Im finnischen Levi steht an diesem Sonntag (ab 10.00 Uhr im BR und bei Eurosport) das erste Slalomrennen dieses Winters auf dem Programm. Linus Straßer, 32, hat sich für die neue Weltcupsaison viel vorgenommen: Nachdem er den Slalom-Gesamtsieg 2023/24 noch knapp verpasst hat, soll es diesmal mit der kleinen Kristallkugel für den Jahresbesten klappen. Der Saisonstart vor zwei Wochen lief schon einmal nach dem Geschmack des Münchners: Mit Platz 22 gelang Straßer im österreichischen Sölden sein zweitbestes Karriereresultat im Riesenslalom.
Herr Straßer, Sie sind schon einige Tage vor dem Weltcup-Slalom zum Trainieren in Levi. Wie lebt es sich in der Dunkelheit von Lappland?
Ich bin eigentlich immer sehr gerne hier. Hier habe ich meine Ruhe, kann mich voll aufs Skifahren konzentrieren, habe kurze Wege und brauche nicht mal ein Auto.
Haben Sie keine Probleme damit, dass die Tage so kurz sind?
Nein, überhaupt nicht. Darüber bin ich mir ja bewusst, und für zwei Wochen ist das eine schöne Abwechslung. Es herrscht eine ganz eigene Stimmung hier oben. Gefühlt läuft das Leben ein bisschen langsamer ab, sehr stressfrei. Levi ist ein kleiner Ort, weit abgelegen. Du hast viel Wald, nicht wirklich Berge, sondern eher so Hügel.
Klingt so, als würden Sie sich wohlfühlen.
Du kannst hier wunderschöne Wintertage haben. Es gibt einen sehr langen Sonnenaufgang, dann hast du mittags kurz mal Sonnenschein, und dann geht es schon wieder über in einen sehr langen Sonnenuntergang.
Wie ist der Schnee in Levi? Es gibt angeblich hundert verschiedene Namen für Schnee. Wie würden Sie die Sorte beschreiben, die derzeit liegt?
Mir kommt es in Skandinavien eigentlich immer gleich vor. Hier liegt selten viel Schnee. Es sind immer so zwischen zehn Zentimetern und einem halben Meter – aber der Schnee liegt dann auch den ganzen Winter. Auch auf dem Gehweg, auf der Straße und überall. Und der Schnee hält sich – weil es meistens sehr kalt ist.
Wie geht das Skifahren auf diesem Schnee? Können Sie dem Untergrund Ihren Stil aufdrängen, oder müssen Sie sich umstellen?
Es gibt einen Riesenunterschied: hier in Levi haben sie ein riesiges Schneedepot. Die bräuchten eigentlich keinen Kunstschnee oder neuen Naturschnee, um das Rennen zu veranstalten. Nach der Saison schieben sie den Schnee auf einen Riesenhaufen zusammen, der dann mehrere hundert Meter lang ist. Den decken sie mit Matten ab. Irgendwann im Herbst werden die Matten runtergenommen und dann wird der Schnee wieder auf die Pisten geschoben.
And how does this snow feel?
With this depot snow you can already tell that it is strange. You notice that the snow is old. Its structure is completely different, very coarse-grained. And that’s what it’s all about. It’s not that easy.
But are you already training on fresh snow?
No, there is depot snow on the training slope. Artificial snow has also been added. And a bit of natural snow. It’s such a mix. But the basis is the depot snow.
Do you have a special depot snow swing?
No, you try to keep your skiing the same. Where you need to make a little adjustment is in the set-up, in the edge preparation, so that the ski gets along better with the ground.
What spirit are you approaching this slalom season with, after last season was very successful with your victories in Kitzbühel and Schladming?
People always only look at the victories, which is fine, but for me the most important thing is that I’m fighting for the podium. Last winter I had five podiums in ten races – two wins, one second and two third places. So I was on the podium in half of the races. Whether you win or come third – in the end, many small factors play a role. But it’s important to me that I’m competitive. The rest just happens.
It sounds like your second place in the Slalom World Cup is a bigger success for you than a World Cup medal. Because it represents the continuity of an entire season.
Absolutely! At a World Cup, everything can just come together in one day. That the slope, the course, the surface and everything are suitable for you – and that you are in the condition that you need to win a medal that day. Then that’s an incredibly cool success. Everyone wants to achieve a medal. But it’s just a snapshot. In purely sporting terms, a consistently good season is much more valuable, I think.
There is also a World Cup coming up this winter. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a great moment in Saalbach-Hinterglemm?
Of course, no question about it. I’m always asked what my goal is at a World Cup. That is, of course, winning a medal. No matter which athlete you ask this question, they will all say the same thing. But in the end only three can do it. That’s why I’m moving away from these result-oriented goals.
Goals must be within my control. A medal, that is a vision. But I can only influence to a limited extent whether I achieve them. I can have perfect preparation and deliver my best performance in the race. But if three others are faster and I come fourth, have I not achieved my goal even though I showed my best skiing? You then have to accept that. But I want to be able to achieve goals on my own. The goals are then rather small: to coordinate the material perfectly, to drive even more consistently.
And how is your skiing going at the moment? Are you at the same level as last winter?
I actually feel like I’m a little further along than I was this time of year last year. But every season starts from scratch. My successes from last year no longer help me at all. That’s why I don’t have a bonus compared to my competitors. Everyone starts from scratch and you have to get into the season. Usually the first two races are the most difficult because you have to find a happy medium. That was the case for me last year too. I didn’t really get going until the beginning of January. That’s also a goal of mine, to get into shape a little earlier this winter.
Was your participation in the giant slalom in Sölden just a test run or do you plan to actually delve deeper into it?
The giant slalom is the mother turn in skiing, the basic turn. He also helps me with the slalom. But I know how difficult it is to compete for victories in just one discipline. That’s how I’ll plan the season. If I realize that I’m not competitive in the giant slalom, then I won’t go through with it no matter what. And if my form and results aren’t right in the slalom, then I’ll also back off in the giant slalom.
Have you already thought about the descent?
When the super combined still existed, I took part in it at the Olympics in Pyeongchang and trained a lot with the speed riders in preparation. Departure is a discipline that suits me, but now the train has left. I’m concentrating on my slalom and making sure I still have a few nice golden years ahead of me. I leave the speed disciplines to the others.
Are you looking at the competition? Or are you just looking out for yourself?
Of course you always look at your competition. But the optimal state – also mentally – is that on race day there is only you and your skiing. The ideal is to break it down to its simplest form. You have two runs and you have to show your best skiing. You have to come up with a plan for how you’re going to tackle it, implement that plan as best as you can, finish at the finish – and then you can deal with your competitors and see what they’ve done.
Before the new season there was quite a stir about the comebacks of Marcel Hirscher and Lucas Braathen. Do you think it’s good when big names come back, or does the hype surrounding them bother you a bit?
I don’t care too much about it, but of course you can’t avoid it. My personal opinion is that it was clear from the start that Lucas would come back and start for Brazil. He is a guy who is good for the Ski World Cup – a colorful personality, very extroverted, who does his own thing. You have to be the guy for it, you have to want it, but I can say from my personal experience that Lucas is authentic. That’s how it is. This person is a show. And he lives it – even away from the cameras.
It was a surprise for Marcel to come back. I don’t know if anyone really understands why he did it either, but apparently, as he always says, it’s because he wants to enjoy it.
