:00:49. > :00:53.Welcome to Wengen and one of the biggest challenges of the season.
:00:54. > :01:01.I can vouch for that. Don't take our word for it. Here are the
:01:02. > :01:06.Lauberhorn's vital statistics. Fast and spectacular. Johan Clarey
:01:07. > :01:09.broke the 100 miles per hour barrier here last year, making this
:01:10. > :01:13.officially the quickest course on the circuit.
:01:14. > :01:20.Speeds through the gun, 100 miles per hour.
:01:21. > :01:24.At 2,315 metres above sea level. The Lauberhorn start gate is one of the
:01:25. > :01:33.highest in the world. A very intimidating welcome. At almost
:01:34. > :01:37.4,500 kilometres, it is the longest and most arduous downhill course of
:01:38. > :01:42.them all. It's survival of the fittest up here.
:01:43. > :01:46.And the Swiss love their ski racing. The Lauberhorn brings them out in
:01:47. > :01:53.their droves. Up to 38,000 turn up each year to watch the men's
:01:54. > :01:59.downhill. But on the Lauberhorn, the longest, the fastest, and one of the
:02:00. > :02:01.toughest of all downhill courses, there is only one number that really
:02:02. > :02:14.matters. First up, it is the men's downhill
:02:15. > :02:18.from Wengen, who will tame the mighty Lauberhorn and write their
:02:19. > :02:23.names into the record books of one of the world's most prestigious and
:02:24. > :02:27.exhilarating races and did you know Britain is actually good at winter
:02:28. > :02:33.sports? Particularly slopestyle, the new kid on the blocks at the Winter
:02:34. > :02:36.Olympics. Team GB have world class athletes who learnt their trade in
:02:37. > :02:42.the UK one of those is Katie Summerhayes. We get up close and
:02:43. > :02:51.personal Sheffield lass who has one eye on Olympic glory.
:02:52. > :02:54.The man who is sitting on top of the world downhill standings at the
:02:55. > :03:00.moment is a nor weedge who has achieved every accolade possible in
:03:01. > :03:04.the world of skiing. Svindal has won eight World Championship medals,
:03:05. > :03:09.three Olympic medals, 12 two overall World Cup titles and 25 World Cup
:03:10. > :03:14.races but, and it is a big but, he has never placed on the podium in
:03:15. > :03:19.the famous Lauberhorn, in the shadow of the Eiger. A win here would help
:03:20. > :03:29.cement his reputation as one of the best downhill racers of all time. I
:03:30. > :03:34.thought that last year was going to be the time. I'm super comfortable
:03:35. > :03:39.in the training rooms. I think I won both or at least one by decent
:03:40. > :03:44.margins, too. My race comes and I end up in a mess. COMMENTATOR: Oh,
:03:45. > :03:49.he is in trouble and Svindal is in the net. My word. That happens. I
:03:50. > :03:53.have to say I think the reason I never won this race, it is a really
:03:54. > :03:58.old school downhill. I come from the Super-G and I'm better at turning.
:03:59. > :04:03.If I can do turn and turn and just link itting together, that's where I
:04:04. > :04:06.can usually pull away from the rest of the guys. This course is like,
:04:07. > :04:10.there is a turn and you just go straight for a while and two super
:04:11. > :04:15.quick turns and then straight. There is really nowhere where you can link
:04:16. > :04:20.it up. Explain how challenge challenging this race, the
:04:21. > :04:24.Lauberhorn is? It's a course where you can't really make any mistakes
:04:25. > :04:30.because you have to carry the speed all the way down because it is that
:04:31. > :04:33.long. To be able to ski the whole course perfect, that's the trickiest
:04:34. > :04:38.part about this course. Do you think it is a physical thing as much as it
:04:39. > :04:44.is a technical thing? The last part is. After you have - I mean when you
:04:45. > :04:48.come over two minutes, that's usually the downhill, two minutes,
:04:49. > :04:52.the last 40 seconds, I would say it is also a physical thing because to
:04:53. > :04:56.be able to ski a good turn, you need to have some power left. You also
:04:57. > :05:01.need to be big and powerful and heavy. You are one of the most
:05:02. > :05:05.powerful guys on the circuit. I believe that being physically fit is
:05:06. > :05:09.the easiest thing you can do, it is just a matter of how many hours you
:05:10. > :05:12.put in. So there is no reason to have a disadvantage. COMMENTATOR: He
:05:13. > :05:20.leads the way by more than half a second. Brilliant I won the last one
:05:21. > :05:27.in the last 30 seconds. So, you need to be strong. Everyone knows it, you
:05:28. > :05:31.said it two weeks ago, Aksel Lund Svindal needs a podium, either here
:05:32. > :05:35.in Wengen or Kitzbuehel to stamp his authority on the World Cup. He
:05:36. > :05:38.doesn't have great memories of this course either. So there will be a
:05:39. > :05:44.lot of pressure on him. Last season that's where his race ended. He
:05:45. > :05:48.crashed into the nets just below the Hundschopf. Do you think he will do
:05:49. > :05:51.it? There is a lot of pressure on and there is a lot of people who
:05:52. > :05:56.will be fighting him for the win. Number one spot must be Erik Guay.
