26/01/2014 Ski Sunday

You have to be very careful. Steep and challenging. It is the whole

package. It's the jewel in the crown of the downhill season. The one they

all want to win, but very few manage to conquer. Every time I think about

it I get those butterflies. It is kind of uncomfortable at the star

but you also kind of like it. Where one wrong move can spell ruin. A

cauldron of fear, adrenaline, danger and noise.

I love competing in front of a cloud. It just brings out the best

in me. Unforgiving and brutal. This is a course that's feared and

respected. But a place where the best form of defence is attack. It

is a real rush. You can't think about what you are doing. Win here

and you write your name into the history books. It is a wonderful

feeling. You just keep down the slope. I guess it is a really

special one. This is what it is all about. Welcome to Kitzbuhel.

So we're back in Austria, and it's the big one. The men's downhill on

the famous Hahnenkamm here in Kitzbuhel is the pinnacle of the

Alpine racing calendar, and up there with the Olympics in terms of

prestige for these brave racers. That is what Bode told me anyway.

Later in the show, we'll take a trip with Olympic Gold Medallist Amy

Williams and discover the science behind the sport of skeleton, an

event where Team GB have a great chance of claiming some precious

metal at the Sochi games, just as Amy did in Vancouver four years ago.

I can tell you now there's plenty more to it than meets the eye!

But back to matters in hand, and there's one man who will be dreaming

of taking the Kitzbuhel crown more than most this weekend. Bode Miller.

One of the most successful skiers of his generation, but never a winner

here. After a year out through injury which was compounded by

family tragedy, the enigmatic American is looking strong once

more, and he may be peaking at just the right time. Graham has been to

speak to the great man. In the beginning of my ski racing

career I was racing guys who had a style of skiing that was much more

mass oriented. Super-G was much less turning than now and it is much less

oriented. It was to do with being bigger and so that is the direction

I went. Now it has changed. There are still some big guys. But I am

one of the top ten heaviest guys in the World Cup was so it is a

different sport now a little bit. Family is clearly important for

Miller and the sudden and unexpected death of his brother came as a real

shock. It did not seem like he was in any way of -- in any danger of

just dying out of nothing. That was a really huge blow to my family. I

am sort of the one they lean on in those situations so it was tough. A

welcome addition to the finish area this season has been his wife

Morgan. We have gone through a tonne right away and she is a really

difficult woman in a lot of ways but she is amazing. She is super night

at -- she is super nice and really smart and compassionate and as a

really emotional side. She loves family. She is one-of-a-kind for

sure. Are you getting a little bit frustrated with the comeback? You

have shown flashes of brilliance. You have shown flashes of speed.

Yes, I definitely have the speed. There is no question, I have never

doubted that but it is frustrating to not have the results at this

point in the season. There have been a lot of races already and I

expected to have some wins under my belt. These are the classic races.

This is the crux of the season. I was hoping to come back and have the

luck and have things go my way with the weather and with the skis but

this is the time in the season where you really need to turn it around

and I think luck is either going to shift or not but I am definitely

going to try and put down my best results here. Cards on the table, I

can name-mac win this? I think you definitely can. He was fastest in

their training run. I bumped into him in the inspection and T said he

was glad they had prepared the downhill like a man raise -- man's

race. Then he used some choice words. I think it always skis better

when he is relaxed, how will he deal with the pressure? I do not feel he

feels any pressure. A lot of people think he will retire after the

Olympics, what do you think? I do not know because Didier Cuche ran

this waste -- won this race at 36 and if Bode wins here he may want to

come back and defend the win. I am not 100% sure he will retire. It is

not all about Bode but there are other viable contenders such as

Aksel Lund Svindal. He has not win here and he will want to win here to

give him confidence for Saatchi. It is possible that we could have a

Swiss winner. Now it is time to get up close and personal with the

challenge that faces our races. Luckily we have one man who has the

guts to take it on. Staring this beast of a mountain square in the

eyes once again, it's our very own mountain slayer, Graham Bell.

