Everything was ready for the jubilant 35th Golden Fox: for the first time there should be a WC race on the New Years day, for the first time on Pohorje and with the Golden Fox was on program also a ladies’ super Grace, for the first time the higher money awards... But as already so often in the history of the Golden Fox, the weather did not cooperate well. After three foggy days the organizers were happy to have managed to run all three competitions scheduled. Gorazd Bedrac, Chief of Race: “We did it! 3:0 for us in the fight with the weather!“

In the morning of January 1st, a thick fog covered the middle part of Pohorje. It was clear at the SG start, even the sun peeked through the trees and there was no fog in the finish arena, where the visitors started to move in. Maribor was still sleping. Will there be the SG race or not? In question were five gates, from the flat part at Luka to Spelcin log. The start has been postponed twice, but had to be canceled finally at 14.15. And instead of a first race on January 1st, the Golden Fox had the chance to run on January 2nd, for the first time two races in one day.

Though the weather still was not perfect, the fog has lifted so far, that the racers accomplished at first the SG and afterwards the GS. Hilde Gerg was the first SG champion of the Golden Fox, the veteran Anita Wachter proved in the giant slalom, that she was not yet ready to give up. She came to the start with an injured ankle, after she took two painkillers in the morning, and won (she won also the combination- it is the Golden Fox Trophy).

The champion title in slalom went again to Pernilla Wiberg. „Evidently is Maribor for me a lucky place, here I am always racing well.“

SG results for Slovenia: Mojca Suhadolc- 22nd, Spela Bracun- 27th ; GS: Spela Pretnar- 8th, Urska Hrovat- 11th. The placements in slalom were after the first run quite promising, but at the end the 10.000 visitors applauded to Urska Hrovat, being 6th, Spela Pretnar- 11th and Natasa Bokal 16th. The girls were disappointed.

Spela Pretnar: “Some girls know, how to go through the holes and others do not.“

Urska Hrovat: “I hit a gate-pole with my head, therefore I lost the rhythm.“

Golden Fox - a full member of the Big 5 Club

The Golden Fox event was accepted as full member of the association of the most popular WC events - the Club5. Other members are: Alta Badia, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Gardena-Groeden, Kitzbuehl, Kranjska gora, Schladming, Wengen, Val d’Isere and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Srecko Vilar, Secretary General of the Golden Fox OC: “We intent to start several common activities. First of all we are going to join the common marketing projects.“

Course preparation

Maribor and Pohorje were having during the whole month before the event very low temperatures, therefor the 20 low pressure Lenco snow -guns were at work all time and all courses were prepared well in advance. Everything was ideally, the OC had no troubles, things run smoothly. We were anxious, what could happen, everything was going to easy...

At the last press-conference Drago Rataj, Chief of the Technical Committee declared: “The course is ready. We have everywhere enough snow, from 50 - 70 cm, we made over 250.000 m³ in the last month.“

Snow was even removed

Has it ever happened in the 36 years of the Golden Fox? After many years of troubles, as they managed only with the utmost effort and stubbornness to conquer the moody winter, came a time, where there was too much of snow. In the finish arena so much snow was pilled, that it had to be removed for the sake of the safety fence put around!

„Yes, this is a nice task,“ said Andrej Recnik Chief of the SG and GS course.

The FIS snow inspector Werner Steinberger visited the courses and said: “I know, that you can prepare courses excellently when there is no snow. Let me see, how you manage it ,when there is to much of it...“

In all month of December the tourists were skiing on the racing slopes, which were not closed for a single day. The skiing crowds caused on the last December day a lot of troubles to the OC. The snow was pushed toward the edges of the slope and pilling up at the protective fences, becoming thus too low. On the Silvester night came an order: "The whole fence has to be moved for 4 m in outside direction.“ Instead of going to the party, the crews had been moving the fence all night. And there was a lot of fence. Drago Rataj: “For the SG 15.000 m of protective fence have been set up.“

There were tourists skiing on Pohorje also on Silvester. The day before the GS there was night-skiing available till 1 a.m., so it was very crowded and joyfully at Bellevue, at the Ski School house, at Luka, beneath the new chair-lift Sleme, on Habakuk and at the chair-lift Postela.

Party for the competitors in the VIP tent

The most dressed up was Pernilla Wiberg, in a long décolletage, with elbow-high gloves, lively dancing on high heels and showing no interest of going to bed early, as if she knew, there would be foggy tomorrow .Elegant were also Deborah Compangnoni, Urska Hrovat (in company of Tobias Hellman), Spela Pretnar, who escaped quickly for another party and Alexandra Meissnitzer.

Alexandra Meissnitzer to Delo’s journalist Vito Divac: “People think, that we are clumsy, bulky and ugly, but this is not true. In our outfits we may appear more massive than we really are. Our helmets don’t make us very attractive indeed. But that doesn’t mean, we do not care for our beauty. Just the opposite, we like to put on the makeup and an evening dress.“

Vinko Simek started the countdown for the year 1999 one hour earlier, as requested by the coaches, but many of the competitors didn’t bother, they drank he champagne and toasted once again an hour latter.

