Diamond of the Alps: Gurgl’s World Cup ski race offers plenty of ‘altitude’
Ramy James Salameh puts on his skis and mixes it up with the world's best slalom skiers at the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup Race in Gurgl, Austria – The Diamond of the Alps.
The "snow gods" were looking down upon organisers of the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup Slalom Race in Gurgl, a ski resort famed for its "altitude", long winter season and dramatic crucible of lofty peaks.
Located at the end the Oetztal valley in Austria’s Tirol region, skiing takes place between 1,800m and 3,030m, meaning "divine intervention" is rarely required to ensure Gurgl has plenty of the white stuff, even as early as the season's opening ski weekend in November.
A fresh blanket of powdery snow across the landscape and a cloudless sky, set the scene for the thrills and spills of World Cup ski racing, as well ...