The downhill course for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi is difficult but fun to race on, reigning Olympic downhill champion Lindsey Vonn said after training runs Wednesday.
U.S. skier Vonn is one of the favorites for this weekend's World Cup events at the Rosa Khutor resort, with downhill, Super G and super combined on offer in the latest slew of test events for the Games.
"The snow’s a little bit soft, and it’s definitely windy today, but the first impression was good. I like the trail, the middle section’s really fun, you know, a lot of terrain and a lot of fun little bumps and rolls in there. I think it’s definitely a good course," Vonn said.
"The top was definitely challenging, turny, technical. They’ve got some side-hill, some bumps and terrain, and a cool little waterfall-type turn, a big traverse, there’s a lot of cool aspects to it."
Last week saw the men's World Cup stage roll into town, and most of the competitors heaped praise on the course, noting its challenging twists at the top, undulating trails and big-air jumps.
Vonn's compatriot Bode Miller, however, complained the course had too many corners too fast to be a genuine downhill.
Vonn, 27, acknowledged that a lot of skiers had trouble making all the gates.
"Pretty much everyone is not making them. It’s kinda hard to find your timing on a couple of the turns because you come in with some high speed and then it’s kind of an abrupt 180 turn in some places.
“I didn’t ski it that well but it was OK. It was fine for the first training run and it’s good to get a run on the Olympic track under my belt.”
At the last Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, Vonn won gold in downhill and bronze in Super G, to add to her three consecutive World Cup titles from 2008 to 2010. While she missed out on the overall World Cup title in 2011 to Germany's Maria Hofl-Riesch, Vonn retained her titles in downhill, Super G and super combined.
