 Poster: A snowHead
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Today in Wengen on the Lauberhorn Finlay Mickel came in 10th which is certainly the best result for a British Downhill skier in the last 18 years.
He got an excellent line down the mountain but put his good result down to his recent practise sessions where he's been working on his tuck position, he described todays race as being great  He now has 3 more Downhills before the Olympics and he will do all of them, when asked why he didn't rest and prevent injury he said that the only way to prepare for the Olympics was to practise under similar conditions.
In addition to the olympics Finlay is trying to get into the top 25 on the world ranking for Downhill
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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D G Orf, correction. Best result for a male skier... Chemmy's 9th in Cortina still pips it.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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DGO, thanks for the report. When you say you weren't there, is that strictly true? Now come on - admit it!
Thanks for telling us "I didn't do it". I wish you had, because that would have been an even bigger sensation (particularly for snowHeads).
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Congratulations Finlay! Is it really 18 years - yes dammit! How old does that make some of us feel? Words that were unknown in 1988: internet, mobile phone, to google, The Premiership, Sky Sports, New Labour, budget airlines, carving skis, freeride skis, halfpipe, railsliding, neocon, shock and awe, embedded journalist, focus group, etc, etc.
I'm pretty sure that's a British record for the Wengen DH, at least in the "modern era" ie. postwar. Neither Konrad, my brother, nor myself had the gliding ability to pop a top-10 on the Lauberhorn. (Alain Baxter was 7th in the Wengen SL in 2001.)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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It's a fantastic result...well done Finlay
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D G Orf, hope you had a few pints with Finlay later... 
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D G Orf, If they are like the Grindenwald locals I am not surprised they glared at you, I was up there a few years ago and a shop keeper hunted me out of his shop! He didn't like me looking at his postcards!
Martin Bell, focus groups were around before 1988. I remember 1988 most as the year Ireland beat England in the European Championships in our first game ever in a major tournament.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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D G Orf, He just seemed grumpy but he was speaking German so I didn't know what he said, may he was saying welcome to my shop come and buy my overpriced rubbish, but his body language wasn't delivering the same message!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Peter Ross, thanks for the correction
Thinking about it, didn't Freddie Laker invent the "budget airline" - in the 70s? Was it called that then?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Martin Bell, "debt-ridden"
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Sky Train?
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You know it makes sense.
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Martin Bell, Sorry for being pedantic but I work in market research! But I get the jist of what you are saying, a lot has change in those years, plus ce change plus ce meme chose maybe.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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marc gledhill, great idea, Branson could call his Virgin aeroplanes that!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Sky trains - are those the ones that get held up by the wrong kind of snow on the runway?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well done Finlay - and well done Chemmy! Her best Super-G yet (god I hope I got that right - would be embarrasing!!) 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sounds kind of fun...
"I was never really quite sure who was whizzing by, but it didn't really matter as they all looked awesome... I couldn't see the racers finishing but I could certainly hear the cheer...I had no idea Mickel had achieved a top 10 placing, but unless you're by a leader board or speaker there's little chance of knowing who is coming where. But quite honestly it doesn't really mater. It's the atmosphere that counts."
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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We were at the finish. Great weekend, made better by Fin's result. Shame about Alain not making the cut on Sunday but he's looking quite strong again. Fingers crossed for the next big event in Sestriere... See any of you there?
DavidS, you can normally get a copy of the start list beforehand if you ask around...
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Chemmy's Yoda, Chemmy's best result so far in super G was 11th in Lake Louise in Dec 2003. I remember it particularly well, because it tied my record (11th in Leukerbad in 1988) for the best-ever placing by a Briton in a World Cup super G. I feel sure that Chemmy has the potential to go ahead and break that record soon by breaking into the top ten.
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doh - thought that was downhill!
Here's hoping!
Rufus
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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THE Rufus?
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hmmmmm not sure I want to admit to that!! 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Might see you there - I'll be with the Mickel and Baxter tribes - unless work calls. The trouble with being self-employed...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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DG Orf[quote="D G OrfThe locals were very impressed with Finlays result, but of course the real measure of his skill is how he performs in the remaining races plus teh Olympics[/quote]
You're not seriously suggesting that the Olympic DH will be more of a test of skill (and all the other attributes required to achieve excellence) than the Lauberhorn???????
I thought you were an informed contributor 
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You know it makes sense.
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Re. jcjc's posting, there was press speculation yesterday that the almost 100% artificial Sestriere piste - which is receiving feverish snowmaking due to the local drought - will favour Bode Miller.
Let's hope it benefits Finlay too.
Of course, the above is the state of play. Some long-awaited natural snowfall near the event would be welcome and would deal some wild cards.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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jcjc, no, what I'm saying is that he needs consistant results, more top 20 or better top 15 results will show that consistancy
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Poster: A snowHead
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Maybe, but Bill Johnson (USA) got the gold in the 1984 Sarajevo Olympic downhill from out of the blue. Frank Klammer then called him a 'nose-picker' (in German), as I recall!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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At the risk of sounding like a stat-head.
Billy D's result in Sarajevo '84 wasn't exactly 'out of the blue'. He happened to win the Lauberhorn a few weeks earlier. He also won in Whistler and Aspen later that year too, I think....
Not quite in big Frank Klammers league I grant you but not a bad tally nonetheless.
JCJC
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| jcjc wrote: |
At the risk of sounding like a stat-head.
Billy D's result in Sarajevo '84 wasn't exactly 'out of the blue'. He happened to win the Lauberhorn a few weeks earlier. He also won in Whistler and Aspen later that year too, I think....
Not quite in big Frank Klammers league I grant you but not a bad tally nonetheless.
JCJC |
Hi first time poster and new to all this. Got back from Kitz on Sat , and after trying to to ski down the Hammenkhan last tuesday 2 days after the race , my respect for for those guys racing is enormouse.It is sheer ice they are racing on.
How did Finlay get on at Kitz and this weekend at Garmisch ?
great Site by the way,
Boo
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jcjc, boo, welcome to snowHeads!
boo, can't answer your question...but I skied to Kitz from Westendorf on Friday!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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25th at Garmisch, sllightly higher at Kitzbuhel I think?
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Hi Ian, great resort Kitz and the downhill race made it special. We skied 90 % of the mountain but on Friday went to the Horn as a group for some slalom and messing about in some powder.Will definatley go back, the only blot is no ski in or out in the village.
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