Von Grünigen ready for Adelboden test

Will Von Grünigen be celebrating again in Adelboden? Keystone

Swiss skiing star Michael von Grünigen says he is feeling good about his chances going into Tuesday's giant slalom race in Adelboden. The event's organisers were also upbeat after Tuesday morning brought clear skies to the Swiss resort.

For the last two days more than 60 volunteers have been helping to keep the World Cup piste in good condition despite recent heavy snowfall.

All of which should be good news for Von Grünigen who is well on course to clinch the giant slalom title after celebrating his third win of the season at Les Arcs on Saturday.

The Swiss number one told swissinfo on Monday that conditions had been very difficult during his practice runs. “There’s a lot of new snow on the slope,” he said. “But I hope (the organisers) can take it away and give us a perfect race.”

Having grown up in the nearby village of Schönried, Von Grünigen says that the Adelboden race is always of special importance to him. But he also has a lot of respect for a course that is regarded as one of the most demanding on the World Cup tour.

“It’s a difficult course,” he nodded. “It’s steep and bumpy and requires a lot of technical work. But I’m feeling very good after winning on Saturday. I’ve got a good feeling about getting another good result here.”

A win in Adelboden could even guarantee Von Grünigen the giant slalom title with two races to spare, depending on the performance of his nearest rival, Austria’s Hermann Maier.

“The overall giant slalom ranking has been the great goal of my season,” Von Grünigen smiled, but there are still three races to go and we will have to see what happens.”

by Mark Ledsom