Misplaced Pages

La face de Bellevarde

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
La face de Bellevarde
Place: France Val-d'Isère, France
Mountain: Rocher de Bellevarde
Architect: Bernhard Russi (SUI)
Opened: 1992
Level: Expert
Competition: Critérium of the First Snow
Downhill
Start: 2,807 m (9,209 ft) (AA)
Finish: 1,848 m (6,063 ft)
Vertical drop:    959 m (3,146 ft)
Length: 2.998 km (1.863 mi)
Max. incline:    35.4° degrees (71%)
Avr. incline:    17.8° degrees (32.1%)
Avr. incline:      2.8° degrees (5%)
Giant slalom
Start: 2,300 m (7,546 ft) (AA)
Finish: 1,850 m (6,070 ft)
Vertical drop:    450 m (1,476 ft)
Slalom
Start: 2,065 m (6,775 ft) (AA)
Finish: 1,845 m (6,053 ft)
Vertical drop:    220 m (722 ft)

La face de Bellevarde is a World Cup downhill ski course in France, on Rocher de Bellevarde mountain in Val-d'Isère, Savoie; it debuted at the 1992 Winter Olympics with the men's downhill.

It is only about two kilometres (1.2 mi) kilometres up the road from "Piste Oreiller-Killy" in La Daille, another legendary course with a lengthier World Cup tradition.

With 17.8 degrees (32.1%) incline it is the world's steepest giant slalom course in average gradient, with no flat sections, only steepness the whole time.

This competition is known as the Critérium of the First Snow (Critérium de la première neige).

History

The course was developed for the 1992 Winter Olympics, designed by Swiss Olympic downhill champion Bernhard Russi, a respected constructor of downhill slopes around the world. The official opening was planned for late 1991 with two World Cup events, but the course was not yet finished. Both were moved to the nearby Oreiller-Killy course, and held on 7–8 December.

The Bellevarde course was officially opened two months later at the Olympics with the men's downhill competition; later events on the slope included combined, super-G, and giant slalom.

Near the end of 1992, the World Cup circuit premiered on this course with Super-G and slalom events on 6–7 December; the downhill was cancelled due to poor weather conditions. In February 2008, World Cup races returned after an absence of more than fifteen years; it became a regular host on the men's calendar, rarely exchanged with Oreiller-Killy.

A year later in February 2009, Val d'Isere hosted its first World Championships. All of the men's events and the women's technical events (GS, SL) were held on the Bellevarde slope; the team event was cancelled.

Course sections from GS start

  • Passage de la Rute
  • Le Rocher
  • Slalom Start
  • Le Mur
  • Le Stade Olympique
  • La Flamme

Olympics

Men's events

Event Type Date Gold Silver Bronze
1992 DH 9 February 1992   Austria Patrick Ortlieb France Franck Piccard Austria Günther Mader
KB 10–11 February 1992   Italy Josef Polig Italy Gianfranco Martin  Switzerland  Steve Locher
SG 16 February 1992   Norway  Kjetil André Aamodt Luxembourg Marc Girardelli Norway  Jan Einar Thorsen
GS 18 February 1992   Italy Alberto Tomba Luxembourg Marc Girardelli Norway  Kjetil André Aamodt
The slalom was held at Les Menuires on 22 February.

World Championships

Men's events

La face de Bellevarde is located in FranceLa face de Bellevardeclass=notpageimage| Location in France La face de Bellevarde is located in EuropeLa face de Bellevardeclass=notpageimage| Location in Europe
Event Type Date Gold Silver Bronze
2009 SG 4 February 2009    Switzerland  Didier Cuche Italy Peter Fill Norway Aksel Lund Svindal
DH 7 February 2009   Canada John Kucera  Switzerland  Didier Cuche  Switzerland  Carlo Janka
SC 9 February 2009   Norway Aksel Lund Svindal France Julien Lizeroux Croatia Natko Zrnčić-Dim
GS 13 February 2009    Switzerland  Carlo Janka Austria Benjamin Raich United States Ted Ligety
SL 15 February 2009   Austria Manfred Pranger France Julien Lizeroux Canada Michael Janyk

Women's events

Event Type Date Gold Silver Bronze
2009 GS 12 February 2009   Germany Kathrin Hölzl Slovenia Tina Maze Finland Tanja Poutiainen
SL 15 February 2009   Germany Maria Riesch Czech Republic Šárka Záhrobská Finland Tanja Poutiainen
The downhill, super-G, and combined events were held at Piste Rhône-Alpes.

Team event

Poor weather conditions.

Event Type Date Gold Silver Bronze
2009 PG 11 February 2009   cancelled due to heavy snowfall over the night

World Cup

It is part of traditional annual "Critérium of the First Snow" (Critérium de la première neige) competition.

