 Poster: A snowHead
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Bearing in mind changes to skis etc who do you think is the best downhill skier ever ?
How would Zubriggen or Girardelli compare todays stars ?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I reckon - in my short time as a skier - I would go for Aamodt overall.
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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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Between 2300 and 0600 .... me.
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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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Hermann Maier
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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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What about some of those early skiers from pre ww2, they had to ski downhill races on largely un prepared pistes with none of todays modern safety equipment and no helicopters to take them to hospital
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| D G Orf wrote: |
| What about some of those early skiers from pre ww2, they had to ski downhill races on largely un prepared pistes with none of todays modern safety equipment and no helicopters to take them to hospital |
I think it's impossible to compare athletes from one era to another. You could argue that the higher speeds of today's modern equipment and piste preparation make the sport more demanding, and that advances in sport physiology, pyscohology and training regimes make the athletes more competant to rise to the challenge.
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brian
brian
Guest
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I always liked big Peter Mueller. Remember that crash at the bottom of the Lauberhorn ? ouch 
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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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Statistically, for the post-1967 "World Cup" era at least, it is still Franz Klammer, with 25 World Cup downhill wins.
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My apologies to the ladies. In fact it is Annemarie Moser-Proell, with 36 victories.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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"YOU CAN'T TOUCH HIM, KLAMMER TIME, HOOOOOOh HOOOOOOOOh 
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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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I'd vote for Klammer, followed by the Herminator.
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I also thought Franz Klammer, but Toni Sailer achievements' in Cortina D'Ampezzo in 1956 and the Olympics, shade it for me.
here toni sailer
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You know it makes sense.
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FRANZ KLAMMER for sheer excitement when he was racing.(didn't he come out of retirement to win Kitzbuhel?)
Also put the Herminator a close second. 
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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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Can't argue with the stats.
Klammer every time.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I find it hard to think beyond Maier. I can't begin to imagine the extent of mental strength, dedication, fitness and ability to get to the top in the first place, but to almost have a leg amputated, then do it again? That's just plain superhuman. Wonder how many - if any - other world superstars could have accomplished that. (Ok, I'm not thinking exclusively downhill, just alpine...)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| PG wrote: |
| I find it hard to think beyond Maier. I can't begin to imagine the extent of mental strength, dedication, fitness and ability to get to the top in the first place, but to almost have a leg amputated, then do it again? That's just plain superhuman. Wonder how many - if any - other world superstars could have accomplished that. (Ok, I'm not thinking exclusively downhill, just alpine...) |
dunno - but Janine Shepherd was looking at competing an Olympics in horse riding wasn't she? Pretty good effort if she does manage to do it after everything...
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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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When I'm talking in the bar, after a few beers, ME! 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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PG, can't argue with that. There are a few other examples around of people who have come back from career-ending injuries and have gone on to blow everyone away. After his first bad knee injury in 1983 Marc Girardelli was apparently once told that he would never be able to walk properly again, let alone ski! In 1990 he narrowly missed becoming a paraplegic, and went on to win the world cup in 1991  And what about Janica Kostelic? I can't believe that she still skis the way she does after all the injuries and operations that she's been through. Unbelievable. Truly Unbelievable.
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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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And how about Greg Lemond coming back to win the Tour de France after being shot and badly injured in a hunting accident? And Armstrong after the cancer?
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Although Herman Maier is one of the best Skiers ever I would have to argue whether he is one of the best downhillers as his main event is the Super G.
For what its worth Klammer followed by Erberharter for downhill
Herminater for Super G and possibly Giant slalom.
Tomba for slalom
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| PG wrote: |
| That's just plain superhuman. Wonder how many - if any - other world superstars could have accomplished that. (Ok, I'm not thinking exclusively downhill, just alpine...) |
PG - I remember Kevin Keegan falling off his bike in Superstars - I laughed and laughed, especially when he became Newcastle manager, spent £120 million and then got sacked for winning nowt !
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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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Paul Mason, remember his haircut? I bet you're laughing again. 
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There is only one............Klammer!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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My first thought was Klammer. I don't think I have ever seen somebody attack a mountain in the way he did. His Olympic gold medal run wa almost unbelievable. Then I began to really think and I am suprised that nobody has mention Jean-Claude at all. M. Killy was exceptional. He won gold in all 3 desciplines in the same Olympics and is considered the top French athlete of the 20th Century. I wasn't into skiing at the time (9years old) and didn't see the run itself but I do remember the fuss at the winter Olympics about him and all the media hype.
I think that to be the greatest you don't need to just be the best of your generation but you also need to do deeds that enter the public conciousness by transending the event itself. My father, a non skier, knows who Killy and Klammer are. I doubt he knows any others. Klammer's run was a main headline on the British news, Killy was also featured in a big way. It is strange that today, with so many more of us skiing, that the stars aren't as well known. Or is it that we no longer see their feats as so special, because skiing doesn't have the same mystery.
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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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Got to agree with SimonN I had overlooked Jean Claude Killy.
Certainly someone who masters all three disciplines has to be the main contendor.
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But the question os best Downhiller, master of all 3 disciplines would be worthy of another thread.
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You know it makes sense.
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In doing some more research into this, I found that Killy's victory in the downhill was by a very narrow margin, 0.08 sec, making me think that it wasn't that dominant and therefore he didn't deserve a mention with the greats of DOWNHILL. However, I then came across a report that has changed my mind. It appears that something went wrong with his ski preparation and all the wax came off his skis in warm up. He seems to have skied the race with a pair of skis that weren't waxed! I don't know the difference waxing made in those days but I bet it was a lot. In addition, imagine you set out in your first event and find after the first section your skis feel like rubbish. Takes a special person to keep it together and still win.
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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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Of those that I've seen, I'd vote for Klammer as the best an out and out downhill racer. For the best allround skier, Stenmark by a country mile. (especially if you award style points  )
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Poster: A snowHead
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Klammer - the stats tell their own story in terms of DH. I think he won 1:4 of every race he entered and his 76 Olympic win was achieved under enormous national pressure.
Stenmark has been the greatest skier of all time (despite only 1 DH appearance)... the FIS had to invent Super G and tweak the points system just to stop him winning. Fact.
Proell and Nadig are level pegging on the ladies side.
Paul Mason of Birtley, though, can draw up a much better ski trip packing check list than any of them. So, I vote for him.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The question refers to best Downhill skier as in DH, Abfahrt, Descent and would exclude the Slalom, Giant Slalom and Super G. No doubt, it has to be the Kaiser with 25 DH WC wins and his historical gold medal schuss-bomb at Innsbruck in 1976 . My favourite however is Bernard Russi for his technical finesse and his brains. He now designs most of the new downhill pistes. As for some others, Killy was one of the greatest winning on most of the classics, Peter Muller, Egon Zimmermann, Toni Sailer, Karl Molitor, Karl Schranz, Franz Heinzer, Roland Collumbin, Stephan Eberharter, Kristian Ghedina and Luc Alphand were/are all great Downhillers and should be in the Downhill Hall of Fame. I don't consider Maier one of the best, but he has had his moments...Super G for sure though. Daron Rahlves could be if he held on a few years, but he will retire before he reaches his peak.
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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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Best in my opinion: Janica Kostelic
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