Cortina 2021 Alpine Ski Championship Organizers Envision 'Electric Mobility'

(ATR) Cortina d’Ampezzo was established as a prestigious winter sports destination having hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics, however the Italian Dolomite resort has not staged a major international sporting event of similar magnitude since.

That will change in February 2021 as Cortina hosts the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships.

Cortina 2021 Alpine Ski World Championships CEO Alessandro Benetton says that innovative ‘electric mobility’ is the answer for a successful event to counter the historic town’s traffic challenges.

"Cortina is a beautiful place, everyone enjoys being here and everybody is ready to have a big, important event," Benetton tells Around the Rings during ladies' World Cup Alpine races this past weekend. "What we are still missing is the technology to accept a large number of people.

"We know that Cortina is a very delicate environment in terms of mobility and transportation so one of our priorities is trying to stimulate as much as possible activities in modernizing the infrastructure and mobility.

"And for sure, with a very keen eye on sustainability and protection of the environment.

"One of the slogans I imagine for the future championships is 'full electric mobility'."

Benetton talks of the plan possibly being a "benchmark or trial of what a future mountain city could be.

"Unfortunately, we are starting from not a very favorable situation," he admits. "The way mobility has been distributed with housing and other buildings does not facilitate the process. Nevertheless we should try to shoot for the best."

The Cortina 2021 CEO believes the concept could leave a lasting legacy on the town and its three ski resorts, which are connected to a circuit of 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) of slopes across 12 ski regions.

Cortina hosted Alpine races this past weekend and has been an annual stop of the ladies' FIS Ski World Cup since 1974. Men’s races have only been contested on seven occasions since the start of the World Cup in 1966.

Cortina Faces Challenges

Liechtenstein ski racing veteran Tina Weirather says that Cortina needs substantial improvements to host a world-class event.

"Everything here is amazing – the landscape, the slopes, the snow, but I think there are some investments missing like the hotels and lifts," Weirather tells ATR. "Everything is a little behind if you compare it to, for example Austria. I think they have some catching up to do, but the world championships will bring the money and effort that they need."

Unlike in the past when a cable car from Hotel La Poste carried skiers up to the slopes, there are no longer any lifts serving the race venue from the center of Cortina.

"At this stage, there are many alternatives and we know decisions have to be taken shortly," Benetton said. "The idea of starting from the center of Cortina is very unlikely, unfortunately."

All athletes, staff, media and spectators must be shuttled about 350 meters from town to the venue base and traffic on the sinuous, narrow mountain roads can quickly get backed up.

Many local residents also question whether Cortina’s old and twisting mountain roads will be able to handle the influx of visitors that a major two-week international sporting event now entails.

One World Cup shuttle driver and lifetime Cortina resident said that it is mandatory that roads from the four directions entering town should be closed to cars during the 2021 Championships.

A second shuttle driver transporting journalists to the ski venue encountered an oncoming car on a winding, single lane one-way street, both refusing to yield and resulting in a standstill causing even more congestion.

Cortina has approximately 6,000 residents, but the number swells to nearly 50,000 during winter high season. The resort currently has 61 hotels and about 5,000 beds. Including bed and breakfasts, apartments and additional housing the number increases to nearly 20,000.

New Men’s Downhill Course and Rumerlo Finish Area

A newly designed men’s downhill track named Virtigine is in the works with a start perched at 2320 meters and incorporated alongside Cortina’s colorful, craggy rocks.

The ladies downhill will be contested on the current Olympia della Tofane piste traditionally used during women’s World Cup and also for men’s Olympic races at the 1956 Games. Both courses will filter into a new, but nearby finish area named Rumerlo.

"You are going to have a finishing area that is absolutely beautiful," Benetton said. "The crowds will see all the final part of the races. It will be much better than it is now.

"The slope has already been designed. FIS operators came and saw it and made enthusiastic comments about it. It’s going to be very technical with a couple of big jumps and will be fun."

Between May and November, snowmaking, cabling and other infrastructure improvements will begin. Future Italian championships and World Cup Finals in March 2020 will serve as test events.

Italian racer Sofia Goggia, 25, who won the women’s downhill on Friday, can’t wait to compete at the home world championship.

"I truly love Cortina – this one is my favorite," Goggia said. "The slope is super nice and they always prepare it so well."

Assuming the 2021 world championships are a success, Benetton addresses the possibility of a Winter Olympic return to Cortina in 2030.

"I like to say today we can say what we have done, we can talk about what we think we are going to do and we can also think about what we dream about doing and that can be a dream."

Written and reported by Brian Pinelli in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy

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