When we rolled in a couple of days ago the town was green. The

organisers have had to face a lack of snow and then too much snow. They

have moved Cal and high water to get this race underway. The top of the

course is as challenging as ever. This is one of the biggest jumps on

the course, a big flight and down into the compression. It is

important to stay high here as you setup the Carousel left-hander. It

is really I see. There is a lot of terrain. It is bumpy. You have got

to stay high here and get the direction right. You do not want to

run out into the net. Out onto the flat section and time to contemplate

how you skied at the top. We will pick up speed again. That was a

bumpy landing. You have to push your hands forward. I am just going to

jump away a little bit here and clear over that role. The course is

really nice and hard. My legs are burning. Normally at Kitzbuhel you

start to think about the lower section -- section and you are set

at high for this turn and you dive down but you cannot go that way this

year. There is not enough snow on the lower part of the course. We are

taking a deep tour. There is a really tricky turn here. You have

got to press hard on that ski. Now you can see the crowd motoring

towards the final jumper. We are approaching the final jump. Good

flight. Tucking in tight. And across the line.

It is a real shame we could not go over the bottom bit this year. The

organisers tried their hardest but the snow would not firm up. The top

section is as tough as ever and the crowd are looking forward to a tough

race. That never gets any less impressive. Congratulations. The

list of previous winners here in Kitzbuhel is like a who's who of

Alpine racing royalty. Some of the biggest names in the sport have

cemented their legendary status with victory here on the Hahnenkamm, but

who today will join the illustrious list and put there name into the

history books? It is now time to find out who is

going to join them. This is the downhill and Max Chilton has the

commentary. At last the snow has arrived to

blank and -- cover the Hahnenkamm in white. The noise is rising in

anticipation of the 84th running of this incredible downhill racer. It

opens for 2014 with David Poisson. A nice flight. Solid jump. He does

not have the best visibility. He is attacking the top part. He is

through the Carousel. He has to get the entry and exit of this turn just

right. He is nice and high. He keeps clear of the advertising hoardings

and heads off into the forest. We can follow him on this flat

section from the helicopter camera. David Poisson likes racing in

Austria and he took bronze medal in downhill at the Alpine ski world

last February. There is a diversion in place here as they head down and

they would normally bear right and take on a canter. This year they are

heading towards the slalom course for a brief visit before coming back

onto the traditional Finnish of the Hahnenkamm. It does not make it any

less tough. It will get more narrow and more

tough from here on in. There is plenty of soft snow around. It will

not be the fastest Hahnenkamm race ever run. It is very narrow here.

The crowd can now start to see the races arrived. Look at them all.

Tens of thousands at the foot of the course in Kitzbuhel. David Poisson

is skiing well today. He is off the final jump and David Poisson sets

the target time. A good run from the Frenchman. David Poisson likes this

course and he skied well here last year. It was a bit of a mistake at

one point but he looked to have a solid run. I am not sure if number

one was the best start number with the new snow that fell last night.

Matthias Meyer is the number eight for Austria. He is trying to make

his mark. A beautiful flight and a solid landing. Matthias Meyer is

faster than David Poisson by one 100 th the second.

That is clean and he is off into the forest. Here's 0.61 in front.

He is eight tenths in front. He still has half a second in hand. The

narrowest part of the course is approaching. He put in turn their

anti-drifts from skiers right to skiers left. Now the final run into

home at Kitzbuhel and he has a second in hand. Matthias Meyer hits

the final jump and Austrian flags are flying. Can he be David Poisson?

Yet seek an! A new leader in Kitzbuhel. A massive cheer here in

the finish area. The Austrians are really fired up today. Not only is

this their home race but it is also Olympic qualification on the

potential ticket to go to the Olympics. Matthias Meyer nailed the

top section of that course and had the gliding skills in the mid-part

to carry it to the finish. Away he goes. A robust, aggressive

start for Miller. Full attack from the maverick

American. That is a good jump on the Mausefalle. He's going after this

one. He's never won the downhill here. Can he crack it in 2014? It

might be his final season. He showed signs of return last weekend. He

desperately wants to crack Kitzbuhel.

