Scottish skiers a get lift from the Baxter brothers

Published on Friday 10 February 2006 01:40

WITH the final preparations completed and acclimatisation over, Britain's ski racers got down to business for their first training run in Sestriere, Italy yesterday and proved they still have a little learning to do to reach their full potential.

Finlay Mickel skied 26th quickest on the Kandahar Bancheta Olympic downhill course, professing to be happy with the substantial changes made since he last skied it six years ago. Roger Cruickshank's first reconnaissance mission saw him in 44th place. In only his second downhill this season Noel Baxter, who will ski in the combined, which aggregates downhill and slalom, made an accomplished attack from a late running start bib of 79.

"It's pretty much where I would expect to be after the first training run," said Mickel. "It is pretty technical at the top with a lot of terrain to learn, but I did some good skiing in places and so am reasonably happy."

Mickel is already buoyed by the attack of the US Team's Daron Rahlves, with whom the Scot shares course information on race days, and regularly trains alongside.

Rahlves left the Austrians in the shade yesterday, posting an opening time which was 1.2secs ahead of Austria's World Cup downhill standings leader Michael Walchhofer.

With mounting expectation, the mood in the British camp is upbeat and a great deal will rest on how Mickel performs in Sunday's downhill. "Fin has some work to do on the top sections of the course," said Mark Tilston, the British team's performance director.

"It is quite turning and technical and these moves will be critical, and then there are a lot of bumps and terrain, some long sidehill sections and it all has to be learned, but he skied it not too badly today. It is all positive at the moment"

The mood has lifted significantly since both the Baxter brothers, Alain and Noel, skied successive top-six results in a Europa Cup slalom in Andorra, earlier this week.

"Alain is very much more relaxed and feeling quite confident. That result has made a difference for him," said Tilston.

Although Baxter has had a barren World Cup season so far, there is still confidence in his skiing, both from his coaches and from the skier himself. He has nothing to lose, and everything to gain when he competes in the men's slalom on the final Saturday of the Games.