Because even though we have entered January, there is little to remind us of the winter atmosphere in the German winter sports city. Only a couple of snowdrifts have managed to cling to the shadow side of the valley. – It’s boring for a cross-country runner to see green lawns in January, but that’s the way it is, says Pål Golberg, who is ten seconds behind leader Johannes Høsflot Klæbo in the summary, to news Golberg took WC gold in the relay at the same stadium in 2021, which also then struggled with the heat. – I have never seen it as green and bare as now. We’ve had some terribly hot days during the WC as well, but then there was snow here. The way it is now, we have not seen before, says cross-country manager Espen Bjervig. SUMMER: Cross-country manager Espen Bjervig didn’t have to find the warmest clothes before Monday’s training. Photo: Fredrik Tombra / news 1300 meters above sea level, at the entrance to Oberstdorf, it is a full 13 degrees. In the stadium itself, which is 800 meters above sea level, it is even warmer. The heat has affected the city in the very south of Germany, which is also far above normal. The average high temperature is -1.9 degrees Celsius. It’s green as far as the eye can see. – The athletes dress according to the temperature, but these are not the conditions we want in the future. We want natural snow and a proper winter, says Bjervig. GREEN: It’s almost time for the lawnmower to arrive in Oberstdorf on Monday morning. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB The organizers have had to bring in spare snow to secure the 3.3 kilometer track where 10 and 20 kilometers will be walked over the next two days. Extreme heat across Central Europe On Monday, it will be 15 degrees and sunny in what should normally be a winter village. Seven degrees and light rain await the cross-country skiers on Tuesday. – This reminds me more of a summer place than a winter place. This is quite sad to see, says state meteorologist Bente Wahl as she looks at pictures from Oberstdorf. All over Central Europe are large red dots that indicate extreme heat for the season and the area, explains the meteorologist. The warm air comes from the south and stays in the areas where the Tour de Ski will be organized until the athletes go up the monster hill outside Val di Fiemme on Sunday. EXTREME HEAT: The red dots indicate temperatures where it will be extremely hot compared to normal in a given location. Photo: Geirr Larsen / news – Climate change shows us that the temperature is rising, and that we will notice it especially in winter. Even though we have periods of mild weather, it’s not quite as noticeable here yet, while down in the Alps, where you get 15 degrees of heat over one week like now, it will eat away at the snow a lot, says Wahl. UVANT: The pictures from Oberstdorf are anything but nice winter pictures, says state meteorologist Bente Wahl. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB Only ten days before the 17th edition of the Tour de Ski was to open, the organiser, national ski federations and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) agreed that conditions were good enough to organize the tour. – Not what you want – Cross-country skiing in 15 degrees heat and sun is not what you want, says Wahl. In Belarus, a new heat record was set for the month of January with a whopping 4.5 degrees. In Vysokaje, which is located in the far west of the country, the temperature gauge showed 16.4 degrees on Sunday. Heat records have also been set in Poland (19.0 degrees), Denmark (12.6 degrees), the Czech Republic (19.6 degrees), the Netherlands (16.9 degrees), Lithuania (14.6 degrees) and Latvia (11 ,1 degrees). The winter heat has also caused problems for the alpine slopes in the Alps. Pictures from the Le Semnoz ski center near Annecy in France show only small patches of snow. Photo: JEFF PACHOUD / AFP The season opener for the biathletes at Lake Sjusjøen was also marked by a lack of snow at the start of November. Up to 100 trailer loads of snow were needed for the biathletes to start the season.
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Extreme heat characterizes the Tour de Ski – cross-country manager Espen Bjervig has never seen such conditions – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
