I’m looking forward to Kitzbühel more every day. It’s one of my favourite courses, even though no other slalom is more demanding. That’s not just down to the race itself, but to all the buzz around it in the days before.

There are countless sponsor and press appointments as well as autograph sessions, so you have to pace yourself and stay focused to perform at your best on Sunday. The race itself is pure madness too. The atmosphere is simply unique. People line the whole course, and you can even hear the stadium announcer on the slope, so you have to concentrate extra hard. Between the first and second run you have to make your way through the crowds – they want selfies and autographs – but you mustn’t let that distract you. The slope itself, with its steepness, its bumps and transitions, suits me. You have to ski with very good technique, and that’s where I can play to my strengths. Last year I was fast in Kitzbühel too: I was second after the first run, but unfortunately I made a mistake in the second. This year will be better, I promise – especially as my fan club is coming by bus.

Let’s take a quick look back at the last two races. In Adelboden, to be honest, nothing came together. The ski had extremely thin edges, which had a big effect in the turns – less stability and very little feedback from the slope. But once you know what caused it, you put a race like that behind you quickly. Wengen went better, with sixth place. I didn’t go right to the limit, so I’m quite happy with the result.

What you can say about the 2019 World Cup season so far is that the field at the top is getting tighter and tighter. Lots of racers are on the same level, and small details often decide. External conditions and ski setup are becoming more and more important. You often have to be tactical with your ski choice to find the optimum. In theory we can still switch to a different ski five minutes before the start. In Kitzbühel we’ll definitely pick a top ski that should take me right to the front.

So keep your fingers crossed for me
Yours, Michi