:05:57. > :06:00.Definitely. He skied fast this season. Would have won in Borneo had
:06:01. > :06:04.he not made a mistake in the final turn. What about the Swiss, this is
:06:05. > :06:12.an incredibly partisan race and they have provided a couple of surprise
:06:13. > :06:18.winners in Feuz and Janka And Defago in 2009. Can they do it again? A
:06:19. > :06:22.surprise win could be Patrick Kueng. He is skiing fast this season. What
:06:23. > :06:27.about Johan Clarey, the French mab, set the 100 miles per hour record
:06:28. > :06:30.last year. You are banging on about confidence He will have confidence
:06:31. > :06:37.and glide and will like these conditions. New snow has fallen.
:06:38. > :06:42.It'll slow the force down. More of a guiding skiers' race. This is the
:06:43. > :06:47.glide gliding snow, and this section is so sticky. How is it going to
:06:48. > :06:51.make your course run? Very long. My legs will be burning. Time for
:06:52. > :06:55.Graham to test out those quads. Well as much as Ed is looking
:06:56. > :07:00.forward to seeing the look of pain on my face across the line,
:07:01. > :07:03.unfortunately because of the strong southerlip wind they have had to
:07:04. > :07:08.lower the start. We are starting here on the Canadian Corner, which
:07:09. > :07:16.means most of the top section fted course is removed.
:07:17. > :07:19.Coming into the S, the Kernen-S, it means that these turns will be
:07:20. > :07:25.absolutely crucial. I can feel the wind, the wind is
:07:26. > :07:32.really buffeting and blowing around on this part of the course.
:07:33. > :07:38.It's going to make the race a little bit of a lottery, I think.
:07:39. > :07:44.It's warmed up considerably since yesterday. The new snow that has
:07:45. > :07:58.fallen has now been brushed away. It's quite icy and bumpy underfoot.
:07:59. > :08:07.# -- into the S Now this is where they set the fastest speed last
:08:08. > :08:12.year. Down the Haneggschuss. Tucking in tight. The first time I have ever
:08:13. > :08:17.got here and had fresh legs. Through the compression. Now this is fast.
:08:18. > :08:24.Really motoring. Heading towards the Silberhorn jump.
:08:25. > :08:33.Over the jump. Good flight. You can really power this course. You've
:08:34. > :08:38.never been here with such fresh legs. I'm going to nail the finish
:08:39. > :08:46.now. Out close to the net. Hard on that right ski. Just pipped the gate
:08:47. > :08:51.there. Whoah. I went close and wide and across the line.
:08:52. > :08:58.I have never been so fresh coming into the finish S. I meant a little
:08:59. > :09:03.bit mental. I might get told off because I hit one of the gates. How
:09:04. > :09:06.is it now, with that lowered start? It could be a little bit of a
:09:07. > :09:09.lottery on top because of the wind but it is running really fast down
:09:10. > :09:15.the bottom. It's all going to be down to who can nail the finish S
:09:16. > :09:22.with fresh legs. Out of breath. A little bit of aggression there for
:09:23. > :09:26.Graham. It is now time for the Wengen unhill.
:09:27. > :09:34.For more than 08 years this has been an important fixture and despite the
:09:35. > :09:38.lack of iconic jumps, the race goes ahead in front of a capacity crowd
:09:39. > :09:44.hearing to witness the 80th running of the Lauberhorn.
:09:45. > :09:50.Matthias Mayer. Look at the crowd. They are cramped in here to witness
:09:51. > :09:56.this wonderful sporting spectacle. Into the Kernen-S, a narrow stretch.
:09:57. > :10:01.About the narrowest stretch on any World Cup course. 95. 5 on the way
:10:02. > :10:07.into the Kernen-S. 75. 3 on the exit. Under the railway bridge and
:10:08. > :10:12.on his way to the fastest part of the course, the Haneggschuss. Not as
:10:13. > :10:22.quick as it normally is this year but still clocking 152 kilometres
:10:23. > :10:28.per hour, plus. He hits the jump hard. 0.62.
:10:29. > :10:31.The green light on. Matthias Mayer potentially skiing for first
:10:32. > :10:35.position. The current leader is from Italy who
:10:36. > :10:38.was first on the hill. Normally by now the legs would be burning but
:10:39. > :10:45.because of the shortened course, the racers still have energy to spare.
