTB Show more
It is clear that the images and the work being done divide the environment:
– I think the case is too one-sided, and too few questions were asked about the criticism. The work they have done this summer will ensure that they need less snow in the years to come, says Austrian Manuel Feller to Salzburger Nachrichten.
On the opposite side of the scale, we have the former alpinist Felix Neureuther, who takes a merciless reckoning:
– This is a disaster for the credibility of the sport. They are very disturbing images, which will not measure up in 2023, he says to the same newspaper.
– Fear of sabotage
The Swedish ski star Sara Hector has seen the snow changes herself throughout her career.
– It is a complex question, but I am glad that it is being raised. FIS has already changed a lot, and it is something I expect they will do more about when it gets focused, she says to The Express.
And adds:
– God, there is a big difference from when I started competing in 2009 to today. The glaciers look completely different now than then. Every time you come back, you’re completely put off by it and just think “shit”.
2023-10-27 05:20:58
#Shaken #pictures
