:00:56. > :01:00.Hello and welcome to Ski Sunday. This is the year after the year of
:01:00. > :01:03.all years, 2012. It has been an amazing 12 months, the adrenalin
:01:03. > :01:13.has been pumping, the records have been tumbling, we have never seen
:01:13. > :01:34.
:01:34. > :01:44.And how do you follow a year like that? It is 2013, and we are back
:01:44. > :01:54.down to earth with a bump. don't worry - controlled falling is
:01:54. > :01:55.
:01:55. > :02:00.what we do. The next Olympics will be the 2014 Winter Olympics, and we
:02:00. > :02:10.will take you every step and twist along the way, as the world's
:02:10. > :02:12.
:02:12. > :02:16.greatest prepare for the biggest competition of their lives. And we
:02:16. > :02:26.will show you the super humans, those who stand on the top of the
:02:26. > :02:27.
:02:27. > :02:37.world and defy gravity. It is 2013, and the future of sport is going
:02:37. > :02:46.
:02:46. > :02:52.What a season we have ahead of us, and it starts here in St Anton for
:02:52. > :02:56.the women's downhill. Can anybody catch the great Lindsey Vonn? Also
:02:56. > :03:01.we will be watching Britain's Chemmy Alcott, returning to action
:03:01. > :03:06.after two years of injury. Can she get back to her best before Sochi
:03:06. > :03:11.2014? And I will be bringing you the first of a series of features
:03:11. > :03:16.we shot in Alaska. This week it is the turn of Travis Rice, who is
:03:16. > :03:21.pushing the sport in a brand new direction, fusing big mountain
:03:21. > :03:27.riding with freestyle tricks. He is arguably the best snowboard on the
:03:27. > :03:33.planet. But first, I have to ask, what is this? Well, we are here,
:03:33. > :03:38.where the early peer India's first developed Alpine racing. -- the
:03:38. > :03:44.early pioneers. It is time for you to ditch your love of the snowboard
:03:44. > :03:51.and embrace skiing. We are going to do it like a forefathers used to.
:03:51. > :03:56.It is time to get serious now. Chemmy, lovely to see you back on
:03:56. > :04:01.skis - how is the leg? It is not perfect, but I don't think it will
:04:01. > :04:05.ever be, with as much metal in it as I have got. I have had a crazy
:04:05. > :04:10.journey to get back, to fight back to the World Cup, and to score
:04:10. > :04:14.World Cup points in that first race back on the hill, it has made me
:04:14. > :04:21.realise that a tough cookie, and I can do this. You have been out
:04:21. > :04:26.training - how does it feel? It is the most challenging stop on our
:04:26. > :04:30.World Cup tour. The men used to race it, it is really tough. When
:04:30. > :04:35.you start looking at the form guide, is it possible to look past Lindsey
:04:35. > :04:41.Vonn? This is a very technical, tough downhill. There are a couple
:04:41. > :04:51.of racers who are skiing very well. They do not have the same power and
:04:51. > :04:52.
:04:52. > :04:54.weight that Lindsey Vonn has, but nonetheless, you have got people
:04:54. > :05:00.like Mavis grind over Kabul of others, they will be providing a
:05:00. > :05:06.threat. -- people like Gut. What is Lindsey Vonn like as a person, and
:05:06. > :05:10.as a competitor? It is difficult because she is such a superstar,
:05:10. > :05:14.and a lot of people have forgotten that she is a person as well, and a
:05:14. > :05:17.lovely person at that. A lot of the time she is out there on her own
:05:17. > :05:20.because she wants to stay focused, but that does not mean that she
:05:21. > :05:24.wants people to come up and give her a hug and say Happy New Year.
:05:24. > :05:28.She is such a lovely girl that she needs that. When she forgets that,
:05:28. > :05:32.she loses a bit of the enjoyment of the sport. I have so much credit
:05:32. > :05:37.and respect for what she has done and will continue to do for us.
:05:38. > :05:43.has been very public about her trials and tribulations. Yes, she
:05:43. > :05:46.came out and did an interview in 2008, and she was saying that she
:05:46. > :05:51.was clinically depressed, or she suffered from clinical depression.
