FIS Ski Races in La Plagne
Cara rounds up her ski racing in La Plagne last weekend
Last weekend La Plagne hosted its annual FIS races. The French Europa Cup team and World Cup Speed team were both taking part so the competition was really tough. On Saturday and Sunday two Giant Slalom races were held on the Stade at La Plagne Centre. It is a tough piste as there are very steep parts and then flat sections with lots of rolls.
The weather on Saturday was amazing; perfect blue skies, brilliant sunshine and fantastic snow conditions. We had been warned that there could be a few rocks around but the snow was in really good condition and there didn’t seem to be any sign of rocks at all.
The Stade is located under the very speedy Combes chairlift. This chair takes nearly no time to reach the summit and there are numerous runs you can ski from it. I was starting bib 24, I wasn’t feeling too nervous but I didn’t have the same drive in me that I usually do at the start of a race. I skied the first part of the course quite well but as I came to the last steep I started to cut my lines slightly and found myself way too low on the next gate. I tried to make it to the gate but I put too much pressure on my ski too quickly and it threw me out of the course. It wasn’t exactly how I had seen my day going but these things happen and I knew I could still make my comeback the following day!
One of the good things about not finishing the race meant that I could check out the café located at the bottom of the hill, Scotty’s. The café has a warm, homely feel to it and the staff are English and very friendly. From 11am they serve awesome food including full English breakfast, pizzas, nachos and paninis which are especially delicious. They also make a proper cup of English tea!
On Sunday the weather had clouded over and we arrived into La Plagne along with about 10cm of fresh snow. The weather was patchy all day as the skies would clear one minute and the next it would be snowing! I had improved my bib slightly from the previous day and I was starting number 21. I really went for it and skied well finishing in 18th place.
The conditions were tough and only 1 person starting behind me managed to overtake me so I was happy with where I was standing. I knew I could go faster in the second run. The weather really closed in for the second run and mist lay on the course. The start was delayed while we waited for the fog to lift. As soon as it did I was off again and had another good run which finished me in 13th place. The competition was so tough that unfortunately I didn’t manage to score any results but I was really happy with how I had performed overall.
This weekend I will be competing in Les Houches and Les Menuires. Fingers crossed all goes to plan and there will be some best results and podiums coming up!
