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'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams' (Eleanor Roosevelt).

Sam Wrench, one of the young talents in British Ski Racing and a student at The British Ski Academy and Ravenswood School, looks at the experience of watching the World Cup race in Chamonix.  Sam, through his hard work at the Academy this winter won the right to shadow Racer Ready's regular World Cup reporter at Chamonix.  Here is his report:

After a week of sunshine and blue skies, fog desended on Chamonix’s Kandahar . Spirits were high with everybody in the crowd, it was the perfect time to race, but the Chamonix weather had other plans ! As the cloud stayed in its spot covering the valley floor from about halfway up and the start time becoming later and later people started to become wary of whether this race would run at all.

Despite the sheduled start of 11am being delayed to 11.15 everybody’s spirits remained high despite the bad weather and coldness. With horns blowing the french commentator kept everyone amused, well the french at least! The 20,000 strong crowd were ready to watch the last pre olympic downhill. Everybody kept rooted to their spot despite the start time gradully becoming later and later. At 12.00 it became clear that the race would not run before lunch and groups of people headed for the hot food stalls lining the streets of Les Houches. Die hard fans kept their well found spots and braved the cold but when the annoucment came that the final decision on whether the historic downhill would run, would be announced at 1. 30 even they decided that hot food and a glass of mulled wine was definately be the better option. With Britains own Finlay Mickel lying 25^th in the overall standings support came in their droves from Les Houches’ own British Ski Academy who were hoping for big things from the Scot. And with Roger Cruickshank’s return to the world cup circuit the Brits were certainly out in force to support their boys!

This downhill was an important race especially for USA’s Daron Rahlves who had needed to secure his chance at getting the overall downhill gold . A win for Rahlves today would have put him just ahead of current leader Michael Walchhofer and abolished Walchhofer’s current 90point lead . It was not a complete disaster for all, Mickel has now secured his place at the world cup final’s and fought off USA’s Scott Macartney and by doing so achieved one of his goals for the season: Qualifying for the World Cup Finals. Mickel is now in a position to top any other previous british result. Best of  which was Bartelski’s 2^nd place in 1982 at Val Gardana. Mickel was pleased about this and the fact it had been a while since a brit had made it to the finals.

The Audi screen kept the waiting audience amused  and continued to reasure people by showing shots of the start which was full of blue sky and sun but it was obvious that just below the second jump the course was washed with fog and visibilty was at its worst. Reports that only one gate could be seen at some parts of course started to come in and everybody started to look at each other warerly, especially in the stands where people started to relise that they’d paid 30 euros to see alot of Audi adverts!

But despite the cold the crowd was alive as much if not more so than for the previous day’s super combined and remained determened to see a race! Unfoutunely as 1. 30 dawned and the cloud showed no sign of shifting it was clear Chamonix’s downhill was going to be cancelled for the 2^ND time in 5 years.

With the crowd certainly hyped for the 10th Chamonix downhill it was a disappointing outcome for all who had travelled to see the race. Even after the first delays, talk that the race could be held the following day was circulated. But this was dampened by the news that tomorrow the 5^th Febuary 2006 was a french national holiday and all the F.I.S world cup entourage had to check out of their hotel rooms by the following morning. Although the cancellation will play on the minds of many of the spectators, I would have thought it is one less result to dwell on for the athletes and coaches included and that their minds are now firmly set on the Olympics.

Although the cancellation of the downhill, the previous days super combined racing was exciting but the atmosphere was somewhat lost as it was obvious that everybody was simply geering up for the following day’s racing. All the same I will certainly leave this years Chamonix world cup feeling I have experienced two days of great racing and great atmosphere, well maybe only one day of the great racing but definately two days of exhilirating atmosphere!