:05:51. > :05:56.But also recently, she has had this mystery stomach problem, and she
:05:56. > :06:00.went to hospital for two night's late in November, before the season
:06:01. > :06:06.started, and basically did not have any energy in the first race of the
:06:06. > :06:11.tour. Since then, she has now taken two weeks off over the Christmas
:06:11. > :06:15.period to try to get herself back right, and this is almost like a
:06:15. > :06:19.mini comeback race. Do you think this could be a little gap in the
:06:19. > :06:26.door which some of the younger racers could take advantage of?
:06:26. > :06:30.Sometimes I think she toys with the field. She is not always fastest in
:06:30. > :06:36.training. She knows that on race day, come what may, the weather or
:06:36. > :06:42.the pressure, she will go as harder she can. She either wins at or she
:06:42. > :06:45.makes a huge mistake, or comes out. So I think, yes, the door is open,
:06:45. > :06:50.because it has a technical Hill, and there are some really strong
:06:50. > :06:57.girls, but you can never write her off. Enough of the speculation. It
:06:57. > :07:02.has been lovely to speak to you, Chemmy, and good luck. Make no
:07:02. > :07:05.mistake, this is a challenging course. It was designed in 2001 for
:07:05. > :07:10.the world Championships in the men's race. They have moved the
:07:10. > :07:15.start down because there was too much snow on the top. So, we are
:07:15. > :07:20.starting from the Super-G start. Coming down into a little
:07:20. > :07:28.compassion. Already picking up good speed. The snow conditions are
:07:28. > :07:38.different on the top here. It changes lower down. Entering into
:07:38. > :07:43.this big sweeping left-hander. That brings you on to this section, with
:07:43. > :07:48.the blue gates, so that you can see them more clearly. You have got to
:07:48. > :07:55.get the line exactly right year, as you come around the turn. You
:07:55. > :08:03.cannot get pushed to know. A little turn back, and you have got to push
:08:03. > :08:11.forward here. Carry the speed down. And then hard on the left ski,
:08:11. > :08:16.trying to carry maximum speed through this turn. Just really
:08:16. > :08:26.flying down here, over these little Rolos. You have to really press
:08:26. > :08:35.
:08:35. > :08:40.Attacking down towards the line. The lower section is really fast.
:08:40. > :08:44.First course run of the season - how was it? It is pretty tough,
:08:44. > :08:53.with half a metre of new snow. They put the machines on the course last
:08:53. > :08:57.night, and it was very difficult. It is what we call golf balls,
:08:57. > :09:04.death Cookies, as the Americans call them, and if you hit one of
:09:04. > :09:10.those with your skis, the ski gets pulled away. It will suit an early
:09:10. > :09:16.start. The weather is beautiful, the skiers are ready. Here's Matt
:09:16. > :09:20.Chilton with the 2013 women's downhill from St Anton. The weather
:09:20. > :09:25.is crisp and clean and clear, perfect for high speed downhill
:09:25. > :09:35.skiing. In the start gate and away, for the United States of America,
:09:35. > :09:37.wearing number four, Alice McKennis. High-speed top section. She has
:09:37. > :09:46.made a positive start. The green made a positive start. The green
:09:46. > :09:56.light comes on. Five hundredths faster than the current leader,
:09:56. > :10:02.
:10:03. > :10:09.Regina Sterz, from Austria. It is going well for McKennis. Oh, she is
:10:09. > :10:12.in all sorts of trouble, arms twisted above her body. What a
:10:12. > :10:17.balancing act there from Alice McKennis, to keep herself on the
:10:17. > :10:23.course and in contention. Has she lost any time? No, it has gone the
:10:23. > :10:33.other way, she has gained another tenth. Half a second faster than
:10:33. > :10:40.Regina Sterz now. Almost at the bottom. She tucks in for the line...
:10:40. > :10:45.And Alice McKennis moves into first position. Happy with that run. So,
:10:45. > :10:51.on Alice McKennis, the first skier we have seen to really nail that
:10:51. > :10:55.right-hander. It is very, very difficult as you drop in there,
:10:55. > :10:59.because it is very shady, you cannot see anything, and the new
:10:59. > :11:03.shoot out and you have really got to get on to the left foot as you
:11:03. > :11:13.carve through that turn, because that determines your speed as you
:11:13. > :11:14.
:11:14. > :11:24.come down to the finish. Laurenne Ross next. Good depth within the
:11:24. > :11:24.