Bernhard Russi (SUI) Marcel Hirscher (AUT)
300x
300x
300x
300x
The course constructor won record 4 giant slaloms
and record 3 slaloms

Men

No. Type Season Date Winner Second Third
DH 1991/92 7 December 1991   course was not yet ready for scheduled premiere; replaced on nearby Oreiller-Killy course
SG 8 December 1991  
DH 1992/93 4 December 1992   downhill cancelled due to poor weather conditions
762 SG 5 December 1992   Norway Jan Einar Thorsen Switzerland Franz Heinzer Italy Luigi Colturi
763 SL 6 December 1992   Sweden Thomas Fogdö Austria Thomas Sykora Austria Hubert Strolz
DH 2007/08 2 February 2008   replaced in Kvitfjell on 29 February 2008
1325 SC 3 February 2008   United States Bode Miller Croatia Ivica Kostelić Croatia Natko Zrnčić-Dim
1345 SC 2008/09 12 December 2008   Austria Benjamin Raich France Jean-Baptiste Grange Austria Marcel Hirscher
1346 GS 13 December 2008    Switzerland  Carlo Janka Italy Massimiliano Blardone France Gauthier de Tessières
SL 14 December 2008   strong winds; replaced in Alta Badia on 22 December 2008
1381 SC 2009/10 11 December 2009   Austria Benjamin Raich Austria Marcel Hirscher Italy Manfred Mölgg
Austria Romed Baumann
1382 SG 12 December 2009   Austria Michael Walchhofer United States Ted Ligety Italy Werner Heel
1383 GS 13 December 2009   Austria Marcel Hirscher Italy Massimiliano Blardone Austria Benjamin Raich
1413 GS 2010/11 11 December 2010   United States Ted Ligety Norway Aksel Lund Svindal Italy Massimiliano Blardone
1414 SL 12 December 2010   Austria Marcel Hirscher Austria Benjamin Raich France Steve Missillier
GS 2011/12 10 December 2011   lack of snow; replaced in Beaver Creek on 6 December 2011
SL 11 December 2011   lack of snow; replaced in Beaver Creek on 8 December 2011
1495 GS 2012/13 8 December 2012   France Alexis Pinturault Germany Felix Neureuther Austria Marcel Hirscher
1496 SL 9 December 2012   Austria Marcel Hirscher Germany Stefan Luitz United States Ted Ligety
1529 GS 2013/14 14 December 2013   Austria Marcel Hirscher France Thomas Fanara Germany Stefan Luitz
1530 SL 15 December 2013   Austria Mario Matt Sweden Mattias Hargin Italy Patrick Thaler
GS 2014/15 13 December 2014   lack of snow; replaced in Åre on 12 December 2014
SL 14 December 2014   lack of snow; replaced in Åre on 14 December 2014
1599 GS 2015/16 12 December 2015   Austria Marcel Hirscher Germany Felix Neureuther France Victor Muffat-Jeandet
1600 SL 13 December 2015   Norway Henrik Kristoffersen Austria Marcel Hirscher Germany Felix Neureuther
1642 GS 2016/17 10 December 2016   France Alexis Pinturault Austria Marcel Hirscher Norway Henrik Kristoffersen
1643 SL 11 December 2016   Norway Henrik Kristoffersen Austria Marcel Hirscher Russia Aleksandr Khoroshilov
1679 GS 2017/18 9 December 2017   France Alexis Pinturault Germany Stefan Luitz Austria Marcel Hirscher
1680 SL 10 December 2017   Austria Marcel Hirscher Norway Henrik Kristoffersen Sweden André Myhrer
1715 GS 2018/19 8 December 2018   Austria Marcel Hirscher Norway Henrik Kristoffersen Sweden Matts Olsson
SL 9 December 2018   heavy snowfall and wind; replaced in Saalbach-Hinterglemm on 20 December 2018
GS 2019/20 14 December 2019   moved on 15th due to weather, then finally cancelled; replaced in Hinterstoder on 1 March 2020
1754 SL 15 December 2019   France Alexis Pinturault Sweden André Myhrer Italy Stefano Gross
1824 GS 2021/22 11 December 2021    Switzerland  Marco Odermatt France Alexis Pinturault Austria Manuel Feller
1825 SL 12 December 2021   France Clément Noël Sweden Kristoffer Jakobsen Croatia Filip Zubčić
1860 GS 2022/23 10 December 2022    Switzerland  Marco Odermatt Austria Manuel Feller Slovenia Žan Kranjec
1861 SL 11 December 2022   Norway Lucas Braathen Austria Manuel Feller  Switzerland  Loïc Meillard
1894 GS 2023/24 9 December 2023    Switzerland  Marco Odermatt Austria Marco Schwarz Romania Joan Verdú
SL 10 December 2023   cancelled due to wet snow and strong wind
1934 GS 2024/25 14 December 2024    Switzerland  Marco Odermatt Austria Patrick Feurstein Austria Stefan Brennsteiner
1935 SL 15 December 2024   Norway Henrik Kristoffersen Norway Atle Lie McGrath  Switzerland  Loïc Meillard

 Not in original World Cup calendar. It replaced super combined from Beaver Creek. 

References

  1. "SKI ALPINFace de Bellevarde, la montagne sacrée" (in French). .ledauphine.com. 30 January 2008.
  2. "La face de Bellevarde à Val d'Isère, championne des championnats" (in French). ledauphine.com. 16 February 2016.
  3. "List of all events on La face de Bellevarde". fis-ski.com. 2 November 2021.
  4. "Bellevarde was not yet ready for competition (page 40)" (in Norwegian). Stavanger Aftenblad. 7 December 1991.
  5. "Trojni spored v Val d'Iseru je ogrožen (page 7)" (in Slovenian). Delo. 5 December 1992.
  6. "Val d'Isere 1992: Thomas Fogdoe" (in Slovenian). YouTube. 8 December 2010.

External links

45°26′47″N 6°58′21″E / 45.44625°N 6.9725°E / 45.44625; 6.9725

FIS Alpine Ski World Cup pistes
Categories: