Weather prompts schedule squeeze on downhill runs

(AP) — Bad weather at Whistler has helped create Olympic history in Alpine skiing two days before the first medal is even scheduled to be awarded.

The men's and women's downhill racers are set to train on their adjoining slopes at the same time Thursday morning to take advantage of a small window of opportunity to complete a practice session.

Men's race director Guenter Hujara said it was an Olympic first, forced upon organizers by forecasts for a "significant storm cycle" affecting Whistler through Saturday.

"It's a terrible situation for everybody," Hujara said. "We're trying to be as creative as possible."

The two courses share a common finish area, so the men's run will end higher up the mountain to avoid potential crashes.

The schedule squeeze was suggested after a forecast for 5 centimeters (2.2 inches) of wet snow on the lower part of the mountain by late Thursday afternoon and twice that amount in the top half.

"The weather doesn't give us a chance later on. If we wait we lose," Hujara said.

Heavy snowfall is also expected early on Friday morning from a front coming in off the Pacific Ocean, and worse is set to follow overnight.

Team coaches were told to expect "a challenging day" Saturday when the prestigious men's downhill medal race is scheduled.

Pressure on race organizers increased after the men's opening training run Wednesday was ruled unofficial because only 42 of 87 racers finished the Dave Murray course before fog made visibility too dangerous to continue.

Olympic rules do not recognize a training run unless the entire field races on the same day, and a downhill medal race cannot begin until at least one valid practice session is held.

Several racers reported "weird" surface conditions with harder wintry snow at the top of the course and soft, wet, spring-like snow in the lower parts.

"I haven't had my downhill skis on this stuff for a while. It's not precise," said Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, the current overall World Cup champion. "As long as we get the same conditions for everyone ... the best guy wins."

The women's training run will stick to its original 9:30 a.m. start Thursday to open preparations for the super-combined event scheduled Sunday. The medal is decided over a morning downhill run followed by a single slalom leg in the afternoon.

U.S. women's head coach Jim Tracy said his team's planning would not be disrupted by Whistler's typically fast-changing conditions.

"If the weather's bad we just wait and we'll be ready for it whatever happens," Tracy said.