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The 22-year-old Swiss skier Thomas Tumler specialises in giant slalom and super-G. He picked up his first World Cup points in his third race when he finished in 26th place in the GS at Kranjska Gora on 10th March 2012. Tumler won the Swiss SG title at the end of the season and was promoted to the Swiss national B team as a result.

With the Swiss having eight starting places at the Season Opening in Sölden - of which two are reserved for Didier Defago and Carlo Janka - and with Sandro Viletta and Daniel Albrecht both choosing to sit out the first competition, Tumler is expected to be one of the Swiss racers at the start. Viletta is still recovering from the impact of iron insufficiency whilst Daniel Albrecht sees his chances of making the cut for the 2nd run too limited given his poor starting number in Sölden.

Thomas Tumler was recently interviewed by Skiweltcup.TV.

Thomas, what have you been doing over the summer?

I have worked a lot on my endurance and strength, and in between have gone skiing in Zermatt, among other places.

At the moment, you are hanging on to your place in the B squad by several crucial tenths of a second. When will we see you permanently on the World Cup circuit?

Of course I can't really be sure about that. But if everything goes to plan, and I can stay injury-free, there is a chance this may happen over the next season.

Two of your compatriots spent last season in the spotlight. Firstly the legendary Didier Cuche ended his career, and then Beat Feuz only narrowly missed out on the large crystal globe. What do you think you could still learn from these two?

I believe they are unique individuals and that I can learn a great deal from both of them, such as how they handle the pressure before a race, and how they use their own experience to have a positive influence on their own performances.

The World Champs are held in Schladming this season. Is competing in it a realistic goal for you if everything goes to plan?

If everything goes the way I imagine it to, then I can't entirely rule out taking part in the World Championships in Schladming. For this to happen however, as I have already said, everything must go to plan. But I'm still a way off, and wouldn't wish to put myself under any 'artificial pressure'.

The 2012/2013 World Cup season will be a tactical one, particularly with the use of new skis, and one which, according to some experts, could be an open season full of surprises. How do you assess your new skis, and what will they mean for the world of skiing?

It's definitely all a change with regard to these new skis. They seem better every day during training, and I am gradually getting the feel of the new skis. However we have yet to make proper race runs to compare them with previous equipment.

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