How close is he? Oh, Miller is going well. Up by 600ths of a second. Oh,

he got twisted there. A good recovery! Great reflexes from Bode.

Experience counts a great deal. We may find the veterans do well today

because they have skied it more often than the youngsters over the

years. The bottom part of the course is unfamiliar, with this new

diversion set up. Miller has one training run under

his belt earlier in the week. He was the quickest man on the mountain -

eight tenths of a second faster on race day. Miller eating up the

ground here. They desperately want Austrian win

here. They would settle for a Miller victory. They might just get it!

He's flying flying. He leads the way by a massive margin, nearly a full

second in front. Could that be the moment that he

climbs on top of the podium of the World Cup downhill in Kitzbuhel? He

nailed carved through that right-hand turn. The speed was

incredible. Then it just built all the way down. A very impressive

lead. Beat Feuz - tenth fast weekend. The

Swiss have done well here in the past. They like to come and conquer

Kitzbuhel under the noses of the Austrians.

Into the Steilhang. Now... Oh, he's in trouble here.

He hits the safety netting. The crash was pure driver error, coming

into that left-hander above the Hausberg. Did not stand hard enough.

A similar crash to last weekend. Into the net hard. Quite a nasty

crash. Dominik Paris won here last year. Although he started strong

with a victory in Lake Louise, his victories since have not been much

to write home about. Can he find form in Kitzbuhel - just in time for

the Olympics? Paris is away. Number 16 for Italy.

12 months ago, he came and conquered Kitzbuhel. He's winding down the

windows on the Mausefalle. Wasn't a clean jump at the top from Paris.

Paying the price. 1600ths of a second behind. Visibility tricky in

this part. He's a bit late on the turns. Doesn't look relaxed at all.

Stiff in his upper body. Close, dangerously close to the red

banner ins - off into the -- banners. Off into the woods now.

We can follow him from high above. Sticking to the central part of that

blue racing corridor. They can drift out of that. If the skiers go on to

the blue, it tends to slow them down. He needs to avoid the edges of

that racing line. The fastest time so far Bode Miller.

Paris is a long way back. Nearly two seconds slower than Bode Miller.

A year ago of Dominik Paris was full of confidence, attacked this course

- looked really relaxed, but this has not gone according to plan at

all. He's clawed back three tenths. The damage, I am afraid to say, has

already been done. Bode Miller will not be sweating now as he watching

Paris come through the final stages on the newly designed course - for

this year alone, we hope. Snow permitting it will be back to the

traditional Kitzbuhel course in 2015.

Paris is pedestrian compared to the American. More than two seconds

adrift. 117. Pretty good speed. No threat to Bode Miller. Dominik Paris

is off the pace. Down in tenth position.

Aksel Lund Svindal has been consistent. He's had two wins this

year and would like to add it to the list of his conquered courses.

Svindal is ready to race. Went quick in training. Not as fast as Bode

Miller, but not far off the American. The leader in the world

Cup in downhill standings. Two tenths of a second slower than

Bode Miller. Svindal pushing really hard as he

approaches the Steilhang. Not such a great jump as he came on the

Seidlalmsprung. He is carrying excellent speed.

Now, can Svindal claw back some time on the bottom part of this course?

The narrow section to come. A brave line in and out of there. He

could do some damage. That is what has happened. Svindal, within

quarter of a second - a great recovery n the middle third of this

course for the Norwegian. Downhill champion of the world - won that

title last February. Heads to Sochi as one of the

favourites for downhill gold - maybe Super-G and Giant slalom as well.

Takes it as close as he dare to the safety netting on. This will be

tight! Svindal has skied superbly. 124.4. He's going like a train.

Svindal for the lead in Kitzbuhel. He takes it a away from Bode Miller.

