I’m heading into the new season fully motivated – and it’s an Olympic one. Since August I’ve been in the intensive phase of preparation with my trusted coaching team. We found perfect snow conditions, almost always in glorious sunshine. Now there’s one more week of recovery before intensive training for the first race in Val d’Isère on 12 December begins. Val d’Isère has always suited me, and I’m expecting a lot there.

Of course this is a special season, because the Olympic Games in Beijing are just around the corner. There’s no special preparation for them. I’m taking it race by race and want to show my speed and technique to earn my Olympic ticket. There’s no room for tactics – it’s full throttle in every race. The fastest will start in Beijing, because they’ve earned it.

Nobody – not even the other big ski nations – knows the conditions there, like how cold or windy it will be. So you can’t really prepare specifically. What’s certain is that we’ll race on artificial snow. The time difference will play a role too, and we don’t want to leave anything to chance there either. If I qualify, we’ll leave for China a week early. That’s enough time to get over the jet lag – the rule of thumb is about one day to adjust per hour of time difference.

Finally, I’d like to thank Peter Schröcksnadel, who, as you know, has handed over the reins of the ÖSV to Roswitha Stadlober. Peter always had an open ear for us athletes. Now a new era begins, with a team that promises to continue the ÖSV’s successful path. I wish this team all the best and look forward to working together.

Keep your fingers crossed for me – Olympic style
Yours, Michi