:10:46. > :10:49.It is a time of 1.33.10 for Matthias Mayer of Austria. A great run from
:10:50. > :10:53.Matthias Mayer. He nailed it going into the finish S. He got airborne
:10:54. > :11:01.and came hard down on that right ski. Carried a lot of speed through
:11:02. > :11:06.that section. A God, early time. Romed Baumann. Number three for
:11:07. > :11:12.Austria. A powerful start. Lifted his skis up high behind him as he
:11:13. > :11:17.thrust his body out of the gate and into the Canadian Corner. The wind
:11:18. > :11:22.is still strong. They are battling against the elements as well and the
:11:23. > :11:27.aspects of this, which is normally the longest downhill course in the
:11:28. > :11:35.world but not this year. 94. 7 in the way into the Kernen-S. Good
:11:36. > :11:39.speed on the exit as well as Baumann plunges down the Hoon eggs schuss. A
:11:40. > :11:47.nice, wide start. A couple of big, sweeping turns to follow. Oh, a
:11:48. > :11:52.little off kilter as he came over the rise, that jump artificial
:11:53. > :11:58.artificially enlarged this year just to give them an extra kick. But he
:11:59. > :12:02.is heading close to the time of team-mate Matthias Mayer. He has the
:12:03. > :12:10.ski side ways, coming in towards the finish. Baumann will go close.
:12:11. > :12:14.Baumann has gone second. 16 hundredth behind team-mate Matthias
:12:15. > :12:19.Mayer. Next to face the Lauberhorn is
:12:20. > :12:23.Didier defag yoe. One of 16 win winners taking part today. His win
:12:24. > :12:37.in 2010 marked a high point in his career that he has never matched.
:12:38. > :12:45.Desperate to hit his form with the Olympic winter Games start starting
:12:46. > :12:49.soon. The noise is great as he comes
:12:50. > :12:55.towards the Kernen-S. Named after Bruno Kernen, the downhill World
:12:56. > :13:00.Champion for Switzerland in '9 #. One of Defago's former team-mates.
:13:01. > :13:07.The speed is solid. On to the railway bridge. On to the Hoon eggs
:13:08. > :13:11.schuss. Matthias Mayer still the leader. Defago isn't far behind.
:13:12. > :13:16.Just a little bit of air time. He did the double here a few years ago.
:13:17. > :13:21.Won in Wengen one week and went on to Kitzbuehel and conquered there,
:13:22. > :13:25.seven days later. The most important win for him was
:13:26. > :13:30.in whizz letter mountain in 2010 when he took the Olympic downhill
:13:31. > :13:36.title. Skirted with the advertising hoardings and safety netting. A ding
:13:37. > :13:41.Russ, shaky moment for Didier Defago and is only good enough for third.
:13:42. > :13:46.Lucky to stay on his feet. Well, defag ge was leteding it all hang
:13:47. > :13:51.out but almost lost it a couple of times. -- well, Defago was letting
:13:52. > :13:56.it all hang out. He almost got his sleeve caught in the net. Managed to
:13:57. > :14:04.hang on but not good enough to take the lead. ?
:14:05. > :14:13.STUDIO: Ready to go is Bode Miller. Olympic titlest. The past two years
:14:14. > :14:17.has been hard for him. He has been through a custody battle and death
:14:18. > :14:24.of his brother. He is hoping to go well at Sochi.
:14:25. > :14:28.Will that chapter start here? Well, deep breaths and then a fast
:14:29. > :14:34.start, skating with his skis. Driving with his very long body
:14:35. > :14:39.shape, downhill ski poles. The crowd roaring him out of the
:14:40. > :14:45.start gate as we watch him coming into the Kernen-S. Speed on entry.
:14:46. > :14:53.Nice high line, solid enough. In at 92. 1. Out at 75. 9. Bode means
:14:54. > :14:58.business here today as he dives under the bridge.
:14:59. > :15:04.Plunging down the Hoon eggs schuss with good speed dch -- Hoon eggs
:15:05. > :15:09.schuss. Great section this, full attack
:15:10. > :15:14.mode. He winding down the window as he flew the Silberhorn jump. That's
:15:15. > :15:19.a reflection of the commitment to the course. Miller makes up a huge
:15:20. > :15:23.chunk of time in the middle of the course. The skis getting bounced
:15:24. > :15:29.around. He has got his body twisted. Desperate measures at the bottom for
:15:30. > :15:36.Miller but he has the lead by 9 hundredths of a second.
