Registrations: participants from 21 countries (including from as far away as Australia) have now registered. Some 50% of registrations are from abroad. The reduced registrations will continue up until 31.01.2012.
Snowshoers can for the first time this year join in the “Just for Fun” group (no timing).
Top stars in the starting line-up:
Classic Race: Title-holder Bruno Debertolis and the 2009 victor Thomas Steuerer from Austria. The top favourite is however Odd Björn Hjelmeset from Norway, five times world champion, two times Olympic medal winner and eight times World Cup winner.
Skating Race: Title-holder Thomas Moriggl and last year’s number two, Roland Clara. Both are currently among Italy’s best cross-country skiers. Biathlon king Ole Einar Bjoerndalen (winner of the Gsiesertal Lauf Race 2001) is considering using the “Gsieser” to train for the upcoming Biathlon World Championships.
Catering:
if you were to line up all of the apple strudel to be consumed with the Gsieser 4-star menu, it would be 250 metres in length!! But that‘s not all: at the five catering outlets and for lunch there will be served 150 kg of citrus fruits, 200 kg of bananas, 120 kg of dried fruit, 8,000 servings of grape sugar, 4,000 portions of isotonic drinks, 1,000 litres of vegetable broth, 8,000 servings of fruit tea, 3,000 Marlene apples and a total of 350 kg of pork fillet.
The safety of all participants,
volunteers and spectators (totalling some 6,000 persons) is the main concern of the organisers. So in summer, following considerable study and thought, we prepared our own emergency plan. It involves the following: the official emergency doctor, Dr Wolfgang Luns, the White Cross (ambulances), the helicopter team of the financial police and the three voluntary fire brigades of the Gsieser valley.
