L a t e s t  n e w s ..... Louise Bain and Callum Henderson win both rounds of Twin Peaks races at Fir Park & Hillend ...

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

Having spent most of his life racing, Stephan Eberharter now finds himself in an unfamiliar role: on the other side of the fence as a journalist! Joking with a journalist last year in St Anton that he should work as a Journalist for one of the top Austrian regional papers when the time came to leave his skis in the shed on race day.  How times have changed and the man who was always polite to journalists that he saw as his friends, is now on the other foot - he is the journalist!

The legend that is Stephan Eberharter has been snapped up by the Kronen Zeitung in Austria.  In his first column for the paper, Eberharter explains who he thinks will be the top dog this year; how Benni Raich is the Crown Prince and has taken on his famous blue helmet (with sponsorship from Uniqa); about Bode Miller and the rest of the racers as well as his old rival, Hermann Maier.

Bode Miller has moved to Atomic this season and has taken on Tom Buergler, Eberharter's ex-serviceman who he describes as the best serviceman in the world.  Miller is  described as a wild animal who gives everything and when it all comes together he is just immense. His fitness standards are leaving others trailing in his wake, according to Eberharter yet despite all this, Eberharter believes that there are ten others that could also win races, starting at Solden.

Palander, Covili, Simoncelli, Moelgg, Blardone and even the old warhorse Kjus are considered potential winners.  Amongst the "Power Team" from Austria, Eberharter has been impressed by Knauss, Schifferer (quickest of the Austrians in their own qualification run) as well as Benni Raich.  Raich does not risk to the limit so often and Austrian Team Slalom Trainer Gert Ehn feels that this holds him back. He has the talent and the potential but does not have the coolness or hardness at the moment. Eberharter keeps the rivalry with his old adversary, Maier, simmering as he rates him highly but does not feel that he will produce the goods in Solden! Ending his piece on Maier with the telling words: Hermann is 32 and the older you get the harder it is for the body in Giant Slalom, there is not so much zip.

Stephan Eberharter was writing in Kronen Zeitung on Saturday 23 October.