Kitzbuel! The Hannenkam/Strief downhill next weekend!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Well, it's the biggest event of the downhill series next week end in Austria!
I landed in the middle of it when I first went skiing in Austria in '98.
What a surprise that was!
Anyone follow/like skiing?

This is the one where half of the competitors give it a miss to avoid the risk of injury, as it is a skiier maimer for sure!
I saw Tomba miss a gate and lose that year! (Actually, I didn't see him miss it, as he dissappeared behind the crowd for a few meters, and when he came out the other side, he was on the wrong side of the course) had me wondering for a minute until I realized what happened! :lol: :lol:
Man, talk about a merciless crowd, the jeering and booing brings to mind the atmosphere in the arena, possibly!
No mercy would have come from that bunch!

[TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS]

After all Tomba was a great pure slalom specialist... :wink:

About downhill for slalom specialists, let me rather remember Gustav Thöni (Italy) in 1975... Second after "Kaiser" Franz Klammer (Austria) just for 3/1000th of a second: top speed in the final schuss more than 130 Km/h with the 1975 equipment and 1975 jumps! What a thrill even seeing it at the TV! And even if Gustav was a slalom specialist, in that year won all the three alpine combined competitions scheduled in the World Cup at the Lauberhorn, Hahnenkamm e Kandahar (alpine combined was the sum of the points scored in special slalom + giant slalom + downhill)...hock:

The great Gustav:



Vale,

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Klammer I recall quite well! Wha tsurprised me was the size of these guy's! I had always assumes they were short(like me) and compact, wit hlow centers of gravity...Tomba had thighs as bigs as me(back then) hock:

Also the fact that the course was solid ice, top to bottom! Thats is a hair raising experience, even on the easier bits the public are allowed to ski!!
Especially when you haven't skiied in almost 10 years, I was pretty proud of myself to manage it with out wiping out(untill the second week, anyway)
Forgot to have my skis resharpened! :oops: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Robert Vermaat]

I followed skiing for a long time, although I must admit I fell a bit out of the habit during the last yaers. My heroes were Marc Girardelli and Marcus Wasmeier - always the underdogs!