 Poster: A snowHead
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Just a heads up guys High Altitude tonight, looks interesting, Graham Bell 200KPH on skis !
10:20pm - 10:50pm BBC2
Mountain adventure programme with Graham Bell and Ed Leigh. When it comes to danger, nothing compares to speed skiing. Despite all the risks, Graham will attempt to reach 200kph on the world championship course. In a quest for speed, Ed then turns to Shelley Rudman, Olympic silver medallist in the bob skeleton, to see just how fast he can travel. Shelley and World Champion Kristan Bromley have just two days to get Ed in shape and down one of the most challenging and dangerous tracks in Europe.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 17-02-09 14:19; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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zermattbusby,
Cheers, and cool user name 
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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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zermattbusby, be careful.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'm looking forward to this; I've been wondering where the speed skiing was done. We were in Les Arcs last year and went in a restaurant with loads of pictures of speed skiing that had been done in resort. Sounds bloody dangerous!
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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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Just to reiterate it's on 20 minutes later so if you'd set the video assuming it was on at 10 re-set it!
Also loving the name zermattbusby 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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What is this? 
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jonm, I still say "set the video" even though it's actually a hard drive now. Before that it was a DVD recorder. And I said "set the video" then, too .
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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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Watched it and am now feeling the vicarious thrill of speed. I'm back on the piste, completely focussed, flatlining knowing I should turn and that one wrong move will be a titanic spill but I just want to see how far I can press it, no room in my mind for anything but the slope ahead of me, relief and exhileration when it levels out am I'm still here to tell the tale...
Damn I want to go back 
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zermattbusby, 60 MPH easily.
Fastest I've managed is 86.4 MPH (ish, according to gps). I'd love to have a go at speed skiing, dangerous as it is. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Spikyhedgehog, on an open public piste?
And are you sure about your numbers given the maximum speed that DH racers reach is pretty close to what you quote? Unless you are a downhiller?
KPH instead of MPH I would believe.
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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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Spikyhedgehog, warn me where you're going to be!
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That skelly bob looks fun But it must be hard work doing those exercises like you do in the gym but with 5G's pushing your face and feet into the ground.
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You know it makes sense.
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Actually loved last nights show more of that please
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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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Ordhan, snap.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Spikyhedgehog wrote: |
zermattbusby, 60 MPH easily.
Fastest I've managed is 86.4 MPH (ish, according to gps). I'd love to have a go at speed skiing, dangerous as it is. |
If that is true, then I don't think your GPS is very accurate.
Even if that was kph, I hope it was on a piste closed for general use.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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ive had a go on the track at Les Arcs, only from half way up and still shat my salopets!
Also, went down the bobsleigh run at La Plagne, although not on a one man skeleton, in a nice cusioned four man bob. still amazing fun!
Ed Leigh & Graham Bell have the best job in the world! end of!
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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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I missed it and can't find it on iplayer.
Did they mention Marc Poncin at all?
It would be a sad omission if they didn't refer to Britain's only Skiing World Cup Champion during a show on his discipline.
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admin, I don't recall they did - but then I was having to watch at the same time that visitors who didn't appreciate the importance of the programme kept talking! Fist time I have seen HA. Quite fantastically good.
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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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I like the show and the content but it just annoys me how they try to make everything seem so dramatic all the time! Graham Bell is used to downhill skiing at ridiculous speeds but going an extra 10-20mph faster in a straight line on a run with no obstacles and gates to navigate seems to be a whole different ball game?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Every week, after every challenge they always say the same thing - 'thats the BEST thing ive ever done!'
make yer minds up lads...
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I think the the dramatic approach is supposed to make it seem more like Top Gear which, as we know, gets away with it because of the combined charisma of the presenters and a budget big enough to smash loads of stuff up.
To be fair though, there is quite a difference between downhill and speed skiing velocities. The highest speed ever recorded for a downhill skier is 96.6mph / 155.46kph while speed skiers manage speeds up to 250kph. Marc Poncin is the British and commonwealth record holder with a speed of 245.891km!
snowNews item on Marc Poncin's victory last season:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=940088&highlight=poncin#940088
Here's a lot more detail about speed skiing from the horse's mouth:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=38643#910731
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alex_heney, stoatsbrother.
Not KPH, honestly. Yeah the GPS is probably out by lets say ± 10 mph or so? I can't confess to have gone through a proper speed gate, still it's an indication. Although I do take back my comment about 60 MPH being an easy speed to reach. But it's certainly viable during a schuss.
It was down Trolles in Tignes (if you don't know it, the piste is sectioned off for high speed, although still public) on one cold icy April morning at 9am on freshly waxed skis and appropriate clothing, although not a proper lycra suit... I think I saw about 2/3 people out in the hour or so I was trying, and there was nobody else on/near the piste when I attempted anything.
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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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admin, it's here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00hsp5q/High_Altitude_Series_1_Episode_4/
Didn't mention Poncin, but Bell was coached by someone called Miller Read, ex-British team.
