1994 Olympic Downhill Legacy Lives On -- On the Scene

(ATR)Ever since the 1994 Olympic downhill and super-G races were contested in Kvitfjell, the World Cup Alpine ski tour has returned each and every year.

Kvitfjell Ski Resort’s legacy is unmatched by any other venue that has hosted Olympic downhill races.

The Norwegian ski area was once again the setting this past weekend as Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud won a super-G on Sunday and Italian Dominik Paris sped to a downhill victory on Saturday on the Olympiabakken course.

Canadian racer Erik Guay said Kvitfjell has done all the right things to benefit from its Olympic legacy."I think they had a better plan than most of the other places that we’ve had Olympics – they used the Olympics to sort of springboard their system," Guay said.

"They built a great track, we continue to come back every year and what that does is inspire the youth – there are so many kids here cheering for Jansrud, Kilde and usually Aksel and it creates a snowfall effect," he said referring to the top Norwegian ski racers.

"You look at all the other places – Salt Lake, Sestriere, Whistler – they use the money funneled in from the Olympics to build these tracks and great lifts and just keep them for themselves after. I think it’s a little bit greedy."

Former Norwegian ski team head coach and Olympiatoppen executive Jarle Aambo said that Kvitfjell is unlike any other place on tour.

"The racers like the course and they like being in Kvitfjell," Aambo said. "They like staying at mid-mountain and being so close to the course. It’s quality – it’s the concept here."

The world’s elite ski racers have hurtled down the Olympiabakken course every winter since 1994 except for 2006, when the ladies raced instead. Organizers have staged 56 men’s World Cup downhill and super-G races since 1993, more than any other tour stop.

"Four or five of us had a vision that Kvitfjell should become a classic [race] after the Olympics," said Kvitfjell organizing committee president Svein Mundal. "It was not easy – the Norwegian Ski Federation didn’t believe in the project. We had a race in 1995, but we lost one million Norwegian Kroners. Then World Cup finals in ’96 were supposed to be in the north of Norway, but the FIS wanted to have them here.

"We had good races and the support of the FIS race directors, so we could stay on the calendar," Mundal said. "Then we started to build up everything around here."

Mundal was also the race director during the 1994 Olympics.

"The key thing was that some of us had ambitions to go on after the Olympics," he said. "1994 gave us a possibility and we took this possibility."

"It was a few very important people and some luck," Aambo added.

Lasting Memories

Norwegian sports enthusiasts still enjoy recounting tales of the downhill race in February 1994. An estimated 30,000 fans, many waving Norwegian flags and creating a sea of red, packed the finish area on a frigid morning as American Tommy Moe upset fan favorite Kjetil Andre-Aamodt to win the gold medal.

"The section before you come into the last jump is called Tommy Moe because it was said before the Olympics whoever won would get his name attached to that section," said Jansrud, who lives in nearby Vinstra and has five career victories in Kvitfjell. "Everyoneexpected a Norwegian to win, but Tommy Moe snatched it away and his legend lives on at this hill."

Aambo would like to see Norway bid again for the Winter Olympics with Kvitfjell once again hosting Alpine speed races."I think Norway should do it as soon as possible," he said. "Norway and skiing is part of our culture and history, so it’s important that we do it soon."

Kvitfjell Also For Families

The scenic and not overly developed Kvitfjell Ski Resort has just a few hotels mid-mountain with cabins dotting the mountainside. It offers a charm and ambiance unlike any other site on tour. The summit elevation is just over 1,000 meters, but visitors can ski on 29 kilometers of slopes serviced by nine lifts.

Mundal was involved with the development of the area in the years following the Olympics. He said construction of a family friendly ski lift on a beginner slope helped to establish Kvitfjell as a community ski area, despite the mountain’s commitment to racing.

"It’s different than other places – it’s a very small destination and everything is so close together," Aambo said. "I talked to a lot of people and they say this is special."

Kvitfjell Ski Area is located in the municipality of Ringebu and situated in the Gudbrandsdalen Valley, approximately 55 kilometers north of Lillehammer.

Norwegian ski organizers recently reached an agreement with FIS to extend the men’s World Cup races for an additional five seasons.

Reported in in Kvitfjell by Brian Pinelli

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