"Downhill racing remains the final frontier of sporting courage"

A snowHead

Powderhound, thanks, good to see a post from someone who knows what they are talking about.

A snowHead

Powderhound, thank you, extremely interesting.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

easiski, I think that there is a need to keep the crowds pleased. After all, as in any competitive sport it is the fans that are financing it in the long run. It bothers me that stoatsbrother, who has clearly got a passion for the sport (or is thoroughly under-employed and spends his time writing posts) thinks that DH is boring. He is not alone and for that reason something has to be done to attract the masses to the sport.

Making the courses more dramatic may be happening but this is not necessarily the same thing as making them more dangerous. Every racer will have skied that course that week a minimum of 3 times at full speed in his catsuit, not to mention the 10s of inspections to ensure that they know every camber, lip and gradient, not to mention the jumps...

I did a DH in Verbier where we had completed the training days (3 of them) and then on race day, on the inspection, noticed that a crowd-pleaser had been added by cutting away the front of a jump to place a sponsor's banner on it. The TD insisted that it had been done without altering the jump itself. Racer 1 smashed his leg so badly that he was heloed off and he can no longer ski 15 years on. Everyone else learned from that and there were a lot of 'wendy' turns put in before taking to the air after that.

I don't envy you your slalom skis on a DH, presumably 205cm, flexy as all hell and straight as a die?

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Powderhound, I posted originally because I thought the premise in the thread title was manifestly pants.

But since you mention it... the trouble with DH on the tv for me is that after watching a couple of runs it becomes a question of "are they going to manage to be 0.05 seconds faster than the other chap?" It might be more exciting if I was out at the hill - but if I was out at the hill I would want to be skiing.

I like watching the Tour de France - but find the time trials boring to watch - even though they are the only kind of bike racing I ever did myself.

This is why for some of us Skiercross looks more interesting - the head-to-head element. In DH Bode brings excitement because of the barely controlled chaos. Perhaps it is good for ratings if jumps do put some visible danger into DH? I hope that is not part of the decision making.

But for many average obsessed recreational skiers like me - the fun is off-piste, in the trees and in mountain environments which simply bear no real link to traditional Alpine racing. So I find freeride stuff infinitely more interesting to watch. Man against terrain. So I don't think you can adapt DH/GS etc etc in a way which will make it of any interest to me. So I don't think you should feel you have to bother - no reason why DH has to be all things to all people.

I am much more interested in watching Graham Bell on TV trying to get to the top of Mont Blanc that I ever was in watching him race.

Sorry

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Powderhound, 190 rossignol Strato 101s Shocked

In those days it was a question of 'put on your helmets - there's the course - now do it! Shocked

In the British Junior Champs in Brand in (?) 1968/9 5 people broke their legs on the DH course.

I take your point about the crowds, and find it a shame and incomprehensible that so many recreational skiers don't watch alpine ski racing. they could all learn so much! Personally though, I would always choose any of the other disciplines before DH - but that's also because I hate to see big crashes. People who like watching them have probably never had one.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

stoatsbrother, DOn't get me wrong, I am not criticising you for your preferences. As you may know from my previous posts I am now a total back-country skiers, using pistes only as a means for getting to the powder. My point is simply that if the alpine racing can be made to attract some of our ilk to the tv - or the race itself - then that will justify the competitors' risk exposure.

Skiercross is great sport and phenomenally dangerous - in fact it is what I did for a season after stopping racing - but great spectating for that reason.

What I can't understand is why the UK tv companies think we would all rather watch figure skating than skiing - figure skating is the most pointless 'sport' in the world. Anything that scores for the amount of makeup worn cannot be classed a sport regardless of the skill and strength required...

After all it is free

easiski, I am inclined to agree. The best discipline to watch is slalom for me because you can usually see a large proportion of the course. I like DH on the tv though... The crashes bring a tear to my eye and the near misses/recoveries are staggering.

The reason DH is boring (for some) is that the courses are straightened out or adapted to the speed, rather than the other way round (although the rules for number of jumps seem designed for the benefit of tv rather than skiers (not that jumps are always the most dangerous part of the course).
Hence, SG (and particularly GS) is better to watch IMV, as the technical adjustment necessary to stay on the racing line is more obvious.

Having said that the presentation of DH improved when they could show the shadow of the current leader alongside the racer.

Same theme in the Independent. Is it time to ditch DH or modify the rules?
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/skiing-danger-on-the-slopes-1520255.html

Help!!

"Downhill racing remains the final frontier of sporting courage"

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