22/01/2012 Ski Sunday

A heart beat faster. -- the heart beat faster. Their hairs stand on

end. Your pupils dilate. You perspire. All symptoms of exposure

to extreme emotional situations. Like fear. Nervousness.

Exhilaration. Symptoms of exposure to the Streif. There is pressure as

well. The slightest mistake is magnified beyond comprehension.

Goodness me! That is a massive fall! But the reward for victory is

well worth the risk. Skiing for the winner. He has got it. Because this

is Alan Monaco. Allow Wembley. Our Wimbledon. -- our Monaco, Dark Side

Of The Moon Wembley. This is the Hahnenkamm, at this is Kitzbuhel.

It is that time of the year, the biggest race of them all, the men's

downhill from Kitzbuhel, which rivals the Olympics for prestige

and Glory and we will be here as the action unfolds. Later in the

show, we will be looking at the history and development of

snowboarding. And challenging the traditionalists who continue to

bury their heads in the snow. don't allow snowboarders. It is

usually just hardcore skiers who are here. Some very old-school

attitude, you couldn't make it up. Talking of old school, Graham has

been around for a few years and with experience comes wisdom, at

least that is what he tells me. He is taking a closer look at the

Streif. We have struggled with rain, wind

and snow over the last few days and they have worked incredibly hard to

get this race under way. This is Kitzbuhel, they will try everything

to make the race happen. Let's have a look. We are starting at the top.

Quite a bit of new snow on the track, it is snowing very hard. It

is going to be really important to go out along here, to get the skis

straight and hardly get any air of the jump. -- off. It is almost like

three or four centimetres of new snow on the track. Heading towards

the top, it is really slow. Absolutely crawling along. The race

will obviously go much, much quicker. They will be looking to

cut these corners off. A tighter line in on the gate. It is fast

from hereon end. Into the conversion. You have to hand on --

hang on to that ski. Big jump. While. Absurdity rock-and-roll down

here. -- absolutely. The visibility is very bad. Finish with the jump.

Can't really see anything at all. And across the line.

I have got to say, it is right on the edge of being able to hold that

race. A lot of new snow on the course. The largest flying down,

you can't see anything a, you can't see the bumps, the bottom section

is just unbelievably tough. Well then, the biggest race of the

season for you, and arguably the biggest call of the season. Who

will do well? Didier Cuche is the obvious favourite, he has won here

for tyres and has trained well. He didn't ski well last week but he

loves this course. He has announced his retirement, he would race here

again and he wants to beat Franz Klammer's record. Were due back him

to win this week? The -- would you. I don't think he quite has the

experience to win on this course, but I might be wrong. They prove

you wrong last week. You have been studying the training notes. Bode

Miller was a name you mentioned. The difficulty with him is he never

trains quickly, he will pick and choose the sections he wants to ski

fast on and then take a breather and slow himself than. He was then

the 21st in the second training run but he has had sections where he

has come down and produced the fastest time -- only 21st. If you

string those sections together, it produces a very good time and he is

a big race skier. He has never won on this course and he wants his

name on the gondola. We can't talk about the chances without talking

about the home team, the Austrians. Klaus Kroell has skied very well in

the training, he is right up there, but they will have an almost

pressure on them. The training runs were done in bright sunshine and

since then, we have had rain, wind and snow and the cause is almost

unrecognisable. It could well be that the cause conditions play more

of a factor than the ability of the skiers -- the course. You may see

someone coming in on a very late start number, some of the people

who like this course, could come through and win this race. For all

of the glamour and excitement in this race, it has been responsible

for some horrific casualties. In the last bore ears, we have had

three serious head injuries. -- bore the years. How do the race as

cope? It is one of those races where the intimidation of the cause

can get to you. There isn't anyone section that it used keep it up

section by section, it would be OK, all of them together are daunting.

You do one section well, then you get to the next section mentally.

When you were racing here, way you scared of crashing or losing a

question mark always scared of losing. -- I was always scared of

losing. Crashing is not in the mind, otherwise you cannot ski. You are

just thinking about what you are going to do and then you

concentrate on the job ahead of you. Downhill at Kitzbuhel is one of the

toughest the break. It is deep and very icy and it is a mixture of the

gut feeling that tells you know, definitely no. And it is the brain

that says you have to go hard and go bust. What I admire from all of

the athletes is that mixture -- Belfast.

Would you say it is the biggest thrill in ski racing?