:11:24. > :11:31.American squad, it goes well beyond Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso.
:11:31. > :11:37.Laurenne Ross had an horrific crash a year ago, slicing open her head,
:11:37. > :11:41.requiring 40 stitches. The snow was absolutely red where she had fallen.
:11:41. > :11:46.But she bounced back, and remarkably, one month later, she
:11:46. > :11:53.was back in down election. Half a second behind her teammate Alice
:11:53. > :12:02.McKennis, who still leads. But she will not be too far away here,
:12:02. > :12:11.Laurenne Ross. The last section... And it is an American one-two.
:12:11. > :12:18.McKennis holds on to first. Ready to go next is the reigning Super
:12:19. > :12:23.Combined world champion. She has already won this season. She has a
:12:23. > :12:33.superb all-round skier. She says this testing course puts a smile on
:12:33. > :12:46.
:12:46. > :12:51.her face. Can she do the same for get with Fenninger. Sometimes she's
:12:51. > :13:01.a superstar Ron downhill, but this year, giant slalom has really being
:13:01. > :13:01.
:13:01. > :13:06.her favourite. -- on downhill. She is desperate to do well here. This
:13:06. > :13:11.is the biggest, toughest course for the winning this season. And it is
:13:12. > :13:15.an Austrian mountain, and Fenninger is going nicely. Just twitched on
:13:15. > :13:25.that turn, drifting dangerously close to the safety net, before
:13:25. > :13:31.
:13:31. > :13:38.recovering. This is a vicious turn, but she exits smoothly from there.
:13:38. > :13:43.And she is not far behind. She might be able to make up a fraction
:13:43. > :13:53.of a second on the final section and potentially give Australia the
:13:53. > :13:55.
:13:55. > :14:01.lead... -- Austria. It is close, just outside. Fenninger skis into
:14:01. > :14:09.second. So, when lock, very, very fast down there. But she did not
:14:09. > :14:19.quite get enough pressure on the outside ski for that big right hand.
:14:19. > :14:21.
:14:21. > :14:26.Very, very close. Next to go at is Tina Maze. The Slovenian skiing *
:14:26. > :14:30.has recently had a go at topping the download charts. She is indeed
:14:30. > :14:40.on fire. She has got almost twice as many World Cup points as her
:14:40. > :14:46.
:14:46. > :14:51.round skier of the season so far. She leads the World Cup overall
:14:51. > :14:55.standings. She has been comfortably the best giant slalom skier of the
:14:55. > :15:00.season, with four victories. She has been there or thereabouts in
:15:00. > :15:08.Super-G and in slalom, and she is level in the downhill today with
:15:08. > :15:12.Alice McKennis. But look out, because Tina Maze is on a charge.
:15:12. > :15:16.She has a decent band of supporters, who have made the short journey
:15:16. > :15:24.across the border from Slovenia, to watch, at the foot of the course.
:15:24. > :15:30.She's just three hundredths behind. Smooth jump, Burley lost contact
:15:30. > :15:37.with the snow. Into the big left turn. Just as light spray of snow
:15:37. > :15:47.on the inside edge there. Now, coming towards the finishing line.
:15:47. > :15:48.
:15:48. > :15:58.She is within a quarter of a second. She heads in towards the line, and
:15:58. > :16:05.
:16:05. > :16:11.that might have just cost her the turn it just put her left skied
:16:11. > :16:15.into the soft snow, the golf balls at the side. It is like marbles of
:16:15. > :16:19.rubber at the edge of the track in Formula One. You do not get any
:16:19. > :16:29.grip and purges and she was not able to carry on down to the finish
:16:29. > :16:44.
:16:44. > :16:54.position and she has got the best of the speed at the top of the
:16:54. > :17:07.
:17:07. > :17:11.here as she heads into the shaded area and now setting up for the ice
:17:11. > :17:20.floes with a smooth take-off. The clean landing and a good entrance
:17:20. > :17:30.for the stern. Excellent speed, just shy of 106 kilometres per hour.
:17:30. > :17:38.
:17:38. > :17:45.Can Dominic is then give them something to be excited about in St
:17:45. > :17:52.Anton this afternoon? -- Dominique Gisin. Between first and 5th
:17:52. > :17:56.position. The undisputed Queen of the slopes is up next, Lindsey Vonn.