:15:37. > :15:40.Oh, dear, Bode, going around that last right-hander cut into the line
:15:41. > :15:44.too tight and had to pull his inside knees back out of the turn,
:15:45. > :15:47.otherwise he was going to smash right into the gate. That made him
:15:48. > :15:59.run wide at the end of the turn. Although he has the lead he could
:16:00. > :16:05.have been so much more ahead. In the start gate, Max Franz for Austria,
:16:06. > :16:16.number ten. Crunch time for the Austrian downhill is. --
:16:17. > :16:21.downhillers. Selection time coming up for the Winter Olympic Games. The
:16:22. > :16:25.Austrians have potentially seven or eight to choose from. Youngsters and
:16:26. > :16:31.veterans alike. Max Franz is looking for a solid result here. He has got
:16:32. > :16:39.the upper hand. Nearly half a second faster than Bode Miller. Good ski
:16:40. > :16:44.preparation, clearly, for Max Franz. He is... The top part of the course
:16:45. > :16:54.has been nailed. A little wobble of the silver horn jump. Hard into this
:16:55. > :17:00.section. You just avoids coming into contact with the safety netting.
:17:01. > :17:03.Like Bode Miller, he is a little off-balance bust has he done enough
:17:04. > :17:09.to lead? Yes, he has. He takes it away from Bode Miller.
:17:10. > :17:21., he almost did a power slide. He stood really hard and just as he got
:17:22. > :17:29.to the gate, he immediately did a quick trans -- transition. He was
:17:30. > :17:33.able to carry the speed through the right-hander and took the lead away
:17:34. > :17:44.from Bode Miller. Patrick Kueng for Switzerland. The host nation's best
:17:45. > :17:47.hope today for success. Patrick Kueng, straight into his tuck
:17:48. > :17:53.position. Listen to the noise from the mountain crowd. Immense!
:17:54. > :18:06.Dares. Nice and light on his skis. Good on the way in. Fast on the
:18:07. > :18:14.exit. Under the bridge. He is carrying good speed. He dives down.
:18:15. > :18:18.Nothing wrong with this so far from Patrick Kueng, who on paper, is only
:18:19. > :18:24.the eighth best downhiller of the season.
:18:25. > :18:35.This is OK. He is just off the pace of Max Franz of Austria. Clear the
:18:36. > :18:42.safety netting there. That turn was pretty tight. It is good for Patrick
:18:43. > :18:52.Kueng. He leads the way in Wengen. A terrific run.
:18:53. > :18:57.Patrick Kueng, just punching the air with delight, and the reason why is
:18:58. > :19:03.because he absolutely skied the finish S to perfection. He got
:19:04. > :19:07.himself nice and high and can't write the way to the right-hander,
:19:08. > :19:11.accelerating to return and carried all that speed down onto the finish
:19:12. > :19:22.pitch and across the line. Brilliant skiing. Peter Fill, the Italian
:19:23. > :19:27.veteran, number 13 today. He has had a consistent, solid season. Sixth in
:19:28. > :19:31.the World Cup downhill standings. The crowd really responding to that
:19:32. > :19:39.excellent run from Patrick Kueng, who leads the way. The noise levels
:19:40. > :19:51.turned to full volume now. 95 on the way into the S four Peter Fill. His
:19:52. > :19:57.exits Pete, not bad at all. -- exit speed. An advantage at the first
:19:58. > :20:01.intermediate time, four Peter Fill, who had his backside down on the
:20:02. > :20:05.snow there for a split second. He's pulled himself back upright. It has
:20:06. > :20:21.cost him. The mistake means that Peter Fill is .30 behind the leader.
:20:22. > :20:22.Into the finish area. A last little roller four Peter Fill. Good enough
:20:23. > :20:33.for fifth only. This time last year, Johan Clarey
:20:34. > :20:38.set the record for the highest speed ever reached in a high-speed ski
:20:39. > :20:43.race. On this year 's Snow, he will not be breaking the 100 mph mark but
:20:44. > :20:53.he will need speed to ensure his place on France's team, for next
:20:54. > :20:57.month 's Olympics. Johan Clarey, racer number 14. The speed record
:20:58. > :21:01.holder. He had a really good season. Seventh in the standings. His best
:21:02. > :21:10.result came just before Christmas, where he made it onto the World Cup
:21:11. > :21:18.downhill podium, in third position. 96 on the way into the S. Possibly a
:21:19. > :21:26.little high on the exit. Through the tunnel. He is up. An excellent start
:21:27. > :21:33.for Johan Clarey from France. Now then, the visibility is difficult in
:21:34. > :21:43.this section. He has misjudged the exit at the bottom of the
:21:44. > :21:46.Haneggschuss. He has paid the price for that. Visibility has been
:21:47. > :21:56.fractionally better for some of the races but it is flat and unwelcoming
:21:57. > :21:56.for Johan Clarey. This is the quickest for Patrick Kueng. Joanne
:21:57. > :22:15.Clary is slower. -- Johan Clarey. Listen to the noise for Feuz. They
:22:16. > :22:18.are roaring him along. A couple of years ago, he was very much the man
:22:19. > :22:25.to watch. Then he had a nasty injury and was in hospital for weeks on
:22:26. > :22:31.end. Finally, he was on the comeback trail. He had a good top five result
:22:32. > :22:34.in the early part of the season. Can he backed that up with a solid
:22:35. > :22:38.result where it matters more to him and to the Swiss ski racing fans,
:22:39. > :22:52.right here in Wengen? It's a good-looking start for Feuz. Nice
:22:53. > :23:01.work so far. A solid jump from Feuz. Half a second away. Can he finished
:23:02. > :23:05.quickly at the bottom? There's the chance for another top five, to give
:23:06. > :23:15.him a real shot at making the trip Saatchi. The final stretch. --
:23:16. > :23:25.Sochi. Pretty good for Feuz. The comeback continues.
