Heavy snowfall in Cortina d'Ampezzo forced the cancellation of women's downhill training, prompting hundreds of workers to restore the Olympic piste metre by metre. The effort aims to ensure a safe and consistent surface for speeds exceeding 100 km/h. Training runs are set for Friday and Saturday, with the race following on Sunday.
In Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, preparations for the women's downhill event at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics have been a race against the weather. Heavy, steady snowfall over recent days led organizers to cancel Thursday's opening training session on the Olimpia delle Tofane piste, delaying alpine skiers' first encounter with the course.
Hundreds of workers have since taken charge, methodically clearing the mountain through the night to recreate the dense, compact surface essential for elite speed racing. FIS speed-race director Alberto Senigagliesi explained the process to Reuters: “We started clearing the snow at 4 a.m., pushing everything off the piste.” More than 30 centimetres of fresh snow needed removal to expose the solid base, established a week earlier via water injection and two days of deep compaction.
The operation involves nine machines working small sectors slowly over 10 to 12 hours to avoid damaging the base. Around 250 people, including grooming crews, technical teams, and safety-net installers, advance metre by metre with patience. “Today we scrape without letting the machines sink in, then mix the remaining snow with moist snow. The base is very compact but not icy,” Senigagliesi noted.
Last week, water was applied at about 1 km/h across 200–300 metre sections, allowed to settle for three to five hours, and finished with full-width milling passes. The goal is a track offering consistency and durability rather than pure ice, balancing speed, safety, and fairness. With cold temperatures and no new precipitation, surface moisture can refreeze for faster conditions.
Skiers anticipate reaching 140 km/h on the course, which American Isabella Wright praised: “I feel this is the most perfect downhill track, it has a bit of everything. There's amazing gliding, amazing technical turns, some fun jumps.” Two training runs are scheduled for Friday and Saturday ahead of Sunday's race.