:17:56. > :18:01.She smashed records last year scoring more points in the season
:18:01. > :18:05.than any other woman in history. She also wanted to race the men
:18:05. > :18:11.this year but was not allowed. She had to make do with a hat-trick of
:18:11. > :18:16.victories. Can she claim top spot once again? Lindsey Vonn returns to
:18:16. > :18:26.ski racing in St Anton, despite her lengthy break, still wearing the
:18:26. > :18:37.
:18:37. > :18:45.red beard as the World Cup downhill manufacturers behind her, nothing
:18:45. > :18:48.left to chance. Very good top section from Lindsey Vonn. Two
:18:48. > :18:53.super-G victories so far this season. She is unstoppable when she
:18:53. > :19:01.gets it together at high speed. But she is trailing behind her team-
:19:01. > :19:05.mate Alice McKennis here. She leaves herself with work to do. She
:19:05. > :19:15.opened her body up and caught the wind which would have slowed her
:19:15. > :19:16.
:19:16. > :19:25.down and she as -- she is not as quick today. She is getting further
:19:25. > :19:33.behind Alice McKennis. 0.3 behind. Lindsey Vonn will complete her
:19:33. > :19:42.comeback race but without a victory at St Anton. Alice McKennis's lead
:19:42. > :19:48.is safe. Lindsey Vonn his 5th -- is 5th. This track is getting slower
:19:48. > :19:51.as the ice balls get pushed to the side of the course. I thought that
:19:51. > :19:57.Lindsey Vonn was too conservative with her line, particularly on the
:19:57. > :20:00.last turns. She was setting up a fraction too much from behind and
:20:00. > :20:06.skiing are slightly longer distance which was when the time started to
:20:06. > :20:08.slip away. We all know what it is like to have a more successful
:20:09. > :20:13.friend, but Maria Hoefl-Riesch is not completely overshadowed by
:20:13. > :20:17.Lindsey Vonn. She is a double Olympic gold medallist and
:20:17. > :20:22.nationally ranked in tennis and cycling. When Lindsey Vonn had a
:20:22. > :20:32.tough year in 2007, Maria stole her crown. Can she snatched victory on
:20:32. > :20:42.this testing course? In the start gate, Maria Hoefl-Riesch. Double
:20:42. > :20:47.
:20:47. > :20:56.season in slalom. That was in Finland in the early stages of the
:20:56. > :21:00.campaign. This is a decent start for Maria. Alice McKennis continues
:21:00. > :21:08.to watch agonisingly at the top of the course as the big guns of
:21:08. > :21:14.downhill racing make their way down. It is not going according to plan
:21:14. > :21:24.for Maria Hoefl-Riesch. She is three-quarters of a second slower.
:21:24. > :21:29.
:21:29. > :21:39.position as some and she is getting bounced around. It is a tentative
:21:39. > :21:40.
:21:40. > :21:43.downhill run so far. There is no way back. She will finish in St
:21:44. > :21:53.Anton but it is a slightly disappointing downhill performance
:21:54. > :22:02.
:22:02. > :22:12.today. She is 13th at the moment, training and then she never gets it
:22:12. > :22:13.
:22:13. > :22:21.right on the downhill day. Good results already this season. She
:22:21. > :22:31.was good in Val d'Isere and she has made a cracking start here. Alice
:22:31. > :22:41.
:22:41. > :22:49.McKennis is still leading in St And she is in trouble! My word. She
:22:49. > :22:53.is tangled up and twisted. It looks really nasty. Just as she came into
:22:54. > :23:03.the ice, she stood tall and got the balance wrong on landing. She hit
:23:03. > :23:09.the deck. I think that might have been her own reaction to keeping
:23:09. > :23:16.out of trouble and thankfully she appears to be OK. Daniela
:23:16. > :23:24.Merighetti of Italy now. Always consistent. Some good results in
:23:24. > :23:30.downhill races so far this season. Twice in the top 10 at Lake Louise,
:23:30. > :23:38.where Lindsey Vonn won. Daniela Merighetti is continuing her form
:23:38. > :23:42.here today. The 10th of a second faster than Alice McKennis. She has
:23:42. > :23:48.got really good speed in the middle part of the course. Just over one-
:23:48. > :23:58.third of a second down. A little close towards the safety netting.
:23:58. > :23:59.