:23:26. > :23:37.Round two. The last world cup downhill... Both went to Aksel Lund
:23:38. > :23:41.Svindal. The where's the red beard. He also leads the overall World Cup
:23:42. > :23:59.standings, by just a handful of points. Svindal going nicely. He is
:24:00. > :24:06.dead level with Patrick Kueng. He heads towards the forest. Excellent
:24:07. > :24:14.speed. Hardly moving from that tuck position. A good high line. Terrific
:24:15. > :24:24.shots these, from overhead. We are watching the Norwegian at full
:24:25. > :24:25.tilt. Great speed. He won the world title last February, on February
:24:26. > :24:37.nine. -- ninth. He will be desperate to
:24:38. > :24:44.add Olympic gold to his list of achievements next month in Sochi.
:24:45. > :24:55.That is a good jump and just behind Patrick Kueng. Will he break Swiss
:24:56. > :25:06.hearts? A high line there. A little close to the outer blue line.
:25:07. > :25:14.Svindal is second. Relief for the Swiss. As Aksel came into the
:25:15. > :25:17.finish, I thought he is not going to do it. Actually, he skied it better
:25:18. > :25:23.and only failed by seven hundredths of a second. It just shows the power
:25:24. > :25:29.of the man. He had the power in the legs to drive the skis around the
:25:30. > :25:35.turn. Next to go is Erik Guay. His third place next month saw him stand
:25:36. > :25:38.on the podium more times than any other Canadian racer. He claims that
:25:39. > :25:43.getting a bit greedy at the end of that run saw him miss out on the top
:25:44. > :25:44.spot. Let's hope being fastest in training here do hasn't left him
:25:45. > :26:00.ravenous. Erik Guay for Canada. Erik Guay is on the mountain now for
:26:01. > :26:19.Canada. He was the winner... His speed is not that good. The
:26:20. > :26:31.difference is four tenths of a second. Oh, and he is in trouble
:26:32. > :26:35.excavation mark Erik Guay has recovered. Thankfully, he didn't hit
:26:36. > :26:42.the safety netting but his race is over. That was unexpected. Bob be
:26:43. > :26:46.one of the easiest turns on the course, just after the gliding
:26:47. > :26:50.section. Erik Guay stood on his inside ski, hit a bump and just went
:26:51. > :26:57.down and out. He is really going to start to develop a reputation for
:26:58. > :27:02.being a choker, fastest in training and then crashing out of the race.
:27:03. > :27:09.In the start and is Hannes Reichelt. When he's not racing down the
:27:10. > :27:13.slopes, he relaxes by white water rafting and rock climbing. His early
:27:14. > :27:18.successes were in Super-G and giant slalom. Podium places here and in
:27:19. > :27:20.other places have shown he has other -- the legs for the rational
:27:21. > :27:26.downhill. He has been second twice already
:27:27. > :27:35.this season. He was third here 12 months ago. He
:27:36. > :27:51.likes this course. Hannes Reichelt's speed is pretty
:27:52. > :27:59.impressive. He is travelling quickly across the snow. He is dead level
:28:00. > :28:05.with Patrick Kueng. Excellent top section on Wengen course. His skis
:28:06. > :28:08.are getting bounced around. He is feeling his way to this part of the
:28:09. > :28:13.court, sensing underfoot the little lumps and bumps which are building
:28:14. > :28:16.up. The trees will give him better visibility, more definition on the
:28:17. > :28:27.bottom part of the course. Nothing wrong with this so far. Now, he
:28:28. > :28:36.looks for speed. A nice mug downhill start. He will get a couple of extra
:28:37. > :28:48.kilometres per hour. That is pretty good. Just that first intermediate
:28:49. > :28:55.to go on. No obvious mistakes. My and light on his edges. The last
:28:56. > :29:00.turn and he is almost home. Hannes Reichelt goes low and crosses the
:29:01. > :29:06.line to go second. Close, very close! Six hundredths. It is really
:29:07. > :29:11.tight at the top and the Swiss just had to catch their breath. Hannes
:29:12. > :29:17.Reichelt skied the finish good but not enough to do take the lead away
:29:18. > :29:23.from the local hero. Britain's only representative was Dougie Crawford,
:29:24. > :29:27.the beyond say of Shelley Allcock. He skied the top section well but a
:29:28. > :29:30.mistake near the bottom and his run prematurely. So the result of a
:29:31. > :29:47.Wengen downhill: You skied the finish S pretty well.