Hahnenkamm is still fantastic, being on the start and racing dam,

it is the best. -- banned. They are bona fide legends of ski racing but

none of them have won in Kitzbuhel five times, which is what Didier

Cuche is going to attempt to do today. He will retire as the

and the snow and they were to be disappointed. Hahnenkamm 2012 his

arm, albeit on a shortened course. The man who has made the decision

to run the race, the World Cup referee. You may remember, if you

watched it last weekend, he had a couple of a very shaky moments. But

compared to how it normally is en Kitzbuhel but the bottom section is

as rough as it always is. Look at the snow are falling. -- snow

falling. The technicians are working frantically at the top,

choosing the right lenses for the goggles. Going well, coming towards

the canter. The biggest jump on the course this year. Nicely done.

Trying to keep a high line. Coming there, not the cleanest start. Such

is the importance of this race in terms of the economy in this part

of Austria, the locals were calling the office of the mayor asking how

they could help. The answer was to grab a shovel, go to the finish

area and help to clean the snow. Late last night, there were up to

300 people struggling fog to make the race possible.

here. He clouted the control gate, which sends him tunnelling down

Austrian competitors given a chance here. Look at the start he has made.

The green light is on for Puchner. He is getting bounced around, he is

not in control of his destiny. That was a risky move. Now he is back

over his skis and very quick through the speed, tap. Puchner

Gets the lead. 1,200 summer second quicker. -- hundredths of a second.

With the amount of beer snow that has fallen, with every racer, the

track is going to get quicker. The question is Willett break-up at the

bottom? -- will it. He was able to hold it at the finish. The snow

conditions change and it becomes less snow falling at the top of the

down, and a little wobble as the comes into the succession of turns

Not 0.27 of a second down. A huge jump from the Frenchman. How is his

line? He is quick through the gun. He is pushing 131, took an hour. He

flies off the final jump. He is second. Oh my word, that is tied.

year. He took the gold and then came third in the downhill. Last

week he took third. He has never talented. Very brave. This is

ranked as the second toughest on the World Cup tour, and the longest.

In terms of difficulty, it's the second hardest. Way up in the soft

snow there. A quarter of a second off the pace. It was not the ideal

line. I wonder how much he can see? He has bounced really low. Pressing

on that right ski, and he nearly high-sided. There was a collective

gasp at the bottom of the course. They saw that happening. He made a

recovery and thankfully stayed on his feet, and he has done well. 7th,

despite a really scary moment. was an amazing recovery. The

problem was, he floated low on the Traverse. He went through the term,

clipped the gate but took too much air on the jump, flew down low, and

was fighting to get back up, and suddenly, the pressure released on

his right to ski, and his left ski Feuz, the new young star of

downhill racing. Last week he smashed the opposition.

Can his raw power triumph over experience? A few years ago, Didier

Defago conquered these courses in successive weekends for Switzerland.

Can Beat Feuz do the same in a dream up of victory on the

legendary Streif. Here comes Beat Feuz. The World Cup leader. He was

also second in Beaver Creek and was second at run up in Canada earlier

in the season. He has the best downhill skier of the World Cup

tour so far, the most consistent man so far. Winding down the

windows. Half a second off the pace. Getting bounced around. Oh, it's

really rough, despite the soft snow. It makes it even harder, because

you can't even see. It's incredibly quick for Beat Feuz, but only third

place for the moment. 900 two new snow meant he was a bit slow on

the top section of the course. he came over and made up a huge

amount of time. He really nailed it on the left hand. And it flew on to

the Traverse and had more speed down the finish than anyone, but

just not quite enough. Aksel Lund Svindal from Norway. He

won't be fazed by the conditions. Downhill is his best discipline. He

has had victories in slalom and Super-G over the years. He is still

in touch as he comes to the raft reverse. Drifting off towards the

powder snow at the side of the course. I wonder how much control

he had there? His speed is slow. He is 7th. Didn't have the speed at

the bottom of the Xhosa. Aksel Lund Svindal was quick at the top part

of the course but skied the second half cautiously, and his hip was

into the hill, and he deliberately let it go, because he was not sure

about where he was going, which meant he flew down. A low line on

be reversed because of it falls up ready to go is Bode Miller. Nine

downhill victories, he should be a big favourite in Kitzbuhel, but has

never quite got it right on the Streif. Can he held it together and

take the big one which has eluded him?

