After a four-year absence, the Moguls World Cup will return to Val Saint-Côme in January 2023.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) opted for Val Saint-Côme’s candidacy in favor of Tremblant’s, which has hosted the event for the past four years.
President of the Val Saint-Côme Freestyle Skiing Center of Excellence, Carole Véronneau-Gagné was very happy with the turn of events. “We applied to present the World Cup for the next Olympic cycle, and our application passed the test with flying colors,” she said. This is good news and we are very happy. »
“Unlike Tremblant, our track is World Cup approved, and it’s one of the most difficult in the world,” adds the president of the Center of Excellence. The Canadian team as well as other national teams used to hold training camps here. Everything happens at the bottom of the track and we don’t have to set up bleachers, which reduces costs. Fans can view the races while seated in their car if they wish. »
Different situation
Ms. Véronneau-Gagné believes that the situation has changed greatly since 2018, when Val Saint-Côme reluctantly withdrew after hosting the World Cup for four years.
“The sponsors of the event needed several rooms to accommodate their people in a specific radius of the station, she explained. Our accommodation capacity did not meet the requirements. In recent years, there has been a lot of construction and we are now able to support an event of this magnitude. We joined forces with the municipalities of Lanaudière. For example, there weren’t 100 Airbnbs four years ago, whereas there are now 450. The supply of condominiums is also much greater. »
The individual event will be in the spotlight on the first day, while a duel will be on the program the next day. Last year, Tremblant presented two individual events.
Host last year of a first acrobatic jumping World Cup since 1993, Le Relais will present this year two stages on January 21 and 22. The mixed team event will kick off the activities, followed by the individual competition.
“If everything goes as planned, we would like the two events to take place in the evening,” mentioned the head coach of the Quebec team and responsible for recruiting with the Canadian team, Nicolas Fontaine. We are about to ask for a quote to have permanent lighting of 75 to 80%, which we would complete with temporary lights. With evening competitions and the presence of spectators, we would have a spectacular event. »
Shorter season
“It’s fun to present the World Cup at the Relay, but it will also allow us to have a very nice site for the rest of the season for training,” said Fontaine. Due to the absence of Russia and Belarus who presented four competitions, the season will be shorter and we will train more. Because we will still have a young team, it is a good option that will set the pace for the 2026 Olympics in Italy. »
After a start in Finland in December, Le Relais will be the second stop of the World Cup, followed by Deer Valley before the Worlds scheduled for Georgia. Events in Switzerland and Bristol, NY are yet to be confirmed.
Met during the honor granted to Olympians, Paralympians and coaches in Beijing on Tuesday at the National Assembly, Miha Fontaine was very happy to be able to compete again in his court.
“Without the restrictions of the pandemic and in the evening, it’s going to be really impressive. I was still a little youngster on the circuit last year, but I’m starting to make my mark and fans will be able to follow us. »