He's going to look at that run from Aksel Lund Svindal and think, did he

really deserve to beat me today? Svindal was not good on the top part

of this course, but used his weight advantage on the lower section of

the course just to gain time on Miller. Perhaps Miller will be

thinking, maybe I shouldn't have shared those -- shredded those ten

kilos after all! Next Adrien Theaux, from France.

Theaux on the attack for France. To the Steilhang.

Theaux is faster by nearly half a second. This is very promising.

Adrien Theaux holds a high line, keeps his tuck, drifts into the red.

Just over a quarter of a second off the pace of the new lead leader.

Theaux takes it to the edge on the new section of the course. A few

French supporters here today: They have been delighted to see Adrien

Theaux come through and get in amongst the top five here. The speed

is fast. Off the final jump. Sets up up his skis for the finishing line.

Theaux is third. Excellent run from the Frenchman.

Christof Innerhofer from Italy. Number 20.

Full attack from Innerhofer. He is risking everything on top of it

here. Leaving it all on the mountainside

this morning. Steilhang, Innerhofer - clean on the

exit and into the forest with a half a second lead. Fabulous top section.

Off the side of the Seidlalmsprung. Christof Innerhofer, for Italy, has

had a really risky run. Will it pay off for the likeable Italian? Still

within touching distance of the Norwegian's lead.

Now, into the final stages of this gruelling race. He's got some

sunshine to show the way. Innerhofer has excellent visibility - better

than any who have gone before. That's a gutsy line.

He's clawed back a little bit of time over Svindal. Now he's lost

another 400. This will be tight. Oh, he got his body twisted there. What

a clean approach to the final jump, but he's finished safety. Finished

fourth. Good shape - Innerhofer, in the top five.

Christof Innerhofer very, very good. Carried great speed out of the exit

Steilhang. He is big, he is powerful, but he's not as big and

powerful as the huge Norwegian. Keung countrying for Switzerland.

Looking - for speed. Approaches the mouse troop. OK, that is a high

line. line.

Mouse troop. OK, that is a high line.

He Don't want it to effect your posture.

Towards the Steilhang. Dangerously close. See Bode Miller ride those

red banners in the past, as Keung heads off into the forest. The

winner in Wengen last weekend, looking for the double.

It was done by his come pattry yacht in 2009. He was the last man to do

the clean sweep. It's not happening today for Patrick

Kueng. 0.83 is too much to ask. He's the third ranked downhill racer

of the season. Austria's last real chance of

success here today. Off the final jump and he's flapping like a bird.

Patrick Kueng - ninth, disappointing after the last weekend. He was too

low. You have to be high and up by that gate. If you are low down, you

end up very, very close to the net and you kill all your speed off with

a gliding section. The other thing, if I have to be picky, he doesn't

have the best of tuck. That is what cost him time in the mid-part of the

course. Hannes Reichelt has had three second

places in downhill. Will the fans here inspire him to make the jump to

top spot on the podium? Hannes Reichelt has his brace face

on. He is out of the gate and attacking the top part of the

Hahnenkamm. No sunshine to show the way. Come out of that gays nice and

high and he did not flatten it. Sensible skiing so far. He has got

the reward, one tenth of a second in front. There is a massive roar from

the capacity crowd at the foot of the Streif. We can follow him from

the helicopter camera here. He is still in front. Nothing wrong with

this run. Reichelt is clearly determined to put one down for the

host nation. Austria have not had a win in the Kitzbuhel downhill since

2006. Hermann Meyer won in 2001 and the great Franz Klammer had four

wins in Kitzbuhel, the most recent coming in 1984. Can Reichelt become

the toast of Austria in Kitzbuhel today? It is green all the way for

Hannes Reichelt, putting the pressure on Aksel Lund Svindal

Arles. He is still in there, 0.36. Reichelt is skiing a dream run

today. He is flying. He skis for the win in Kitzbuhel. He has got it! Two

tenths of a second. Reichelt is the fastest man on the Hahnenkamm. The

Austrian fans at the finish going absolutely crazy. Players are going

off in the crowd. Hannes Reichelt is climbing onto the top of the

podium. He skied the top section pretty well. It was better than

Aksel Lund Svindal and he was able to carry that speed all the way to

the finish. It looks like it could be an Austrian victory on home snow

here at Kitzbuhel. Indeed it is, Hannes Reichelt is the hero of the

Hahnenkamm for 2014. What happened on the lower part of

the course? It was really one turn. I had really good speed through

there and I skied right through the Alte Schneise and there was one turn

and it is not hard part of the courts but I did not see a good bit

of that rain and in downhill that is the worst mistake you can make.