And Leigh was coached by Shelley Rudman and Kristan Bromley, the only man in history to be European and World Champion and World Cup in the same season. So they didn't do too badly for top ranking sportsmen.
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Spikyhedgehog, sorry mate - within 20 mph of the top recorded DH skiers speed - without lycra and DH skis? - probably not.
But I am sure you have gone way faster than me.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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BTW, it looks like the next show is on:
TONIGHT (MONDAY) 19:50 (except for Norn Iron, Sat 18:20)
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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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Thanks GrahamN, I'll check it out.
I still think it's a bit of a shame that this 'Victory for British Skiing' has gone so un-celebrated by the mainstream media - he is the only current holder of a skiing title in the country and after all, what better place to drop mention of it at least, than in this program, about speed skiing, directed at the British skiing public.
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| GrahamN wrote: |
BTW, it looks like the next show is on:
TONIGHT (MONDAY) 19:50 (except for Norn Iron, Sat 18:20) |
But that is only a 10 minute show, not the full one.
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You know it makes sense.
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| stoatsbrother wrote: |
Spikyhedgehog, sorry mate - within 20 mph of the top recorded DH skiers speed - without lycra and DH skis? - probably not.
But I am sure you have gone way faster than me. |
I think if it was on a sectioned off piste where he was able to just schuss, it is possible he reached within 10mph of what his GPS claimed.
Can't say I would like to be doing anything like that sort of speed, but then I'm a wuss.
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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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In Wengen there is part of the Lauberhorn downhill race track which is fenced off but open to the public to see what speed they can reach. Quite a lot of people in normal ski gear and equipment top the 100 kph (over 60 mph ).
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Poster: A snowHead
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riverman, indeed there is but it's only a short run-in (even if you duck the fence at the top to squeeze a bit more in). I can believe 80mph+ on a longer piste with a good drop to it.
The fastest I've been in Wengen wasn't on the speed-trap but on the straight, steep section of red off Mannlichen. It was 100kph according to my GPS, and did indeed feel faster than the 88kph the speed-trap clocked me at (which the GPS also put at 8 .
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| superchoward wrote: |
| I like the show and the content but it just annoys me how they try to make everything seem so dramatic all the time! Graham Bell is used to downhill skiing at ridiculous speeds but going an extra 10-20mph faster in a straight line on a run with no obstacles and gates to navigate seems to be a whole different ball game? |
E=1/2mv2...ie, an object travelling "a little bit faster" possesses a LOT more energy! Graham did a great job reaching 120mph but experienced racers are exceeding 150mph. Here's an easy analogy...most of us have driven at ~100mph...not many venture up beyond 120mph (and that's in a protective metal box!).
If you think it was "over dramatised"...go and stand at the top of the Vars track, look over the edge and consider skiing down it without turning. My wife, who had attended many speed ski races before visiting Vars, took one look and said "I feel sick".
I thought the program was very well done...congrats to the Beeb and everyone involved.
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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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DrBullet, I think I would feel sick also, Graham Bell was looking pretty nervous also and he was a downhiller! Both activities the presenter did on Sunday were scary.
But in speed skiing how do you get faster? Leaving aside the kit and the slope steepness etc. from a skier technique perspective what is required? As it looks like its about tucking and that's about it?
Spikyhedgehog, I clocked about 100km/h in a speed test in Val Gardena and that was my first fun. I'd say if I took off my jacket and tucked a bit more 120km would be achieveable.
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Peter Ross, skiing without a jacket does make a surprising amount of difference.
I think the various speed traps are also pretty slow (comparatively) as they will always be set up to make sure someone doesn't break out of their comfort zone and hurt themselves. I'm not sure about the Val Gardena one but it sounds fun!
I think the difference between 10 MPH skiing is huge, as DrBullet mentions the amount of energy is in proportion to the velocity squared. Hence why I thing it's possible to reach ~85 MPH on conventional skis but maybe not break that and gain the extra 10 mph to get into serious downhill territory. That extra 10 MPH requires alot more effort than the 10 MPH between 30 and 40 for example.
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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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Spikyhedgehog,
here's the slope it's on Alpe de Suisi
Well most jackets are a little like parachutes so I suppose it should make a difference!
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DrBullet, I'm not saying it wouldn't be scary, I definitely wouldn't do it! I haven't skied at the speeds of downhill skiers either although IMO going as fast as they do down a course with bends, jumps and obstacles e.g. cliff faces and rocks would be scarier than that. Both of them are brave guys for sure, I just think they overdramatise things each week on the programme but the content is excellent.
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What are the skis like?
Are they flat with edges like a standard ski?
Sureley they have to be skiied on an edge otherwise they would wobble, right?
Maybe the underside is not flat so they are like a rail. Anyone know?
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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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They are definitely very long, I'd say they haven't much side cut as you don't want to catch an edge at the speeds they go at.
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Peter Ross, now that looks fun!
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