:23:59. > :24:02.Is that the sensible line into the ice? It seems OK. Her hand is on
:24:02. > :24:12.the snow as she tries to guide to sell through. She is really giving
:24:12. > :24:15.
:24:15. > :24:20.it everything and is closing through. Just 17 hundredths behind.
:24:20. > :24:28.Daniela Merighetti has had a storming run in St Anton. Can she
:24:28. > :24:35.beat 1:14.6? Not quite. That was so close. She has missed the lead by
:24:35. > :24:39.seven hundredths. Daniela Merighetti proves that it is
:24:39. > :24:44.possible with a higher start number. She had a really good feeling
:24:44. > :24:50.through her skis. She was not trying to press too hard. Very
:24:51. > :24:58.smooth on the edges as she came through that big right hand turn.
:24:58. > :25:03.Just seven hundredths of a second. Very good. Chemmy Alcott on her way
:25:03. > :25:13.for Great Britain, number 45 today. A clean start. She has a habit of
:25:13. > :25:13.
:25:13. > :25:21.making a mess of the stock but it was clean today. -- the start. A
:25:21. > :25:26.respectable run so far. The speed is good as well. The key for Chemmy
:25:26. > :25:31.is to make the top 30 and score World Cup points. If she maintains
:25:31. > :25:37.this speed, she will... Oh, no. She slammed the brakes on in the final
:25:37. > :25:45.turn. That has cost her the chance of scoring World Cup points, I
:25:45. > :25:49.think. A very good run but a frustrating finish and she is 38.
:25:49. > :25:55.That massive mistake a couple of turns from home has cost Chemmy a
:25:55. > :25:59.good result. Only half a second coming into the ice. Later on in
:25:59. > :26:03.the race it has got darker and shadier down there. She got through
:26:03. > :26:11.that well but then she made a mistake which cost to well over a
:26:11. > :26:16.second and she is out of the World Cup points. A maiden World Cup
:26:16. > :26:18.victory in St Anton for Alice McKennis of the USA it with Daniela
:26:18. > :26:28.Merighetti second and than a pfennig at second, the best of the
:26:28. > :26:37.
:26:37. > :26:41.Austrians. -- Anna Fenninger second. It was incredible. Did you have any
:26:41. > :26:48.inkling that it could be on because of the condition of the snow?
:26:48. > :26:53.thought it was good to start early and I went with what I had. I did
:26:53. > :26:57.not really expect to win but I guess I put down a good run.
:26:57. > :27:01.Americans have been on the podium this year. Almost everybody in the
:27:01. > :27:05.team has been on the podium and it is amazing. The way everybody is
:27:05. > :27:10.skiing and the confidence, it is cool to watch. Alice McKennis is so
:27:10. > :27:14.cute and she was so happy and crying. It is really fun to see
:27:14. > :27:18.that. It means a lot and I think it inspires the entire team. Every
:27:18. > :27:21.weekend we are inspired by each other at the results keep coming.
:27:21. > :27:25.And it takes the pressure off you. Everybody talks about you winning
:27:25. > :27:31.but now you know that in tough conditions there will be someone
:27:31. > :27:36.out there from America that will get the luck if you do not. Yes! I
:27:36. > :27:42.can rely on my team mates to take up the slack for me. I can't do
:27:42. > :27:47.that! Maybe I should join the American team. You can be an
:27:47. > :27:56.honorary member! Congratulations to Alice McKennis on her first World
:27:56. > :28:01.Cup win. Where was it one and lost? -- won and lost? The start number
:28:01. > :28:05.helped. When it came down from the big right hand turn, she cut a very
:28:05. > :28:09.tight line and carried all of that speed down. That is when she was
:28:10. > :28:15.the quickest and that was when she won the race. Disappointing for
:28:15. > :28:19.Chemmy. There are some positive to take away. Just 1.3 out at the very
:28:19. > :28:24.last split before she made that massive mistake with her hand. She
:28:24. > :28:28.would have come in the top 25 so she can take some positives away.
:28:28. > :28:32.From the fastest women in the mountains to the poster boy of big
:28:32. > :28:37.mountain snowboarding. Not as recognisable as Shaun White, the
:28:37. > :28:45.rocks of snowboarding, who has won consecutive Olympic gold medals. --
:28:45. > :28:55.rock star. But Travis Rice plies his trade in some of the greatest
:28:55. > :28:59.
