Interviewed on the sidelines of the Olympic events German downhiller Petra Haltmayr told Reuters she felt there was a popular movement away from alpine racing towards freestyle:
"I think young people are more interested in freestyle, they find skiing a bit stuffy," she said.
Others are calling for loud music and more razzmattazz, with ideas borrowed from snowboarding.
This report from Sophie Hardach for the official Torino 2006 website.
What's the way forward for ski racing, and spectator popularity?
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 15-02-06 12:27; edited 1 time in total
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
More personalities like Bode Miller would help. Helps show the public that there are real people behind the lycra and crash helmets.
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?
Skiers...'stuffy'
Boarders...'scruffy' I say, could do with hoiking up there belts and standing up straight, national service wouldnt be a bad idea for many of them, what ho old bean!
how about dual slaloms with kickers, points for air style?
it used to happen
DG [and possibly others] will remember the nordica dual slalom which took place on cairngorm each year it stopped a long time ago
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
CEM, still got the red & white soft Nordica knee pads tucked away in a drawer somewhere... Ah those were the days... Still going strong in the late '80s IIRC
After all it is free
After all it is free
offpisteskiing, yep, last one was '88 ish i think
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David Murdoch wrote:
how about dual slaloms with kickers, points for air style?
Moguls skiing is dual skiing with kickers and points for style
I agree that ski racing may need a bit more excitment as every sports needs to evolve to keep the audience interested, just like cricket created the more exciting 20 twenty format, skiercross is good fun, also how about a relay event with team mates spaced out down a slalom track?
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Wed 6-05-09 10:09; edited 1 time in total
Ski the Net with snowHeads
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I actually agree with Petra to some part. Fortunately or unfortunately I have luck to spend quite some time in finish areas of WC races (pretty much every second run to be exact), and most of time it makes me go crazy (thanks god for ipod:)). I believe that some weird alpine music with harmonica and trumpets (I'm actually coming from alpine country, but I still can't stand that music) was really popular on farms up in hills 150 years ago, but nowadays things are different. Unfortunately most of organizers didn't realize this yet, so I believe that especially younger people are not really attracted to watching ski races.
On the other side, you have few places where they figured things out, and for example in Zauchensee, you can be listening to Metallica, AC/DC and way more normal stuff then some harmonica and trumpets are, and you can also see whole lot of "unusual" spectators (young kids, snowboarders, etc.). Of course I'm not saying music is only thing that matters, but it shows how some people think. And from this on, whole thing goes one way, or the other.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
primoz, what do you do on the WC circuit?
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.
Photographer
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
primoz, I a photographer also! Well an amateur one with limited equipment! see my latest creation on youtube, please be kind
It's a matter of personal choice. I've always preferred sports where the fastest wins, not where the winner is determined by the opinions of judges.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Marketing man: "Hey, I know what they can do. They should make the bumps bigger, especially on the faster races, give the crowd something to be thrilled about. If they did it on the final stretch down into the finish area it'd make a great spectacle for the crowds!"
It's a matter of personal choice. I've always preferred sports where the fastest wins, not where the winner is determined by the opinions of judges.
Yup, me too.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Sideshow... Albrecht was different case. This years Kitzbuhel was one of easiest in years.... everyone said this. Albrecht had bad luck and his fall was actually his fault. Ok now it's question if we need courses where skiers mistake can cost his life. But then again, I guess noone would be watching DH WC race set on blue run, or am I wrong?
Queen Bodecia... I agree about this. Watch or meter count are always same for every single competitor. Judges never are, no matter how professional they are.
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?
queen bodecia wrote:
It's a matter of personal choice. I've always preferred sports where the fastest wins, not where the winner is determined by the opinions of judges.
agreed.. its like watching the 100m free style at the olympics or the diving
primoz, agreed about Albrecht but my point is the whole 'making it more exciting with bigger jumps' has been tried already with some nasty results. DH racing is dangerous enough already without extra artificially-introduced features. I'm not suggesting making it easier, just not making it more dangerous just for crowd satisfaction. Having said that, I think some medium-sized rollers and drops would add some more interest in the lower-speed disciplines such as slalom or GS. Make them part of the course and keep it time-based, no style marks!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
CANV CANVINGTON wrote:
queen bodecia wrote:
It's a matter of personal choice. I've always preferred sports where the fastest wins, not where the winner is determined by the opinions of judges.
agreed.. its like watching the 100m free style at the olympics or the diving
Seconded. Any sport where opinion decides the winner is, IMO, barely a sport.
I love DH, SG, GS and SL, but I'm amazed that SX doesn't get more TV coverage (although I think the format has room for improvement).