Today is one of the hardest results I have had to take in my career.

Being picky, you did not skied atop very well. I did not. For sure I

lost the race there are two. That is the section where I should be able

to gain time. Getting the top place in Kitzbuhel is for an Austrian

racer one of the most beautiful things in his career. I cannot

believe it at the moment, maybe I need a few hours to recognise it. A

brilliant race but the top three here were truly exceptional on the

day. The two big favourites, there are big guns misfired and the

bridesmaid, Hannes Reichelt, snuck in and stole the bouquet. Was it an

issue of weight for Miller? No, he made a mistake. And Aksel Lund

Svindal L just skied badly at the top. He did not look right at all.

The Austrians are going absolutely crazy. It is a great win for the

Austrians and the party will continue well into the night and

they will still be on the streets partying at 2am. That is something

to look forward to maybe! Now for the news.

Great Britain has announced arguably strongest ever team for an Olympic

Games. There are realistic medal prospects in freestyle skiing and

snowboarding with Billie Morgan and Amy Fuller in great form. The team

also looks more strong in the additional disciplines of curling,

short track speed skating and skeleton. It is not all good news

though. A ski cross racer has been denied a place on the team by the

PLA despite being offered a place after narrowly missing out on

automatic qualification. An online petition has been launched to

challenge the decision. Two athletes that will definitely be on the plane

are Lizzy Yarnold and Shelley Rudman. Lizzy Yarnold got her third

gold of the season in Austria last week. Both seem to be peaking at

just the right time. You can see highlights of their final event

before the Olympics by pressing your red button at 6:30pm.

Skeleton is a sport that might look straightforward, but I can tell you

from first hand experience it's not for the faint hearted! I cannot

believe the noises that were coming out of your mouth there. It is also

a sport that the British are pretty good at so how do you become a world

beater? We sent Olympic skeleton gold

medallist Amy Williams back to the ice to explain the finer points of

this exhilarating sport. This is a sport that requires

complete focus, state-of-the-art equipment and a potent mixture of

self belief and bravery to reach the top. Not only that but you need

power, poise and absolute precision to breach the bottom. It is one of

the most visually spectacular sports in the winter Olympics, adrenaline

fuelled and human powered. This is skeleton.

But before you have even stepped on the ice there has been a huge amount

of time and money invested in the equipment. Good aerodynamics can be

the difference between success and failure. For us it is everything,

the airflow and your body shape can be crucial. Our sport is similar to

Formula one. You keep testing and to test in wind tunnels and you test

the equipment so it is perfect for the race day. There are a lot of

energy losses, aerodynamics and friction between the runners and the

ice which can take away from your performance. We always try to make

the energy losses as small as possible.

First you have got the suit that is all high-tech material, creating the

least amount of drag. Then you have running spikes which are brass

spikes on the bottom which enable you to get the most amount of grip

on the ice as you sprint. There is a helmet with a visor and skinned --

chin guard to protect your head with the high GeForce corners. There are

gloves to protect your hands and the most important thing is the sled.

