Fir branches with blue lines
From the edge of the track, we see a blue line running between the gates. From the skis, at more than 100 km/h, you can see a bump or the moment when the slope drops away. But on a white day, before blue existed, what did we do?
Marking during races
Branches, needles and hands of volunteers
At the Crans-Montana World Championships in 1987, we planted small fir trees along the edges of the course. To highlight a hollow or a bump, the trail teams could also scatter needles and twigs on the snow. Before the first runner set off, all these markers had to be prepared by hand.
Color tests
The ancients say that a little red wine would sometimes have been used to signal a door or a delicate passage. In Kitzbühel, the teams also remember beet juice, cranberry juice and even Easter egg coloring. This one had a rather annoying defect for the volunteers: it blocked the sprayers!
December 2001, blue in Val Gardena
After training tests, the blue arrives on the men's World Cup downhill in Val Gardena. He is gradually taking his place in speed events. A line in the direction of the slope accompanies the route. A line across it highlights the bump whose shadow disappears when the sky becomes cloudy.
Crans-Montana 2027, it’s up to us to plot
Forty years after the 1987 Worlds, our Team Picasso will bring together around 30 volunteers from Switzerland and abroad. From preparation to depot to the last line on the track, each line passes through their hands.
Why “the Picassos”?
At home, when we ask the question, someone always ends up talking about Bruno Böhlen, the head of the blue team in Wengen who coaches us in Crans-Montana. According to the story circulating within the team, Bruno had an eye for a beautiful line: one that hugs the curve, then highlights the relief in just the right place.
From there would come our nickname. It’s a story that is passed down between Picassos. To understand the brushstroke, you have to imagine the scene: the canvas under your skis, a 25 kg backpack sprayer on your back and the lance in your hand!
Behind the scenes: follow a day of racing →
From garden sprayer to racing backpack sprayer
The first backpack sprayers were similar to gardeners' backpack sprayers. Today we use Birchmeier pressure sprayers. Look at the tip of the lance: the little bell helps direct the jet towards the snow. When the wind picks up, we keep a clearer line and limit the dispersion of the dye.
A tip from Wengen, a connection tried elsewhere…
From one race to another, the volunteers compare their equipment. One team found a nozzle that works better in the cold, another modified a fitting. We try, we adjust and we share what works. This is also how Bruno passes on his experience to us.
View the team’s Birchmeier backpack sprayer →Of the ten titles at stake in 1987, how many did Switzerland win?
Eight! With four silver medals and two bronze medals, Switzerland has been on the podium fourteen times.