LAUBERHORN WORLD CUP

First of all, the weather forecast from today until Wednesday next week, is for SNOW, and that means plenty of powder. There are predictions of at least meter (3 feet or so) of fresh snow to fall on the slopes of our local Jungfrau Region ski area in the next 4-5 days. That means that if you like soft dry snow up to your hips whilst pushing powder turns in the Alps, this week will be a great time to visit us at Outdoor Interlaken for your equipment and ski pass. Like no other rental shop, we will give you all the best advice on where to ski/board, and where to find the untouched powder.

The other reason to visit Interlaken in the Berner Oberland this week is for the easy access to the 83rd annual Lauberhorn World Cup Ski Race being held from the 16-20th January. There are two main events on the race schedule which follow the initial days of preliminary events, the Downhill (Saturday 19th) and the Slalom (Sunday 20th). The Downhill however, is the main event, which has been raced annually since 1930 on a course that is the longest and one of the most notorious of the whole Wold Cup Circuit.

If you are wondering what is involved in a World Cup Downhill Ski Race and why the Lauberhorn is special, here are a few facts that might help you understand the excitement surrounding this event.

• The course is 4480m long (2.8 Miles) and decends 1028 metres (3370 feet). Other races on the World Cup circuit average around 3000m (2 miles).
• The fastest time of 2:24.23 is held by the Kristian Ghedina of Italy, who won in 1997 with an average speed of 106.33 km/h (66 mph)
• The fastest recorded speed was 158 km/h (98mph) in 2005 by Stefan Thanei of Italy and remains the fastest time ever recorded in an International World Cup Event
• There are three jumps on the course of which the most famous in known as the Hundschopf through a 5 metre space between rock and netting
• The first official international race in 1930 was won by a local Swiss man by the name of Christian Rubi, one of 26 Swiss winners so far.

The race is one of the most scenic of all the world cup events with the awe inspiring Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger mountains as its backdrop.

We can advise you of the best access spots to view the race and give you the all the gear you need to get there, whether you want to ski, snowboard or just wander around at your leisure. Interlaken is a great place to stay during the Lauberhorn as it offers plenty of accommodation options when others are full with race teams and support crews.

Don`t miss out on the biggest week of the winter, right here with us at Outdoor Interlaken.