SKIING : Teams Return From Europe Because of Concern for Safety

The U.S. ski team abruptly pulled out of European World Cup competition early Thursday morning and returned home out of concern for the athletes’ safety.

“Both the men’s and women’s Alpine teams are back in this country,” spokesman Tom Kelly said Thursday night from Park City, Utah. “A small contingent of jumpers and Nordic combined skiers are on their way from Czechoslovakia.

“The decision was made by the coaches on the spot, in consultation with Howard Peterson, president and chief executive officer of U.S. Skiing. They agreed that our athletes would have been exposed to possible danger in several high-profile events this weekend because of the potential for terrorism resulting from the outbreak of war in the Persian Gulf.”

The men’s Alpine team was at Wengen, Switzerland, preparing for the Lauberhorn downhill and slalom Saturday and Sunday. The women were at Meribel, France, for World Cup races today and Saturday.

The Wengen and Meribel events are the final warm-ups for the World Alpine Ski Championships starting next week at Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria. According to Kelly, the International Ski Federation (FIS) decided Thursday to cancel Monday’s scheduled opening ceremony and to begin, minus fanfare, with the men’s slalom Tuesday.

No decision has been made yet on whether the U.S. teams will return to Europe for the World Championships, Kelly said. “We will be evaluating the situation during the next few days,” he said. “But obviously, the safety of our athletes is of primary concern.”

U.S. cross-country skiers had already returned home before the outbreak of hostilities and are competing in the National Cross-Country Ski Championships this week at Lake Placid, N.Y.

Three-time World Cup champion Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg, who won decisively at Adelboden, has taken a commanding lead in the men’s overall standings with 176 points.

Petra Kronberger has virtually wrapped up her second consecutive women’s title with 226 points.

Skiing Notes

Skiing continues to perk right along in the Southland at Mountain High, Snow Valley, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, helped by the miracle of snow-making, but the coverage on most High Sierra slopes is getting a bit thin. Depths this time of year usually range from three to six feet. Now, would you believe one to two feet? That’s what Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain are reporting, as are almost all of the other ski resorts from Yosemite to Lake Tahoe. The surface is mainly hardpack with obstacles showing. . . . The National Brotherhood of Skiers, a predominantly black organization of 60 ski clubs with 12,000 members, will hold its 10th annual winter carnival todayFriday through Monday at Alpine Meadows. . . . In Colorado, the 40th annual Winterskol Carnival continues through Sunday at Aspen and Snowmass, and World Cup freestyle competition is scheduled this weekend in conjunction with Ullr Fest at Breckenridge.