Developed in high-tech workshops the design is a closely guarded secret

that can give you a age. This led to our bespoke to each athlete. You

have two runners and the bottom part there are knives. As you dig in you

can turn the sled from side to side almost like rudder. Some riders have

sharp knives and others have them less sharp and it is your preference

and how you like to work. You have to work and interact with the sled

to get it moving in the direction you want it to. Before we race on

the track we always walk the track which is vitally important because

you look at the ice and you look at the conditions and the corners and

July down on the track and almost getting to the same position you

would in the skeleton and you study it and make notes which are key to

your performance. The mental preparation is so important. To

hurtle down the track at such high speeds takes some real bravery. You

have to be a certain personality type to begin with. You have to have

nerves of steel because once you go there is no stopping you. You always

feel nervous before you train or compete because it can be quite

dangerous but it is the thrill and the adrenaline that I really love

and when you get up to the top you think you could do a corner better

or have better aerodynamics and therefore be faster. All the hours

in the gym come down to this, the start. You have to be completely

focused. The sled down in a groove and it is all about being as

explosive and powerful as you can for that sprint.

As soon as I am in position than I am completely relaxed and I breathe

out and let my body mould to the sled. Once you go past the first

curve then you are on a roll and you feel the track and you start to

instinctively stearic and your fears almost go away. Your peripheral

vision takes over and you're feeling and your interaction between you and

the ice is all of your senses working at 1 million miles an hour.

Approaching a corner like this can be up to 90 miles an hour and to the

untrained eye it seems we are being taken for a ride by our sled but the

athlete is doing maybe four or five different steers in every single

corner. As we travel at speed on the curves we are being pushed into the

wall at five G in the same way that fight pilots are pushed. It is very

hard when you go through the curve to hold the head off the ice and

keep your body in a position that is aerodynamic. Travelling down a track

with your head inches from the ice you are currently analysing the

conditions and making minor adjustments. You analyse any markers

and you use your head and your shoulders and your feet to steer.

There is one thing you cannot control which is the weather. The

track conditions are constantly changing and snow or rain could

destroy your whole race. All of the skeleton athletes just wish and hope

for a nice clear day because then it is a level playing field. If it

rains or snows it can change the ice surface and that can have a big

impact and make or break a race. Once you reach the finish line you

hope the mental, physical and technical elements have all come

together to achieve success. It might look easy but there is a lot

more science behind the sport of skeleton than you might think.

Skeleton is the finest margins. There is a lot more than sliding

down a snow tube on a tea tray. Great skill needed.

Luckily we have some of the finest sliders in the world who have been

funded in part thanks to the success of Amy Williams in Vancouver, and

Lizzie Yarnold and Shelley Rudman have a great chance of success in

Russia so exciting times. Someone else who will be looking to

do Great Britain proud is Jenny Jones. With slopestyle making it's

highly anticipated debut in Sochi, our most successful snowboarder ever

is certainly one to watch. Jenny Jones, British snowboarding

slopestyle. It was always about the X games for me which is the

equivalent of a World Championships which we did not have. To go there

and compete and actually come away with a gold was absolutely amazing

and I will never forget it. Everyone likes to be creative in slopestyle

and it means you can show your personality a bit. I think my

favourite move is a backside 180 tail grab but I do not actually do

it in competition. To have this opportunity is definitely like an

extra bonus, to represent my country at the Olympics. It is amazing.

Jenny really has been a leading light for our slopestyle athletes,

and show. To find out more check out the

BBC Get Inspired website and see how you can get involved.

Straight after the show be sure to catch the highlights of the men's

slalom from right here in Kitzbuhel. That's available on the Red Button,

online and on connected TV. You That's available on the Red Button,

also catch the full race on the BBC iPlayer.

There's more for you technical skiing fans as this Tuesday 28th

January sees the spectacular Schladming Night Slalom

January sees the spectacular Available across all BBC platforms.

And then we're back next week under those Schladming floodlights for

highlights and analysis of that high octane Night Slalom. Marcel

Herscher, Mario Matt, Ted Ligety and the best of the rest

Herscher, Mario Matt, Ted Ligety and in the cauldron of noise. It's a

spectacle like no other. We'll also have a feature with

Olympic halfpipe gold medallist Torah Bright as the Australian goes

for an unprecedented three snowboard medals at the Sochi Games.

for an unprecedented three snowboard It's a show not to be missed. We'll

see you then.