Bode Miller has been a World Cup champion, Olympic champion, but has

never conquered Kitzbuhel. Maybe today. In the driving snow. He can

come good. He loves this course. He has twice won at the combined

events appear. He takes the speed from downhill and slalom and joins

them together but has never won the downhill I tried to. He is

struggling for full board 0.96. Oh my word! What a recovery. I thought

he had lost his before that somehow, he stayed upright. His heart will

have skipped a beat. Only he can do that sort of thing and get away

with it. He does not like skiing in bad light and he wasn't very quick

on the top of the course. And then he made the most incredible

recovery. It he had crashed there, that would have been horrible. The

worst place to crash on the that course. Amazing recovery. I think

he can just be happy he is safely in the finish.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. This is that for Didier Cuche. A

victory here would take him to five victories, making him the

undisputed greatest ever racer in Kitzbuhel, but this is his only

chance. His last race on the Hahnenkamm, before he retires. What

a moment. Didier Cuche is on his way on this shortened Streif course,

from Didier Cuche! He took the most aggressive line there and he is

playing. 125 almost through. He skis for the lead in Kitzbuhel. He

has got it! Didier Cuche leads the way! The record has gone.

Didier Cuche absolutely loves this cause and although he didn't have

the top section to play with, he was able to nail it down the bottom

section. When you go over, you accelerate so fast and when you

land, the snow conditions change and you fly across the job first.

Didier Cuche did not back off, kept the pressure on, and flew down the

here. That was once he went on the podium in 2009. He won last year.

Can he handle the pressure? Austria have not had a winner here since

the 2006. The Austrian, Klaus Kroell, at the start. Slightly

improved visibility for Klaus Kroell. He won the Super-G a few

years ago which was cancelled this year but is due to be held on

Friday, but was cold -- called off and they focus their efforts on the

downhill. Klaus Kroell is going down nicely. Coming into the

Traverse. Not as good as we saw from Didier Cuche. He is being

thrown around by the lumps and bumps on the snow. The speed is

fast for Klaus Kroell. Can he topple Didier Cuche? He is close.

He is second! Didier Cuche holds on. Not quite the same technique as

Didier Cuche as he goes on to the finished reverse. A little less

committed but very, very smooth on his skis, and actually had more

speed at the bottom. But wasn't able to pick up enough timer.

course is getting slightly quicker as the soft snow which continues to

forget pushed away. There is a definite racing line, even sunshine

to show the way for Romed Baumann and he has made a really strong

start. Didier Cuche is not starting to celebrate just yet. He's

watching Romed Baumann on the big screen. A quarter of a second

behind. The Austrians have spotted this. A mistake of a battered jump.

Look at them flapping like a bird, desperately trying to keep his

balance. His speed is good. 130 plus. He's almost home. Will it be

an Austrian women? Can he do it? Not quite -- an Austrian victory?

Romed Baumann showing this race could be a surprise if you're quick

on the top part of the course. He was quicker but lacked the

commitment. On his heels, he looked like he was not committed. The only

way to win on that section is to attack 100%. And Romed Baumann

record. On this particular course. He loves it. He was second here in

2010, and he is flying in to a 1012. 1,600ths up at the intermediate.

Can he keep it going? He got slowed down by the soft snow slightly but

that time favours him up. Accord of the second up. That a quarter of a

second up. Looks like he is over his skis, and now he sets his

sights on the finishing line. Can he deny Didier Cuche his official

Kitzbuhel legend status? Not quite. Well, very close to pulling off the

big surprise. Quick on the top part of the cause but when he went on to

the second part, and the Traverse, I felt he had to work too hard to

get behind line he wanted and that didn't let him become fast enough.

Didier Cuche just could not watch and then a massive sigh of relief

I think you've got an unfair advantage because I think you can

ski this course with your eyes closed. Maybe today, it was not

close your eyes, but it was a kind of difficult to see the track. I

got really lucky because I had a big mistake and I felt, when I came

into the finish, it's not a victory. I'm a very happy to come down. With

how important is that to an Austrian? Yes, it's the greatest

race of the year. For me, I live at 30 kilometres away from here, so it

is my home race. A lot of my family and friends are here. Yes, we are

going to party tonight. Will you be glad to see the back of Didier

Cuche now? Yes, he is amazing here. Yeah, he's a big man in the sport.

When you come to Kitzbuhel next year without Didier Cuche? Next

year, there will be a new winner It is the fairy-tale ending, it

didn't look like anyone else was going to win. These are the

conditions Cuche would have wanted, taking out the top section of the

course where he is very good, he does well are hard, icy snow. The

top part of the course is a ski test, a lot of guys coming down,

ploughing through thick powder, but when you go over the Hausberg,

whatever the conditions, you still have to absolutely attack this

course, had he knows that more than anyone. And he is unbeatable on

that section of the course. He did enough on the lower section to take

the wind. He looked like a cannonball on that final section.

