SKIING / CHRIS DUFRESNE : Tomba Feels Haunted in Defeat

Tomba came, Tomba saw. . . . Tomba didn’t feel well.

Why can’t the world’s best slalom skier, Italy’s Alberto Tomba, win a race in the World Championships?

You can’t say he’s a choker, because the guy has won three Olympic gold medals.

But for the fourth time in four years, Tomba left the most important non-Olympic event without a gold medal.

His best showing remains 1987, when he won a bronze in giant slalom.

What will become of Tomba mania? The skiing zanies who follow Tomba around the world aren’t much interested in bronze trinkets.

Tomba had plenty of motivation last week in Japan, having won only one World Cup gate race this season. The World Championships offered him a perfect opportunity to quiet his critics.

But, as fate would have it, Tomba went to Japan and was struck down by a flu epidemic that has been sweeping the country.

He was too sick to compete in the giant slalom on Tuesday and Wednesday of that week but was back on the course Thursday, practicing for Sunday’s slalom, although he was still weak.

Then Tomba got a bad break when the slalom was moved to Saturday in another reshuffling of races because of the weather.

He made it to the starting gate for Saturday’s slalom, but missed a gate on the course and was disqualified. His time would have been good enough for fourth place had he not fouled.

“I may be haunted,” Tomba told reporters afterward.

Tomba said his legs weakened quickly on the course.

There’s always next year, when the World Championships will be held in Sierra Nevada, Spain.

“I apologize to my fans, whom I left disappointed all over Italy and all over the world,” he said. “Please stick with me because I’m going to be back for the next season as strong as ever.”

If not, Tomba might find his reign as slalom king snatched away by Norway’s Kjetil Andre Aamodt, who made hay while Tomba was away. Aamodt, 21, won gold in both the slalom and giant slalom in Japan, and a silver in the combined.

Alberto, this is your wake-up call.

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No decision: The World Alpine Ski Championships ended Sunday without a champion being crowned in the men’s super-giant slalom. In an unprecedented decision, the event was canceled because of high winds at Morioki-Shizukuishi, ending two weeks of nightmarish championships.

High winds and rains caused the rescheduling of almost every event. Organizers juggled races the best they could but came up short on the last day of competition, when bad weather wiped out the super-G.

Officials from the International Ski Federation are expected to discuss the cancellation this week.

There was talk that the super-G might be rescheduled as part of a regular World Cup stop at Aspen in March. The super-G could also be added to the season-ending program in March at Are, Sweden.

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Ski Green Valley, the little resort that could, may not have to close shop after all.

Things looked bleak two weeks ago when the ski area near Running Springs attracted two customers on its first day as a snowboarders-only facility.

Eric Schwartz, the general manager, said he would only be able to stay in operation for three weeks unless the situation improved.

He said he needed 50 customers a day to break even.

Well, last Friday, Ski Green Valley, which has changed its name to Big Air Green Valley, drew 50 snowboarders to the mountain.

The area is still open to skiers on weekends.

“The numbers are low but much better,” Schwartz said Monday.

Schwartz is now committed to staying open through February. He says there is a 90% chance Big Air Green Valley will be back next year as a snowboarder-only resort, seven days a week.

If the numbers improve and the number of weekend skiers declines in the spring, Schwartz said he may go snowboarders-only full time sometime in March.

“We’re going to let the numbers tell us,” Schwartz said. “If the skier numbers drop and the snowboarders increase, like we think they will, we will go all snowboard.”

Skiing Notes

After a miserable start to the World Cup season, the U.S. ski team has reason to rejoice in its showing at the World Championships in Japan. The United States finished third in total medals with three. Austria finished first with seven, followed by Norway with six. The Norwegians had more gold medals--three--than any other country.

For the United States, Picabo Street won a silver in combined, Julie Parisien won a silver in slalom and AJ Kitt took a bronze in the downhill. The men also got a strong showing from Tommy Moe, who finished fifth in the downhill, missing a medal by .11 of a second. It was the best U.S. showing in the World Championships since 1985.

As usual, the U.S. men did not fare well in gate events. Matt Grosjean finished 15th in the slalom, although he did post the 10th-fastest time in the second run.

Scot Schmidt, an extreme skier who is featured in the current movie “Aspen Extreme,” will be skiing at Mt. Baldy on Feb. 27-28. The public is invited to watch the daredevil Schmidt, who has appeared in several of Warren Miller’s annual ski films. Schmidt will be skiing some of Mt. Baldy’s extreme chutes.