:29:48. > :29:51.I think the best but not quite well enough? A couple of hundredths. I
:29:52. > :29:54.knew it would be a tight race with a lowered start. So I tried to put
:29:55. > :29:58.some risk into the last turn and see if that paid off. I mean I had a
:29:59. > :30:03.good run. There are always things you can do better. But in the end it
:30:04. > :30:07.was a tight race. I'm on the podium. You always wish you had the
:30:08. > :30:11.hundredths on your side but that goes back and forward. I'm happy
:30:12. > :30:17.with third. It was a really tough race. It was really bumpy and so on.
:30:18. > :30:23.So being happy on the podium, don't be so unlucky about no victory.
:30:24. > :30:26.Just describe the feeling of just being able it stands on top of the
:30:27. > :30:35.podium. You did it once already in Super-G but in downhill, a very
:30:36. > :30:39.special moment? I think this is -- this was my dream many years ago to
:30:40. > :30:44.win here in Lauberhorn and now I stay on the podium. It is
:30:45. > :30:48.incredible. So that lowered startp didn't
:30:49. > :30:51.diminish any of the drama of the race. It added a whole new
:30:52. > :30:55.dimension. It meant they were coming into the finish S with fresh legs
:30:56. > :31:00.and they could power through those turns. Seven hundredths of a second
:31:01. > :31:04.separated the men on the podium. They weren't just surviving that
:31:05. > :31:07.finish section, there was aggression? Miller maybe a fraction
:31:08. > :31:11.too aggressive otherwise he would have been up there. What about
:31:12. > :31:17.Svindal? You said it all along, he has is hemented this reputation as
:31:18. > :31:21.the perfect timing. Looking good for the Winter Olympics. Kueng, you
:31:22. > :31:25.called it, where did he come from? He has been there or thereabouts for
:31:26. > :31:28.the last couple of years. It seems that the Swiss, they love this
:31:29. > :31:32.course and always pull out a surprise winner. Well, Patrick
:31:33. > :31:37.Kueng, a worthy winner. No British success but I'm pleased to say it is
:31:38. > :31:42.becoming a regular feature elsewhere in the world of winter sport. Andrew
:31:43. > :31:48.Musgrave stunned his Norwegian rivals by winning their national
:31:49. > :31:53.sprint freestyle race in Lillehammer. Although inn eligible
:31:54. > :32:01.for gold as a foreign entrant he beat a packed field fighting for
:32:02. > :32:08.places. British Paralympic prospect Kelly Gallagher, clinched a World
:32:09. > :32:12.Cup gold in Canada. The 28-year-old visually am-paired skier from County
:32:13. > :32:30.Down, aims to be Britain's first winter Paralympic gold medallist.
:32:31. > :32:33.Katie Summerhayes took gold... Team GB's official announcement will be
:32:34. > :32:37.made on Wednesday. Keep across the BBC Sport website it find out who is
:32:38. > :32:42.on the plane to Russia and who isn't. Few selection concerns for
:32:43. > :32:46.our women's sliders, with more success for Lizzie Yarnold and
:32:47. > :32:50.Shelley Rudman in the skeleton World Cup. A sill very and bronze
:32:51. > :32:55.respectively in St Moritz makes them amongst the favourites for success
:32:56. > :32:58.in Sochi. You can see how all of skeleton athletes got on in the
:32:59. > :33:03.latest World Cup in us a treia. There are highlights at 6.30pm
:33:04. > :33:05.tonight on the red Button, straight after Ski Sunday Extra.
:33:06. > :33:16.-- in Austria. There is a preconception in the UK
:33:17. > :33:18.that skiing and snowboarding is the past-time of the privileged but
:33:19. > :33:22.there is a group of talented youngsters who are out to prove that
:33:23. > :33:25.preconception wrong. In the '80s there was a massive growth in the
:33:26. > :33:29.development of dry slopes. In recent years, snow domes have been popping
:33:30. > :33:33.up all over the UK. !
