THE
KANDAHAR

LA KANDAHAR

Giovanni Alberto Agnelli of Sestriere

The competitions will be held on the Kandahar Giovanni Alberto Agnelli slope, famous for having seen 70 World Cups and launching a number of great champions onto the world scene. It was the first slope on an international level to host a night-time World Cup in December 1994.

This legendary slope – named Kandahar Slalom at creation – was renamed in 1998 for Giovanni Alberto Agnelli, deceased a few months after taking on the role of Chairman of the 1997 Ski World Championships Organisation Committee.

The starting point of this giant slope is located at 2400 metres above sea level on Mount Sises. The first 10 ports are characterised by a sheer descent reaching 65% after just 100m from the off.

It is vital in this first stage to gain speed without making any mistakes just before the entrance to the following slight slope which precedes another particularly technical section: the so-called “deer’s diagonal”. This is, in fact, a counterslope crossing, where the track is always very dangerous and the end extremely icy, worsened by some large waves created deliberately during preparation of the slopes.

At the end of this diagonal, the slope takes a 90 degree turn left; this is where the slalom will start: at an altitude of 2250 metres above sea level.

From here onwards, the slope becomes a long straight line all the way to the finish line, characterised by some steep stretches even exceeding 60% and important incline changes that prove to be complicated, tiring challenges for the athletes.

At the end of the steepest stretch, the slope flattens out towards the finish line. The last 220 metres form a slight slope marked by some waves which, if underestimated, may create great leads in a short time.

The finish line is found at 2044 metres above sea level at an overall length of 1272 metres for the giant and 649 metres for the slalom.

The Kandahar Giovanni Alberto Agnelli is still one of the most technical slopes in the women’s skiing circuit and only the very best champions have ever won on this snow.

Who will be the next snow queen of Sestriere?

We look forward to seeing you on 10-11 December to find out together.