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Step inside to go skiing?
Last week Bode Miller announced that he would be getting some valuable indoor training before the first slalom of the season. An indoor ski center in Germany was chosen, but why indoors? “Indoor training is good because the conditions are really consistent and you get in a bunch of volume,” said Miller.
Bode may be ahead of the curve. The newly formed European Ski Federation (ESF) has announced its first championships indoors in a snow dome in Amnéville-les-Thermes in northeastern France, near the border with Luxembourg.
ESF is formed by the ski federations of France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. President Peter Schroecksnadel says that 80 skiers from 12 nations are registered to participate, including Austrian ski star Benjamin Raich and Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Grange, both World Cup racers.
The races will be held in a dual format, with racers competing head-to-head. The French snow dome features the world's longest indoor ski slope at 620 meters long by 35 meters wide.
When asked about holding the championships indoors Schroecksnadel said they are reacting to a crisis in the sport of skiing. He cited financial troubles with some of the biggest ski schools in Europe and the shrinking number of skiing days for natural snow skiing.
There are over 40 indoor skiing facilities world-wide with a few more under construction. The Netherlands have 7, while Japan and Britain each show 6 centers. The world’s largest is in Dubai. Many indoor snow centers are part of a larger complex with hotel, shopping, and entertainment.
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