:33:34. > :33:37.Affordable and accessible domestic facilities have seen British
:33:38. > :33:41.freestyle skiers and snowboarders reach the top of their game. That's
:33:42. > :33:43.handy because if we are lucky, they may bring a couple of medals back
:33:44. > :34:01.from Sochi. If you think that British skiers and
:34:02. > :34:06.snowboarders going to Sochi grew up riding on fresh Alpine powder,ed' be
:34:07. > :34:14.wrong. Almost all of them started somewhere like this. No mountains
:34:15. > :34:19.here, no snow, even. This is Halifax Ski and Snowboard centre. Jamie
:34:20. > :34:23.Nicholls grew up riding here and it is typical of many of the dray ski
:34:24. > :34:28.slopes around the UK. Well, this brings back a few
:34:29. > :34:33.memories. I learned to still on Hill End in Edinburgh, one of the largest
:34:34. > :34:39.dry ski slopes this the country. It is probably about as cold and windy
:34:40. > :34:40.as this one. It's been about six years since I have been on dry
:34:41. > :34:59.slopes. Time to give it a go. It doesn't run quite as fast as
:35:00. > :35:05.snow. It goes a bit quicker when it is pours of rain. There are two
:35:06. > :35:09.types of dry slope, Dendex, which is faster and better for Is radioing
:35:10. > :35:14.and snow flex, this type, better for freestyle. I'm in expert at
:35:15. > :35:18.freestyle but this man here, Tiler Harding. A member of the British
:35:19. > :35:22.team. How old were you when you first started skiing on here? I the
:35:23. > :35:28.staed here at about four years old. A long time ago for me. It's been so
:35:29. > :35:31.beneficial for me. The skiers now train together with the
:35:32. > :35:35.snowboarders. Who else on that team has grown up riding here? I grew up
:35:36. > :35:41.with Jamie Nicholls, one of the biggest guys in the world and Katie
:35:42. > :35:46.Omerod, who is most definitely going to the Olympics this year. We have
:35:47. > :35:51.really good riders coming from here. Why do you think so many freestyle
:35:52. > :35:55.snowboarders or skiers have come from Halifax or Sheffield? Halifax
:35:56. > :36:01.because we have the jump, probably the best in Britain for snowflex.
:36:02. > :36:11.Are you going to get your skis on and show us what you have got? Yes,
:36:12. > :36:16.I'll get them on. It just goes to show that you don't actually need
:36:17. > :36:21.that much. We are producing top class skiers and snowboarders from
:36:22. > :36:28.around the country and they are all home grown, from conditions like
:36:29. > :36:33.this around the country. If dry slopes seem a bit dated. This feels
:36:34. > :36:40.entirely different. Just 20 miles down the read, this is Castleford,
:36:41. > :36:45.one of six indoor snow centres in the UK. Real snow, nop wind, no rain
:36:46. > :36:55.and when they get all the features out, this place turns into a
:36:56. > :36:59.paradise. The indoor snow domes, I think are fantastic. What a
:37:00. > :37:02.creation. We are here standing in a giant bridge with the ultimate
:37:03. > :37:07.set-up to learn to ski and snowboard. Even for us, we can come
:37:08. > :37:11.in here and progress. The rails and boxes, I do believe you can get to
:37:12. > :37:14.such a high level where you can compete with some of the world's
:37:15. > :37:21.best on these features. Jumps, you can learn the fundamentals, the
:37:22. > :37:25.basics, up to a very high standard. This place is really busy for a
:37:26. > :37:28.Friday night. It has kind of reached that critical mass. There is a real
:37:29. > :37:33.mixture from skiers and snowboarders, different standards
:37:34. > :37:36.and different ages. One kid will try something, another will copy. They
:37:37. > :37:44.are all pushing each other and improving together.
:37:45. > :37:48.It is getting ridiculous. I went up to a place and I was ripping double
:37:49. > :37:52.corks on a dry slope. It is unbelievable. The new generation of
:37:53. > :37:55.kids coming through will blow people's minds. There are loads of
:37:56. > :37:59.camps popping up for people who have never been on a box or a rail
:38:00. > :38:03.before, who have never hit a jump. It takes you right through from the
:38:04. > :38:08.very first time, and then progress you to, potentially you could be
:38:09. > :38:12.getting on the junior team or joining the development squad. The
:38:13. > :38:15.fact that slopestyle ski and snowboarders have gone into the
:38:16. > :38:18.Olympics, it is kind of like - well, we can do this in the UK now?