:29:00. > :29:02.parts of the Earth. I met up with down one of the world's most
:29:02. > :29:09.talented snowboarders as he takes on what is considered the most
:29:09. > :29:12.challenging terrain on the planet. Alaska represents a rite of passage,
:29:12. > :29:22.the last frontier, if you like, for professional snowboarders to prove
:29:22. > :29:26.themselves and the undisputed king of Alaska right now is Travis Rice.
:29:26. > :29:29.Dropping in three, two, one. Although he is fashionably late,
:29:29. > :29:32.it's safe to say he is not your average superstar. HoorayBasically
:29:32. > :29:42.I've spent the last 12 years practising. There is no training
:29:42. > :29:45.
:29:45. > :29:51.for what we do. You go out and you just do it. You are always able to
:29:51. > :29:56.critique and see where you can do things better. I think when you
:29:56. > :30:05.gain that confidence and experience... I mean, I still feel
:30:05. > :30:10.like we are just getting started. Travis Rice has such great control.
:30:10. > :30:20.A beefy guy and he can stomp anything. He is obviously at the
:30:20. > :30:22.super high end of what is going on in the snowboard world these days.
:30:22. > :30:25.He's a really awesome guy to ride with, you're always learning
:30:25. > :30:34.something or, you know, feeding off each other. He has the whole
:30:34. > :30:38.package going beyond everybody else. Where did you start, then? I never
:30:38. > :30:46.really had that, like, "I want to be pro". It just kind of evolved
:30:46. > :30:49.into that. Basically right place, right time and Justin was there.
:30:49. > :30:53.Travis is probably one of the most confident humans I've ever met and
:30:53. > :30:56.that is where a lot of his ability comes from, without a doubt. We are
:30:56. > :31:01.more like other people but he is definitely a superhuman when it
:31:01. > :31:05.comes to snowboarding. He came up to me and said, "Hey, if you want
:31:05. > :31:09.to get a part in a film, have a filmer, you can go up to Alaska,
:31:09. > :31:13.just the two of you for the next month, and try to make it happen".
:31:13. > :31:17.At that point I was pretty much like, "Oh, Mum, I know I told you I
:31:17. > :31:21.was going to university next year but I'm going to push it back just
:31:21. > :31:28.one year, promise. I promise I'll make it to university, promise."
:31:28. > :31:31.Still haven't made it to university. Travis won almost every major event
:31:31. > :31:33.in snowboarding, a feat that earned him the freedom to leave that
:31:33. > :31:38.structured environment behind and follow his creative instincts into
:31:38. > :31:43.the backcountry, namely Alaska. An intimidating environment that can
:31:43. > :31:46.take riders years to master. But Travis had no problems adjusting,
:31:46. > :31:53.making a statement on his first visit, something he credits to his
:31:53. > :31:56.mentors. The first five or six years of my career I was able to
:31:56. > :32:06.ride with a lot of incredible people and I guess I got exposed to
:32:06. > :32:07.
:32:07. > :32:11.a lot of revolutionaries, if you would, in the snowboard world.
:32:11. > :32:13.met Travis quite a while ago when he was still pretty young and he
:32:13. > :32:21.was super talented even when he first started doing the heli-ski
:32:21. > :32:24.thing. He has visited us here quite a few times in the past and he is
:32:24. > :32:31.always going for those real challenges and he makes it look
:32:31. > :32:35.easy somehow. He is very smart, very witty, and he grew up in the
:32:35. > :32:44.mountains, in Jackson. His father worked on the mountains so he had a
:32:44. > :32:47.lot of respect for them. Why I love backcountry freestyle riding is
:32:47. > :32:50.that it tests everything I have ever learned. You can get yourself
:32:50. > :32:53.into some pretty sticky situations pretty quick here. You are flying
:32:53. > :32:56.around and you point to something and it's like, "Yeah, that goes.
:32:56. > :32:59.Let's get dropped off right there." You get there and you look over and
:32:59. > :33:09.you are like, what am I getting myself into? Have you had many
:33:09. > :33:15.
:33:15. > :33:18.close calls? Yes. I've had some close calls. Once I was younger I
:33:18. > :33:21.was in some pretty good slides. That was probably the closest call
:33:21. > :33:25.I have had. We had this false sense of confidence in the snowpack.
