Thursday’s men’s Super-G at the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships will feature a special ghost forerunner tribute to two members of the U.S. Ski Team killed in an avalanche on January 5 in Sölden, Austria.
Ronnie Berlack, of Franconia, New Hampshire, and Bryce Astle, of Sandy, Utah, were killed in an avalanche while free skiing in Sölden. Both were promising young racers on the U.S. Ski Team’s development squad and had recently arrived in Europe to compete there. On January 5, they were part of a group of six athletes skiing together; the other four skied out of the slide and were part of the initial rescue efforts.
All ski races feature a sequence of forerunners, who ski the course prior to the competitors as a test of conditions and timing equipment to ensure all is in good order. In December, Berlack was a forerunner for the Birds of Prey men’s World Cup downhill; these opportunities provide a chance for an athlete to ski a course that is prepared to the highest standards for international competitions such as World Cup or the World Championships. The number of forerunners is determined by snow conditions and other factors.
On Thursday, prior to the start of the men’s Super-G, the clock will start for the final forerunner, but there will not be an athlete on the course. Instead, fans and the international ski racing family gathered at Beaver Creek for the 2015 FIS Alpine World Championships will observe a moment of silence for the two fallen athletes. Members of both families will be in attendance.