That is exactly it, get the pressure on the ski and have the

commitment to pressure themph -- ski and turn it into forward motion.

The pressure is off banned the downhill racers will be glad for

downhill racers will be glad for the rest. But the slalom skiers

don't have a rest. And if you press read at the end of the show, you

can see today's Kitzbuhel slalom. Also next week, as special Olympic

Dreams, featuring the winter Youth Olympics. And on Sunday, we have

highlight of the European Figure Skating Championships from

In the skeleton World Cup, British Newcomer Elizabeth Arnold claimed a

victory on only her second career start in St Moritz. The 23-year-old

from Maidstone clinched gold ahead of Olympic silver medallist Shelley

Rudman. Great Britain has won their first medals at the Winter Youth

Olympics in Innsbruck. Nottingham's Jack Burrows clinched gold and also

Great Britain claimed a silver in the mixed speed skating. And this

morning, more silverware, with a second in the two woman bobsleigh

event at the Olympics gliding Centre. -- and Olympic sliding.

We are red players, a mecca of downhill skiing, where the best

skiers have cemented reputations -- in Kitzbuhel. But on a snowboard,

you feel like a fish out of water, but at least I am welcome, unlike a

Utah. The 11th largest estate, home to over 1.5 million Mormons, and

one of the jewels in the crown of America's mountain resorts. With an

average of 500 inches of snow each year and an abundance of world

class to rain, it is easy to see why. But I was heading to one

resort in particular that I wanted to see with my own eyes, although

it was a place I approached with more than a little apprehension.

Here we are, around 50 minutes outside Salt Lake City and its tag-

line is "The greatest snow on earth". The only hitch is I am not

welcome here. To be more specific, I am actually banned.

That is because it is only one of three resort left on the planet

that enforces a complete ban on snowboarding. That means to gain

access to the mountain, I would have to turn rogue.

It feels so awkward. If you can't beat them, join them.

Well, for the day at least. It doesn't feel right.

With pride well and truly swallowed, it was time to meet the locals and

discover exactly what had drawn them to the place. It has that old

school vied, they cater to all types of skiers. The snow is

fantastic. The snow is reliable, particularly in early December.

had a big family, it is one of the biggest selling point. Where else

would I go? It is a gas. As well as challenging terrain and deep powder,

and there was another reason people chose to ski at this resort in

particular. They don't allow snowboarders. It is usually just

hardcore skiers who are here, I just love it. It became clear that

this gentleman wasn't alone in his concerns regarding so his

snowboarding are cousins. It is a selling point. A lot of people want

to be at the resort without snowboarders. I think a lot of

people like it and a lot of people don't. If you have a family member

who snowboards, it is not a good -- as good a place. But traditional

family skiers like the fat -- the fact that some things that come

with snowboarders bug them. I have been hit and brushed aside by

snowboarders. I am not totally sure they are in control all the time.

They make a sound like a locomotive, it is unnerving. I think it is more

of an age thing. If I was starting up there, I would be a snowboarder.

Perhaps that was the key to the ban, fear of the unknown and the

generation gap that had created a climate of anxiety that now sees

snowboarders somewhat demonised. Snowboarding was once regarded as

anti- establishment, which is at least a little removed from the

sport we know today. But it is the new generation who seemed to be

suffering the fall-out of the stereotypes.

They turned away completely? Yes, there are no snowboarders. We can

go skiing but... And how do you feel? It is kind of dumb. I asked

my wife if they let snowboarders and she said, everybody does now.

We would be coming here any more. This is the second what we have had

this season. We try to stop them as quick as we can, because it is

embarrassing, especially for the little ones. Bail out snowboarding.

It is a corporate decision, a lot of people like it. But it is skiers

only. I am actually really pleased that

we saw that, not because the kid got turned away, I am gutted for

him, but because it illustrates perfectly who this ban affects. It

is not hard core snowboarders, it is a family is.

It was finally time to rediscover my long-lost ski legs.

The thing about skiing, and this is the snowboarding, I have always

relaxed whenever I and snowboarding. I feel like I am shopping for men's

wear when I a man skis. Fortunately, there was no side of

Graham Bell. Demanded was all but deserted and as I headed down the

slopes, I couldn't help but think what a shame it was -- the mountain

was all but deserted. But a resident snowboarder explained. A

ban on the use of Liszt and facilities did not made a total ban

on to rain. That left. If you are willing to take a few hits, that is.