:33:25. > :33:29.Travis rode down it and he pushed a bunch of sluff down and the whole
:33:29. > :33:33.side of the mountain cracked. We were all lucky to get out of there
:33:33. > :33:37.alive, especially Travis. It was massive. I've never seen anything
:33:37. > :33:42.like it. How did that change your approach to riding? I think if
:33:42. > :33:52.anything it just made me a little smarter. It gave me a little bit
:33:52. > :34:14.
:34:14. > :34:17.more willingness for patience and like, full steam at all times. You
:34:17. > :34:23.know, he is always thinking about something. Always got a project in
:34:23. > :34:27.the works, a little scheme. Yeah, I'm definitely competitive. I'm not
:34:27. > :34:30.saying that I'm done on the contest scene, it's just what I want to put
:34:30. > :34:35.my time and effort into these days is to do something a little
:34:35. > :34:39.different, take it a little further. The whole Supernatural Backcountry
:34:39. > :34:43.contest that I've been working on, for me I felt like there was a need
:34:43. > :34:45.for it. In 2012, Travis introduced Supernatural to the world, a
:34:45. > :34:52.competition format designed to blend free riding in natural
:34:52. > :34:57.terrain with freestyle tricks. He did this by constructing jumps in
:34:57. > :35:03.the summer that would become part of the mountain when the snow fell.
:35:03. > :35:07.In essence, this format would reward the best all-round rider.
:35:07. > :35:12.The snowboarding world family was broken into two distinct groups.
:35:12. > :35:15.There is not a lot of crossover. People are pretty focused and the
:35:15. > :35:21.guys that do contests are pretty focused on contests and those that
:35:21. > :35:24.do filming are focused on filming. It's pretty sad because these two
:35:24. > :35:27.sides have so much to share with each other and that's why we do
:35:27. > :35:32.supernatural, to build a course that focused on freestyle riding
:35:33. > :35:39.but so that we could utilise natural conditions. It was to
:35:39. > :35:43.create endless amounts of options. Every single person is going to
:35:43. > :35:49.ride that course differently. When you watch the event, you see
:35:49. > :35:53.everyone's individual style shine through. It is impossible to have a
:35:53. > :35:56.conversation about Travis's talent without mentioning Shaun White.
:35:56. > :35:58.Both are supremely talented, but while Shaun chose to cash in on
:35:58. > :36:05.mainstream success, Travis's currency is respect within the
:36:05. > :36:14.world of snowboarding. We are definitely on very different paths,
:36:14. > :36:24.100 per cent. I mean that guy is insanely talented, you know. But
:36:24. > :36:40.
:36:40. > :36:45.Shaun wants to be a rock star. I so much. I really want to continue
:36:46. > :36:49.to help push it to the new places that it will inevitably go. I'm
:36:49. > :36:59.just really excited that through all of it we have been able to get
:36:59. > :37:09.
:37:09. > :37:12.where we've gone by staying true to From one of the most extreme places
:37:12. > :37:22.on earth to the slightly calmer slopes of St Anton, where things
:37:22. > :37:24.
:37:24. > :37:28.are about to get extreme for Ed, as he tackles me at my own game. St
:37:28. > :37:32.Anton is the birthplace of Alpine racing. Back then, there were no
:37:32. > :37:41.helmets, no lycra. Ski racing was a very different discipline and
:37:41. > :37:51.spectacle. The first Alpine skiing World Championships was organised
:37:51. > :37:52.
:37:52. > :37:56.here in 1928. It is named after this Arlberg region of Austria.
