One year after Benjamin Szőllős’s ACL injury and seven months after Barnabás’s horrific crash that left him with multiple facial fractures and a torn ankle ligament, I am pleased to announce that both have begun training on snow in preparation for the 2024/25 competition season.
The summer was spent in hard training for all three athletes of the NIVELCO SE team. Noa and Barnabás were already able to train slalom in an indoor ski hall in the middle of the summer, while Benjamin was only able to return to the snow at the end of August, exactly where he was injured a year ago, on the Swiss glaciers.
Although not yet in race conditions or between the gates, he is back on the snow!
Barnabás underwent another major surgery at the end of August in Innsbruck hospital, where the screws and plates that had previously been placed in his face were removed.
Benjamin made the most of his extended forced break by finishing his studies in Austria and successfully defending his thesis at the end of August. With his degree in Economics and Business Management, he is now contributing to the work of NIVELCO’s subsidiaries.
Noa has also started her studies in applied psychology in English, also in Austria.
The best part of the summer was once again the joint training camp in Croatia, where we hosted six more athletes. This allowed the team to train together and support each other on the sunny coast for two weeks.
We were fortunate to have Simone Sperotti, the boys’ coach, join us this year to lead professional training sessions for the expanded team of nine.
The 6 a.m. sessions may have surprised some vacationers, but with daytime temperatures approaching +40 °C (+104 °F), training was only possible in the early morning and evening.
The nearby mountain peaks, over 1000 meters high, with low traffic roads, provided the perfect setting for long cycling sessions, which are excellent for endurance. During the day, the focus was on water sports, and of course the usual water skiing and wakeboarding were part of the program.
Night dives and group barbecues were a great way to unwind after the strenuous days.
If all goes according to plan and the hottest summer of the century comes to an end, the team will continue snow training in Finland in October in preparation for the most important event of the season – the 2025 World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria. It will be exciting to compete at this venue again, as it hosted the 1991 World Championships, which was my first as a competitor!
Barring any further injuries, all three athletes will be competing together against the world’s best alpine skiers again in February, further enhancing the NIVELCO name, which will be prominently featured on their competition gear as the main sponsor.
We wish the team a successful and, above all, injury-free season! May their hard work and dedication lead to new great achievements and unforgettable moments.
