CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, ITALY, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Cortina d'Ampezzo trades as much on image as on altitude.
Italy’s most chic mountain resort is less about rustic Alpine charm than visible wealth. Designer boutiques along Corso Italia, champagne terraces instead of rowdy apres-ski bars, and a social scene that is more like Milan than a remote ski town.
That is the Cortina Jacqueline Wiles, one of the U.S. Alpine skiers to watch in Sunday's Olympic downhill, knows.
Walking through town, Wiles notes that “everyone has fur coats on” and that “you kind of have that old Italian mobster feel”.
For the 33-year-old, simply being there is part of the experience.
"The food is amazing. You just love being in the Dolomites, walking through town," she told a press conference on Tuesday.
On snow, Wiles speaks about Cortina with the same familiarity.
“I really love the track, it's an older traditional downhill style with open, flowing, fast turns, and a lot of terrain." she added.
She is not alone in loving the Olimpia delle Tofane.
Teammate Isabella Wright called Cortina “the most perfect downhill track”, saying it has “a bit of everything”, from “amazing gliding” to “amazing technical turns” and “some fun jumps”.
For Wright, the setting seals it.
"All I need is the Dolomites and to run down this track because it truly is just so special to be here," she said.
"The dry, grippy snow I feel like is always a blast to be on, it makes it super fun to ski," Wiles said of the venue of her only two World Cup podiums.
"Whatever happens at the race, you’re always just having a good time here," she added.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot, editing by Ed Osmond)