Visitors

It was a sleepy weather and a sleepy hour.... On January 1st, the kids had free admission, only few visitors came. They stayed at home, waiting in the warm places to hear the jury decision about the postponement of the SG. On January 2nd, about 5000 spectators were present and they saw the double program. At the slalom the crowd grew to 10.000 people and they were cheering vividly. The Croatians who came by a special train (only 50 most engaged ) to support their Janica Kostelic. As a real star she called in a press conference on January 1st, stayed for half an hour there, but otherwise devoted all her time to the competition. After the race she was answering to the public at first in an excellent Slovenian language, after the second run she switched to the Croatian. Boris Mutic commented after the postponement of the SG: “What a misery! Other girls stayed up last night till 2 a.m., but Janica went to bed already at 8 p.m.“

Tickets for a day were sold for 1.000 tolar for youth and 1.500 for adults, for access to the tribune additionally 1.000 tolar. For kids under 14, the admission to the SG on January 1st, was free. Srecko Vilar, Secretary General of the OC: “This is our present to Maribor for the first day of the year!“

Expecting big crowds the OC paid special attention to the traffic problems. An additional parking lot was opened on the shooting range in Radvanje. The traffic was controlled by 100 policemen and 65 security guards.

Prize awards

According to the new FIS regulations the prize awards for the season had to be raised and distributed to the ten best placed (before to 5). The amount of the prize money for a discipline was 100.000 CHF, to be distributed as follows:

1st- 40.000 CHF, 2nd-20.000, 3rd-11.000, 4th-8.000, 5th-6.000, 7th-4.000, 8th-3.000, 9th-2.000 and the 10th-1.000 CHF.

Soft course on Sunday

During the night a fine spray was falling out of the fog and immediately freezing, making a thin icy crust on the top , leaving the snow beneath soft. Due to the double races one day ago there was not enough time to prepare the course completely new, causing the snow to break after some competitors were through. The objections came mainly from the girls of the Slovenian team, though they proved in the first run, that it can be done.

Guests

There were no high ranked visitors present for the jubilee. Prime minister Drnovsek, Honorary Patron of the event, was from day to day postponing his decision to come and finally did not. Bojan Krizaj celebrated as usually his birthday on Pohorje. Present was also the president of the Kitzbuehl OC.

The VIP tent was of course everyday completely full.

Dusan Sencar

Father of the Golden Fox and president of the OC Dusan Sencar declared before the event: “There are more successors. And they are already integrated in our operation. The decision about the successor shall follow in the next future.“

President of the Tourist Association of Slovenia Mr. Marjan Rozic presented to the creators of the Golden Fox and the Ski area Pohorje Mr. Franci Cop, Marjan Kozuh and Dusan Sencar the ’Tourism Awards’ at the opening ceremony on Trg svobode.

Kurt Hoch

He called Garmisch and postponed the jumping for 15 minutes to have more TV time for the double races in Maribor - the SG and the GS on one day.

Vinag cellar

In was not crowded in there, though the OC was anxious and didn’t give out too many invitations.

At last they were left over. "Next year there will be no restrictions,“ told Srecko Vilar .“The Vinag cellar shall be ready to host 700 people!“

Best statement

Tone Partljic for Radio City: “Each of them (girls) is worth a sin.“

New on Pohorje

Every year the Golden Fox brought something new to Pohorje to improve the quality of skiing in Maribor. The winter of 1998/99 is no exception, but not only due to the new hotel Habakuk.

The Ski Club Branik, managing the ski area on Pohorje has prepared for the coming season three big and important novelties:

- the new chair-lift Sleme going from the top of Habakuk to Bellevue. The double chair is 1.070 m long with an hourly capacit of 1.200 skiers, thus increasing the total capacity on Pohorje to 18.500 passengers per hour. The chairlift Sleme is convenient for less expert skiers and families. The total capacity for moving people from the bottom to the top (together gondola and chair-lifts) is 1.700 persons in an hour.

- water pipes on the left side of the snow stadium up to the slalom start; pipes are now laid on both sides, enabling a better and faster snowmaking, which was enlarged also for 1.200 m at the new chair-lift Sleme.

- artificial illumination of the total slope from the top to the bottom of Pohorje with a total length of 4.000 m with 1.100 m vertical drop! Something similar you can find only in the Norwegian Aare and Italian Sestriere ( and in the Canadian Vancouver, having an illuminated ski slope in the city).

Plans for the future

Drago Rataj: “We are planing to build a capacity of about 1.000 beds on Pohorje in the next five years. That would bring us across the break even point for the center.“

Ideas of an ’eastern’ snow park, with a paved road connecting Areh and Rogla, to have three access lines: Zrece, Oplotnica, Maribor and Ruse? Drago Rataj: “This park will have over 40 lifts with an hourly capacity of 40.000 persons, allowing daily about 15.000 skiers on the snow. There were more than 4.000 beds available, two thermal facilities, an airport. This is the center of the future!“

The difference

Boris Strel: “The Golden Fox is unique and will never be followed up by the organizers from Kranjska gora. Vitranc has of course the level, requested for the World Cup.“ Marjan Lah: “Maribor has a way of thinking likely for a town, while in Kranjska gora it is close to that in a village. In Maribor many of the ski club members volunteer, while we have only a small club in Kranjska gora.“