December 28, 2017
The annual FIS Ski World Cup Golden Fox race at Maribor's Pohorje, which was planned for January 6 and 7, 2018, has been cancelled after FIS inspectors gave the red light to the track today. According to the International Ski Federation's rules, every track should be covered in all of its parts by at least 30 centimetres of snow in order to pass a snow inspection.
The persistent warm rainy weather of recent days has put a lot of pressure on the lower part of the Golden Fox track, with the natural snow having melted and high temperatures preventing artificial snow from being produced. At least 2.3°C below zero is needed in humid weather for the snow cannons to even operate, while for higher quality snow to be produced the ideal temperatures begin at minus 6°C.
Organizers are now moving to plan B, that is, to move competition from the FIS track in Styria to the FIS track in Upper Carniola, that is, Kranjska Gora, where snow conditions are better. The green light for plan B is expected to be given by the International Ski Federation sometime later today.
