In Val di Fiemme the snow is breaking down and Milan–Cortina athletes are frustrated

After several days of above‑freezing temperatures the snow at Val di Fiemme has noticeably softened and athletes at the Milan–Cortina 2026 Games are growing frustrated.

A light flurry returned on Tuesday night but it did not bring the cold the skiers want. While negative temperatures and the organisers’ piste work had allowed the Games to open on an excellent track, conditions deteriorated rapidly over a few days. On Monday — the day after Mathis Desloges won silver in the skiathlon — several sprinters coming back from training noted that the snow had degraded in the descent to the finish. “Conditions are a bit tricky,” said Jules Chappaz. “The last turn is soft in the middle, it doesn’t leave many lines to keep speed.”

The situation has not improved: daytime temperatures have stayed positive and nights have not been cold enough. Eliminated in the sprint quarterfinals on Tuesday (as were the other French sprinters), Richard Jouve described the snow quality as average without using it as an excuse. “It’s not my favourite but we’ve had worse. It wasn’t the worst to perform,” he said. On Wednesday it was obvious to anyone that the trend had not reversed: in parts of the finish area and its surroundings athletes were skiing on a truly slack, sluggish white layer.

“Minus ten would be nice to firm things up”

Marco Heinis, 22nd in the Nordic combined normal‑hill event

France’s Nordic combined skiers, distant from the top in the small‑hill event, also reported their impressions. They liked the demanding profile of the course but not the snow. “It’s very complicated,” said Marco Heinis, 22nd overall. “Quite slippery but when there’s 15 cm of ‘brasse’ it’s not easy…” Competing in his first Games, the 22‑year‑old hopes for clear improvement before the large‑hill race next Tuesday: “If we have snow a bit easier to ski for the next two races it will be interesting. Minus ten degrees would be nice to tighten things up.”

Just behind him in 25th, his teammate Maël Tyrode was even more spent. “The course is tough and the snow was terrible,” he said. “I’m pretty powerful but there was no way to push with the legs. As soon as it climbs and you want to press, the ski goes under the snow and nothing moves the body.” He offered a vivid image: “It’s like climbing an escalator in reverse: you lift your foot and you’re suddenly 10 cm lower.”

The Norwegian Olympic champion in the small‑hill event, Jens Oftebro, shared the same view in the press conference: “The course was really hard and the (snow) conditions unstable. I almost fell on the third lap.”

With the 10 km skate races coming up in the cross‑country programme (women Thursday 13:00, men Friday 11:45), these particular conditions could significantly influence times. Early starters may benefit from less‑deteriorated snow than later athletes: forecasts predict daytime temperatures between +2°C and +5°C for the next two days with nights not colder than about −3°C. An improvement is more likely by the weekend, when models show consistently negative day and night temperatures.