:38:19. > :38:24.Absolutely. These guys have shown that is possible. All have come from
:38:25. > :38:27.dry slope and the indoor centres, every single one of them. It is
:38:28. > :38:30.paving the way for what can be achieved. It will 's be great to see
:38:31. > :38:37.more kids coming through. The more successful we are in Sochi, will
:38:38. > :38:40.really help with that. -- it'll be great to see more kids
:38:41. > :38:46.coming through. I love this, for me this is faith repaid to all of the
:38:47. > :38:50.dry slopes and indoor snow domes who put so much time and money into
:38:51. > :38:56.freestyle and snowboarding. You can never replicate a half-pipe in the
:38:57. > :39:01.UK but suddenly we have a deep seam of talent developing slope skills in
:39:02. > :39:06.the UK? We need one of those guys to win and convert a medal and convince
:39:07. > :39:14.UK Sport they can properly back it the way they've back backed short
:39:15. > :39:20.skiing and skeleton. We have riches going into Sochi. You have James
:39:21. > :39:24.Woods, Katie summer hay and Cheshire. All of these skiers and
:39:25. > :39:28.snowboarders have done t despite the system, not because of it. With
:39:29. > :39:35.serious backing, we could become a superpower of this discipline. Best
:39:36. > :39:38.of luck to our free freestylers and snowboarders. It is not long now
:39:39. > :39:45.before the pressure will be ranked up a notch. I am the dreadful
:39:46. > :39:54.menace. The one whose will is done. The haunting chill upon your neck. I
:39:55. > :39:59.am the conundrum. I will summon armies of wind and rain and snow. I
:40:00. > :40:06.made the black cloud overhead. The ice like glass below.
:40:07. > :40:13.Not you or any other can fathom what is nigh . I will tell you when to
:40:14. > :40:19.jump and I'll dictate how high. The ones that came before you, stood
:40:20. > :40:24.strong and tall and brave. But I stole their dreams away, those
:40:25. > :40:35.dreams could not be saved. But now you stand before me, devoid of all
:40:36. > :41:05.dismay. Could it be, just maybe, I'll let you have your day?
:41:06. > :41:14.I am so excited about Russia. We've got so much talent on snow. One of
:41:15. > :41:24.them is Sheffield's slopestyle starlet thoepg win a medal in Sochi,
:41:25. > :41:29.Katie Summerhayes. -- starlet, she's hoping to win a
:41:30. > :41:32.medal. Katie Summerhayes. British slopestyle skiing. I was six years
:41:33. > :41:37.old when I first started skiing. I loved it. It was kind of a hobby at
:41:38. > :41:40.first. I wasn't expecting it to be leading to where I am now. It is
:41:41. > :41:45.pretty cool being a British skier on the scene. People are like - you are
:41:46. > :41:48.from England, how can you ski? Freestyle ski something really just
:41:49. > :41:53.jumps and rails together. We normally have three jumps and three
:41:54. > :41:56.rails. You go down hitting any feature. You don't have any rules.
:41:57. > :42:00.You can literally do whatever you want. It is fun and exciting. You
:42:01. > :42:03.don't know what is going to happen when someone goes down. It is on
:42:04. > :42:07.difficulty, execution, style. If it is a difficult trip but done with a
:42:08. > :42:11.lot of style and made it look easy, I think you get a lot of points on
:42:12. > :42:14.that. Normally I'm in the start gate, focussed, going through
:42:15. > :42:19.everything. Like all the tricks I'm going to do. I was so excited when I
:42:20. > :42:22.found out I was in the Olympics. I never thought I would be able to
:42:23. > :42:26.become an Olympic athlete. So for people to have the opportunity to
:42:27. > :42:31.doing the Olympics and representing Great Britain on that stage, I just
:42:32. > :42:35.think it is amazing. Yet another British athlete to get excited about
:42:36. > :42:40.in Russia. It seems like everyone has the Winter Olympics on their
:42:41. > :42:43.mind right now. . This Thursday, Radio 5 Live will be broadcasting a
:42:44. > :42:48.winter Olympic special called froedsen in time between 8.00pm and
:42:49. > :42:54.10.00pm. It is alike back at some of the most memorable and historic
:42:55. > :42:59.moments from Winter Olympics past. Plenty more Alpine skiing to come
:43:00. > :43:03.between now and them. On Ski Sunday Extra after this show you can press
:43:04. > :43:07.the red button and watch the highlights of the men's slalom. You
:43:08. > :43:12.can watch it on the BBC Sport app, on the BBC Sport website or you can
:43:13. > :43:16.watch the whole race on eye player. Spoilt for choice. I will be giving
:43:17. > :43:19.a masterclass for all you speed demons out there. There is an awful
:43:20. > :43:26.lot you can learn from the pros, whatever your level of ability. If
:43:27. > :43:30.that's not enough for your technical fans, you can watch the men's slalom
:43:31. > :43:34.from Kitzbuehel next be Sunday across all platforms Then the big
:43:35. > :43:42.one, the men's downhill from Kitzbuehel. BBC2, 5.15pm. Patrick
:43:43. > :43:47.Kueng, another surprise winner from here. Congratulations, Sir. So, from
:43:48. > :43:55.the Lauberhorn, goodbye.