Most of the people are very accepting, they don't care if you

ski or if you ride. I have had no animosity, but the client tell on

plication don't like snowboarders. That clientele. You get a lot of

stairs and I have actually had skiers hitting me with his hole.

Telling me to get out of here. But I don't really care -- with a pole.

It is very traditional, you can tell just from the lift and the

largest that not much has changed since the beginning. -- lodges.

People who have ski and snowboard tell me it is the right thing, that

they wouldn't want to share their experiences with snowboarders and

they are fired with it as the tears. If you talk to everybody who is

here today, that might be the reason they are here -- they are

fine with it as it is. You may talk to other folks there may not think

it is as good an idea. It is just a business decision. A business

decision it may be, but Park City, a huge popular resort close by,

repealed its snowboarding than 15 years ago and hasn't looked back.

When we actually dropped the ban on snowboarding, it was like a riot.

We would be segregated runs, so it was a snowboard only run, and we

quickly adopted, it was chaos. We told them they have to live

together. -- drop kick. It wasn't until after the 2002 games that we

had a huge push. The 2002 Olympics put the spotlight on us -- Park

City and Utah and also Onslow barding. We said we would allow

snowboarding. There was a period where it was chaos, how dare you do

that, but 15 years later, it is one of the smartest decisions we have

made. Do you think there will be

appointed the future where there will be a referendum whether it

should remain? Most business decisions don't come down to

referendums. Like I say, it is a business decision and we will

continue to look at that as time goes on. It is a policy you are

proud of was something that this slow-burning, with the people who

come back year after year? -- that is. No, we are very proud of the

product we have and the skiing experience that we provide a,

fiercely proud of that, and will remain to be. It doesn't have

anything to do with what we did sell, it has to do with what we do

sell. Spending a day on skis was an eye-opener. The resort sticks

rigidly to the business decision reasoning, but some say blame must

fall at the feet of the clients, who have seemed to be unwilling to

embrace change. But whilst there are people willing to pay for a ski

only resort, the ban is likely to remain for some time.

Business decision or not, for me, there is no room for segregation on

a mountainside. And what gets me, the better the standard of skier,

the more time they spend on the mountains, the more accepting they

are. Fundamentally, snowboarding, apart from three resorts, is widely

accepted, as was proved that the 2010 Winter Olympics when

snowboarding actually out did the then Hosking and got the highest

figures of the Games. -- the downhill skiing. I am sure you

remember Shaun White getting the gold medal. Very few people about

the Kevin Pearce, the man had a lot of people expected to take the gold.

He had a very bright future ahead of him but it was all taken away in

an instant. 2009 and Kevin Pearce is on top of

the snowboarding world. The whole last few years of training, really

I was working so hard, because all I wanted was to win and that was

where my focus was, where my head was at and what I was trying to do.

One of the most promising talents of his generation and capable of

beating the ledge and very short white, he was tipped for Olympic

glory. -- the legendary Shaun White. It was either win or go home. If

you are not first your last. Christmas Eve two years ago, his

world fell apart. I didn't want second or third, I wanted to win.

And I didn't. During a training accident, Kevin suffered major head

injuries and brain trauma and at one point it was feared he might

not make it. I am a very lucky boy. If I was in a critical care

hospital or the first month and a half, I don't remember. It was when

I went to Denver and did we have for 2 and a half months. I always

be when I started this sport and doing these tricks in these

conditions that this was always possible and it is part of the game.

That is what makes it so far no, we are allowed it come out here and do

what we want, no one is telling us what to do or how to do it. That is

why we are so in love with snowboarding. There was no better

way for me to get injured so severely than to be snowboarding,

doing what I loved so much, so I never felt any self-pity. Just how

hard was the Rehab? What did you have to learn again? It was crazy

having to learn everything again, from the basics like trying to

swallow and how to walk and how to talk. I had to start from the very

beginning. Last month, against all of the arts, Kevin Pearce got back

on his snowboard. Dashboards. have been so lucky with the support

I got. Everybody has been behind me, whether it is my family, the Stoke

board committee, my friends, just everybody has kind of been there

for make -- snowboard. It was really call to come out here last

week and get on the hill and I didn't have to... I had a snowboard.

But it took two years. Obviously, you have been searching for this

day for two years, what comes next? What is next is really starting to

get out into the back country and exploring more of the snowboarding.

I was so focused on contests that I never really got to explore a much

more, but now I am not going to be doing that side of things, I am

going to ride on the power that, go out there and film and do more

stuff like that -- of the powder. It has been strange, going so hard