The beginning of the skiing world cup season starts this weekend which to me represents the start of winter. Hoping for my favourite, Benni Raich, to win the overall and a couple of medals and to see a successful comeback of Daniel Albrecht who feel badly last year.

As the title, which is the slogan of the smiling man above named Marc Berthod,suggests this one will be all about snow, well mainly about skiers.

Just spent a very enjoyable weekend watching world cup skiing in Kranjska Gora. I’ve been watching skiing on TV for about 10 years now, ever since I first saw Benjamin Raich ski (pictured below giving an interview for ORF).

This has been my 4th time I’ve been to Kranjska Gora/Vitranc world cup and it gets better each year. In case you don’t believe me here is a photo of Marc Berthod 4 years younger and without the beard and the long hair.

So yes we established I do love skiing and skiers. But even if you dislike men in spandex suits, the atmosphere at a world cup skiing race is amazing! You get there at around 9.30 am and stand in the cold and snow until 2.30 pm, what could be better… well for me nothing!

We’ve been to two races this year, and the BIB number draw (pictured below) which takes place in Kranjska Gora followed by a concert.

The race itself takes place in Podkoren a good 30 minute walk away from Kranjska Gora. First event was the Giant Slalom race whose winner was the amazingly fast Austrian, the 20 year old Marcel Hirscher with Kjetil Jansrud in second place and Ted Ligety (pictured below) in third.

On Sunday there was the Slalom race in which Rainfred Herbst won and Hirscher was again in the podium in second place and Julien Lizeroux (pictured below), who is probably the worlds nicest person just because he took a photo with everyone who asked and signed all the autographs, came in third place.

And what would be a skiing event if it weren’t for “old” skiing legends. Pictured below are Alberto Tomba politely waving at me, who was kind enough to take a photo with me later on, and our two champs Andrej Šporn and Jure Košir.

And here is one more skiing downhill legend, Franz Klammer.

Time to end with a couple of photos of the amazing snowy landscape, it was a fun weekend which will hopefully be repeated next year and the year after that and the year…