Tina Fischl defends her title at the toughest touring ski race in Saalbach-Hinterglemm
Tina Fisch has once again won the Schattberg Race as part of the Mountain Attack in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, the toughest touring ski race in Austria. In the 26th edition of this event, more than 900 athletes from 18 nations took part to show off their skills in the Schattberg Race (1,017 altitude meters), the Tour (2,036 altitude meters, 5 peaks) or the Marathon (3,010 altitude meters, 6 peaks) in Saalbach.
Tina Fischl, who had already won last year and was considered the favorite, arrived early, and familiarized herself with the demanding course. The steep slope directly after the start was particularly challenging. Fischl carefully planned her route and the use of crampons in order to remain competitive in this difficult section.
The race began punctually at 4 p.m. in front of thousands of spectators in the center of Saalbach. The athletes sprinted through the village to the foot of the Schattberg steep slope, put on their skis and fought their way up over 1,000 altitude meters to the summit of the Schattberg.
Tina Fischl had a perfect start and mastered the steep slope confidently, despite the dangerous conditions. After this passage, she continued at her pace and only found out later that she was leading the race at this point.
Fischl proved her strength again in the second part of the race, mastering the steep sections and reaching the middle station with optimum grip on her skis. However, the conditions became extreme in the last few meters below the Schattberg mountain station with strong winds, snowfall, and temperatures of around -12°C.
The joy at the finish line was huge, as Tina Fischl once again won Austria´s toughest SKIMO race with an impressive personal best time of 53:10 minutes. Theresa Kober from Salzburg (+1:37) and Lisa Münsterer from Germany (+7:33) followed in second and third place.
Photo documentation: © Alex Fischl & ©nmc/mountainattack/wildbild
Learn more about the Mountain Attack Saalbach-Hinterglemm at:
https://www.mountain-attack.at/de/
You can find more pictures at: https://www.picdrop.com/wildbild/ma24
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