:37:56. > :38:03.There is a massive difference between the equipment that we raise
:38:03. > :38:07.with now, and that of the 1920s. Modern skis will have a wouldn't
:38:07. > :38:12.call, but they are wrapped in a titanium sheet. These are just
:38:12. > :38:16.plain wood. Massive difference also for the boots. These are the ones
:38:16. > :38:21.that they just walked around town in. They would have had another
:38:21. > :38:27.soul, hobnails, basically up to your ankle. Nowadays they are
:38:27. > :38:31.plastic, basically half way up your shin. The plastic of the race boot
:38:31. > :38:40.is ultra stiff. The last thing, the thing that worries me most, is the
:38:40. > :38:44.bindings. Modern bindings will release at the heel and toe, but
:38:44. > :38:49.these bindings simply did not release. If you do fall, there is a
:38:49. > :38:54.good chance of breaking your ankle. To show you how difficult skiing on
:38:54. > :39:00.these is, I'm going to challenge Ed to a competition. He is going to
:39:00. > :39:05.have modern equipment, and I am going to ski on the stuff from the
:39:06. > :39:12.1920s. I am not particularly happy about this. First of all, you're
:39:12. > :39:22.making the race on full-blown, hybrid racing skis. I will not put
:39:22. > :39:25.you in those boots, you can have a normal ones, but hybrid skis, and I
:39:25. > :39:34.am going to go with these old leather goods. After what I have
:39:34. > :39:38.just heard you say, I hope you get down safely. The very first race
:39:38. > :39:46.was a combination raise between downhill and a slalom. In the
:39:46. > :39:51.slalom, they had sought and Walden -- solid wooden panels. There was
:39:51. > :39:56.no crashing through the gates in the old days. Ed is going to get us
:39:56. > :40:06.under way. Are you ready? I don't think I will ever be ready for this.
:40:06. > :40:29.
:40:29. > :40:35.104.71. I am quite pleased with that. I have no idea whether it is
:40:35. > :40:41.any good, but I did not fall over. Well, for a snowboarder, Ed looked
:40:41. > :40:51.pretty good. I am going to have my work cut out on these. He we go,
:40:51. > :41:03.
:41:03. > :41:08.gates, and if he is clipping these gates, he could save some time. He
:41:08. > :41:18.has only got 10 seconds to do this last section! I reckon I have got
:41:18. > :41:21.
:41:21. > :41:31.this one in the bag. Come on, Graham! I used slightly
:41:31. > :41:32.
:41:32. > :41:39.embarrassed? Four seconds, beaten by a snowboarder in a ski race. 100
:41:39. > :41:44.years of ski technology, that has certainly moved it on. I just beat
:41:44. > :41:49.Britain's second best downhill racer ever. The hardest thing was
:41:49. > :41:57.not the skis so much as the books. There is absolutely no ankle
:41:57. > :42:01.support. Did they have apres-ski in the 1920s? I think that is probably
:42:01. > :42:05.the most important part of the day. The countdown to the Winter
:42:05. > :42:09.Olympics next year has begun, with just over 12 months to go. We
:42:09. > :42:19.thought we would take this opportunity to take -- catch up
:42:19. > :42:24.with some of the Brits who are hoping to make a big impact. I am
:42:24. > :42:29.Billy Morgan, 23, from Southampton. I was one of the first people to
:42:29. > :42:34.land a triple rodeo, that would be my trademark move if I had one. I
:42:34. > :42:39.started snowboarding after I went skiing with school, enjoyed it so
:42:39. > :42:42.much because I had just quit gymnastics. I was going every day.
:42:42. > :42:49.Then it went to the British championships and did quite well,
:42:49. > :42:52.then I joined the British snowboard team. To go to the Olympics to
:42:52. > :42:56.represent my country will be an amazing opportunity. I have been
:42:56. > :43:00.training really hard and working my way through competitions, so it is
:43:00. > :43:07.great to have that Olympic goal on the horizon, which lots of people
:43:07. > :43:12.would kill for that opportunity. It is great. We have got some very
:43:12. > :43:16.exciting news to follow that feature as well. Billy Morgan has
:43:16. > :43:21.recorded the best ever result of a British male at the World Cup. That
:43:21. > :43:27.has got his Olympic qualifying campaign off to a blazing start.
:43:27. > :43:31.But stealing the limelight from him is freestyle skier James Wood, who
:43:31. > :43:37.took his second freestyle victory of the season. And congratulations
:43:37. > :43:42.to Ted Ligety on his giant slalom win as well. And don't miss next
:43:42. > :43:48.week, when we meet up with another of our a Olympic hopefuls for Sochi
:43:48. > :43:55.2014. Elise Christie is the world's number one short-track speed skater.
:43:55. > :43:59.She will be showing Amy Williams exactly what life on two blades is
:43:59. > :44:05.all about. On the red button now, you can watch highlights of the
:44:05. > :44:10.women's Super-G from St Anton. You can follow was on the website, or
:44:11. > :44:16.on Twitter. If you have any questions or challenges for us, we