Breaking away from the norm this week, we”ll focus on a few other aspects of skiing rather than just the resorts. Some things we’ll talk about are the types of ski racing, well-known/famous skiers, alternative skiing, and ski movies, so let’s get started!
Ski Racing
To get involved in racing, the general process is finding a mountain that you want to race for (it’s typically the one closest to where you live) and then trying out for the team as you would with most other sports. The same principles apply with skiing as they do with a lot of sports, where mountains that are bigger or more well-known usually have more competitive skiing teams. For example, the mountain I go to, being in the Poconos, probably would not have a ski team that’s as competitive as a mountain up in Vermont. So, after you go through tryouts and you’ve made the team, there are different events to choose from. On a ski team, you can either race in the slalom or you can race in the freestyle section which includes a course with obstacles like moguls (bumps), aerials (jumps) and sometimes a halfpipe (used at larger competitions). Basically, when racing for a specific mountain team, alpine racers will only ski slalom courses. But, if you make it to the olympic level, that’s where they have giant slalom racing and even the super giant slalom racing (I kid you not, it’s actually called the super giant slalom). With freestyle skiing, you’re still racing, but you are not placed on the scoreboard just for your time, but also for your technical skiing skills, especially in the aerials.
Famous Skiers
Moving on to some famous skiers, Bode Miller was an American icon back in the day, known for his amazing performance in the 2010 olympics, winning the super-combined gold. Although Bode did stir up some trouble with the press because of his love for partying, he was featured in a big Nike campaign because he was so well known. One of the other biggest names in the ski world is Warren Miller. Although he was not known for his skiing skills (although they were great), he was so big because of the entertainment company he created. Shooting mostly ski documentaries, Miller would rent out venues near ski resorts and charge admission to watch his latest films at night. During the day he would shoot footage for a new movie at the resort. Lastly, we have Lindsey Vonn, who has won 82 World Cup races and 2 world championship races. Her specialities are the super giant slalom, giant slalom, and combined. In her races, Vonn has reached speeds faster than 70 mph on skis!
Alternative Skiing
Only recently coming into light is the new sport of speed flying. This involves simply skiing off of a cliff and then parachuting the rest of the way down. Sounds crazy right? It is. Multiple people have died doing this, as there can be complications with the parachute if it gets caught on something or you hit into rock/trees/obstacles before you’ve fully landed. But, people are still out there doing it! One spot that’s become particularly popular for speed flying is in the Dolomite Mountains in Italy. Some mountain resorts even have designated runs for speed flying because it’s become so popular with Swiss and French skiers. Want to watch the craziness happen? Click here
Ski Movies
As mentioned above, Warren Miller is famous for his ski films and many of them are well-known in the ski world. Other ones more known to the general public are Aspen Extreme, a love story about a young (very attractive) ski instructor who falls in love with an Aspen local (Aspen being a high-end Colorado ski resort). Chalet Girl is lesser known but still attracts attention as a charming ski love story. For those who need a bit of inspiration, Eddie the Eagle, which is the most recent movie to come out, is the story of an underdog ski jumper representing the British in the Winter Olympics. The main character ultimately places last every time he jumps, but becomes a national hero for representing the British in the ski-jumping category after they didn’t have someone for 6 decades.