The Crans-Montana slalom exhibition? Swiss double with Aerni-Von Gruenigen, then Noel

In the Valais area the race-event (with rich prize money) was staged this evening with a 5 heats formula and many World Cup big names at the start. And the son of the great Michael who borders on success.

Tuesday 29 December 2020 3 minutes reading time

A slalom exhibition that wants to become a classic, even if this year it had to be held without an audience, which is the beating heart of an event of this type. In Crans-Montana, however, things went big for the men's race which, under the spotlight on Mont Lachaux, saw many big players in the World Cup compete for the rich prize money (23 thousand euros for the winner) with an atypical formula and 25 athletes (without Italians at the start) at the starting gate. On the idea of Matteo Joris himself, coach in charge of the Swiss slalom team which fielded practically all its big names, including Ramon Zenhaeusern and Daniel Yule, it was competed on the five heats overall, with five athletes eliminated in each round and a grand final then with best five remaining in the race until the end. In the decisive heat the best time was set by Luca Aerni (he seemed reborn at the start of the season with the podium in the European Cup and the return to the points in the CdM), who opened the Swiss double by beating his son of art Noel Von Gruenigen, who graduated from the Red Cross specialty champion last month in Diavolezza (even if in that case practically all the guys from the CdM team were missing). On the third step of the podium is the one who triumphed last year in Crans-Montana, or Clément Noel, in a sort of pre-Zagreb test, or the next cup event dedicated to slalomists on January 6th.

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