However, that doesn't detract from the popularity of SB half-pipe. slopestyle etc, (although I don't know how points are awarded) which are about style rather than speed. Maybe moguls, aerials and the other freestyle disciplines need more PR to let da kids know you can be er... sick on 2 planks.
I think skiing is going through a bit of a revolution in terms of popularity anyways, snowboarding just ain't that cool anymore. SX is one of my favourite competition disciplines to watch..
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Sideshow Bob, I agree with you. It's stupid to make things more dangerous, but unfortunately this is exactly what is happening. I don't know why, but there's a lot of people who are watching skiing, or Formula 1 races just because of crashes. I don't know what pleasure someone might have when he/she see athlete getting injured, but there is a lot of such people. And because of this, marketing people do exactly this what you said... make things even more dangerous.
About rollers... I'm just back from Levi, where I did most of skiing on WC course. It's pretty flat one, with few artificial made rollers. For normal skiing it's quite easy (even with gs skis and high speed), even if it's marked as black one, but for SL races they have there, pretty much everyone agreed it's one of hardest. So this means difficult races can be done also on easy courses, where chances for injuries are low(er). And I don't think Levi races were any less spectacular because of this. But bad thing is, that most of marketing people don't see this.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Sideshow_Bob, Isn't that called Adelboden? I do think ski racing could do with being spiced up a bit as to presentation, but I wouldn't want to see style points. Dual races would be popular I think, but also, as primoz, says - just the music and so on - a professional 'show' perhaps.
having said that - Bode Miller is/was popular because he's a character, but how many times have athletes been criticised for showing their emotions? Remember that very acrimonious thread about 2 years ago on the subject??
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Ski Cross is the future guys. The time trial part of the race is exactly what you describe:
Quote:
some medium-sized rollers and drops would add some more interest in the lower-speed disciplines such as slalom or GS. Make them part of the course and keep it time-based, no style marks!
Most of the time ski cross is a GS/Super G with rollers, drops and kickers.
Plus, I'm 99% sure FIS rules actually stipulate that the start and finish area must have AV equipment with music playing (the amount of times we heard that annoying new Lily Allen song on the Europa Cup tour this season though...maybe they should factor music taste into the rules as well!)
It's just a matter of time. Wait until the post-2010 fallout... Alpine doesn't stand a chance.
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I actually find it really hard to watch skiing on TV, nevermind live, unless I have some involvement. SX is easily the best at keeping my attention - I think mainly because there's an obvious frame of reference to how well each racer is doing. Watching people race for a top time is kind of dull... then again, I hate F1 with a passion so maybe watching people race isn't my thing
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
DaveC, I have to say I love it - I watch every race live or tape it if I'm working - I'm at a loss on Sat & Sun mornings now. However as much as I find it super exciting it's obvious from the lack of interest of the majority of holiday skiers that something needs to be done to encourage more people to watch it. I'm surprised though at an instructor not enjoying it - you learn so much, and like F1 the improvements come from there in the main.
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.
Hardkor Action Sports wrote:
Plus, I'm 99% sure FIS rules actually stipulate that the start and finish area must have AV equipment with music playing.
There is written document on FIS web, how should start and finish look like, what kinda equipment there has to be, and even how moderators should open race or flower ceremony. But out of my head, I can't say I remember there is anything written about music. And there's certainly nothing written what kinda music there should be.
But as I wrote on beginning... if you want to attract younger people, then I would say cow music with harmonica and trumpets (even if it's in middle of Alps), doesn't really work
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
The FIS freestyle rules do state that music will be used in all competitions. FIS Freestlye rule 3041.4. Not sure if there is anything in the rules for alpine though!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Sorry for missunderstanding, I was talking about alpine WC. But I have no idea about freestyle events, so it might be different.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
primoz, yes, and this thread refers to Alpine, so you're quite right. ian_findlay, surely one of the premises of this thread is that Alpine should be more like Freestyle - at least in presentation.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Having been lucky enough to have been to a some ski cross and alpine world cup events, I can say that the presentation of the freestyle world cup isn't anywhere near as good as the alpine world cup. Many ski cross events take place half way up a mountain making it difficult for a large number of spectators to enjoy the event. The music might be playing but as to who its playing to.... They lack a big screen, the commentator can sometimes barely be heard so its pretty hard for anyone to know whats going on. The ski cross world cup from St Johann in January did have a big screen, bars and lots of spectators but this was a night event which I think helped.
Surely in all disciplines we want to make the experience enjoyable for the fans and this isn't always happening in ski cross. Its no wonder that FIS don't have a sponsor for the freestyle world cup at the moment because some of the presentation has been downright poor.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
it stopped a long time ago
on 2 planks.
