Before I head to Åre for the World Championships, I’d like to look back at the last two World Cup races at home. Kitzbühel and Schladming are real highlights of the race calendar – nowhere else is the atmosphere so intense.

Unfortunately things didn’t go perfectly for me. In Kitzbühel I had real speed in the first run up to the second split and was in second place at that point, but then I lost a huge amount of time in the lower section – a full eight tenths. The second run was similar: fast at the top and bottom, the middle section not ideal. But eighth place in Kitzbühel is OK.

Schladming was much the same. In the first run I struggled to get the ski to grip and accelerate, which has been a bit of a battle this year. So far this season there have only been two runs where I thought: “That’s how it should be!” But we’re working on getting everything right again. In the second run in Schladming I had a small hitch right at the top. The slope was perfect, but it got a bit slick in the second run. Mistakes like that happen. What matters is staying completely focused. During a race there’s no time to correct mistakes consciously – it all happens intuitively.

Now I have a few days of rest. Then I’ll start training at home again before heading to Åre on 9 February. But before I go to Sweden, I want to thank all of you for keeping your fingers crossed and for all the positive feedback. It motivates me every single day!

Yours,
Michi Matt