13/01/2013 Ski Sunday

Hello and welcome to Ski Sunday. This is the year after the year of

all years, 2012. It has been an amazing 12 months, the adrenalin

has been pumping, the records have been tumbling, we have never seen

And how do you follow a year like that? It is 2013, and we are back

down to earth with a bump. don't worry - controlled falling is

what we do. The next Olympics will be the 2014 Winter Olympics, and we

will take you every step and twist along the way, as the world's

greatest prepare for the biggest competition of their lives. And we

will show you the super humans, those who stand on the top of the

world and defy gravity. It is 2013, and the future of sport is going

What a season we have ahead of us, and it starts here in St Anton for

the women's downhill. Can anybody catch the great Lindsey Vonn? Also

we will be watching Britain's Chemmy Alcott, returning to action

after two years of injury. Can she get back to her best before Sochi

2014? And I will be bringing you the first of a series of features

we shot in Alaska. This week it is the turn of Travis Rice, who is

pushing the sport in a brand new direction, fusing big mountain

riding with freestyle tricks. He is arguably the best snowboard on the

planet. But first, I have to ask, what is this? Well, we are here,

where the early peer India's first developed Alpine racing. -- the

early pioneers. It is time for you to ditch your love of the snowboard

and embrace skiing. We are going to do it like a forefathers used to.

It is time to get serious now. Chemmy, lovely to see you back on

skis - how is the leg? It is not perfect, but I don't think it will

ever be, with as much metal in it as I have got. I have had a crazy

journey to get back, to fight back to the World Cup, and to score

World Cup points in that first race back on the hill, it has made me

realise that a tough cookie, and I can do this. You have been out

training - how does it feel? It is the most challenging stop on our

World Cup tour. The men used to race it, it is really tough. When

you start looking at the form guide, is it possible to look past Lindsey

Vonn? This is a very technical, tough downhill. There are a couple

of racers who are skiing very well. They do not have the same power and

weight that Lindsey Vonn has, but nonetheless, you have got people

like Mavis grind over Kabul of others, they will be providing a

threat. -- people like Gut. What is Lindsey Vonn like as a person, and

as a competitor? It is difficult because she is such a superstar,

and a lot of people have forgotten that she is a person as well, and a

lovely person at that. A lot of the time she is out there on her own

because she wants to stay focused, but that does not mean that she

wants people to come up and give her a hug and say Happy New Year.

She is such a lovely girl that she needs that. When she forgets that,

she loses a bit of the enjoyment of the sport. I have so much credit

and respect for what she has done and will continue to do for us.

has been very public about her trials and tribulations. Yes, she

came out and did an interview in 2008, and she was saying that she

was clinically depressed, or she suffered from clinical depression.

But also recently, she has had this mystery stomach problem, and she

went to hospital for two night's late in November, before the season

started, and basically did not have any energy in the first race of the

tour. Since then, she has now taken two weeks off over the Christmas

period to try to get herself back right, and this is almost like a

mini comeback race. Do you think this could be a little gap in the

door which some of the younger racers could take advantage of?

Sometimes I think she toys with the field. She is not always fastest in

training. She knows that on race day, come what may, the weather or

the pressure, she will go as harder she can. She either wins at or she

makes a huge mistake, or comes out. So I think, yes, the door is open,

because it has a technical Hill, and there are some really strong

girls, but you can never write her off. Enough of the speculation. It

has been lovely to speak to you, Chemmy, and good luck. Make no

mistake, this is a challenging course. It was designed in 2001 for

the world Championships in the men's race. They have moved the

start down because there was too much snow on the top. So, we are

starting from the Super-G start. Coming down into a little

compassion. Already picking up good speed. The snow conditions are

different on the top here. It changes lower down. Entering into

this big sweeping left-hander. That brings you on to this section, with

the blue gates, so that you can see them more clearly. You have got to

get the line exactly right year, as you come around the turn. You

cannot get pushed to know. A little turn back, and you have got to push

forward here. Carry the speed down. And then hard on the left ski,

trying to carry maximum speed through this turn. Just really

flying down here, over these little Rolos. You have to really press

Attacking down towards the line. The lower section is really fast.

First course run of the season - how was it? It is pretty tough,

with half a metre of new snow. They put the machines on the course last

night, and it was very difficult. It is what we call golf balls,

death Cookies, as the Americans call them, and if you hit one of

those with your skis, the ski gets pulled away. It will suit an early

start. The weather is beautiful, the skiers are ready. Here's Matt

Chilton with the 2013 women's downhill from St Anton. The weather

is crisp and clean and clear, perfect for high speed downhill

skiing. In the start gate and away, for the United States of America,

wearing number four, Alice McKennis. High-speed top section. She has

made a positive start. The green made a positive start. The green

light comes on. Five hundredths faster than the current leader,

Regina Sterz, from Austria. It is going well for McKennis. Oh, she is

in all sorts of trouble, arms twisted above her body. What a

balancing act there from Alice McKennis, to keep herself on the

course and in contention. Has she lost any time? No, it has gone the

other way, she has gained another tenth. Half a second faster than

Regina Sterz now. Almost at the bottom. She tucks in for the line...

And Alice McKennis moves into first position. Happy with that run. So,

on Alice McKennis, the first skier we have seen to really nail that

right-hander. It is very, very difficult as you drop in there,

because it is very shady, you cannot see anything, and the new

shoot out and you have really got to get on to the left foot as you

carve through that turn, because that determines your speed as you

come down to the finish. Laurenne Ross next. Good depth within the

American squad, it goes well beyond Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso.

Laurenne Ross had an horrific crash a year ago, slicing open her head,

requiring 40 stitches. The snow was absolutely red where she had fallen.

But she bounced back, and remarkably, one month later, she

was back in down election. Half a second behind her teammate Alice

McKennis, who still leads. But she will not be too far away here,

Laurenne Ross. The last section... And it is an American one-two.

McKennis holds on to first. Ready to go next is the reigning Super

Combined world champion. She has already won this season. She has a

superb all-round skier. She says this testing course puts a smile on

her face. Can she do the same for get with Fenninger. Sometimes she's

a superstar Ron downhill, but this year, giant slalom has really being

her favourite. -- on downhill. She is desperate to do well here. This

is the biggest, toughest course for the winning this season. And it is

an Austrian mountain, and Fenninger is going nicely. Just twitched on

that turn, drifting dangerously close to the safety net, before

recovering. This is a vicious turn, but she exits smoothly from there.

And she is not far behind. She might be able to make up a fraction

of a second on the final section and potentially give Australia the

lead... -- Austria. It is close, just outside. Fenninger skis into

second. So, when lock, very, very fast down there. But she did not

quite get enough pressure on the outside ski for that big right hand.

Very, very close. Next to go at is Tina Maze. The Slovenian skiing *

has recently had a go at topping the download charts. She is indeed

on fire. She has got almost twice as many World Cup points as her

round skier of the season so far. She leads the World Cup overall

standings. She has been comfortably the best giant slalom skier of the

season, with four victories. She has been there or thereabouts in

Super-G and in slalom, and she is level in the downhill today with

Alice McKennis. But look out, because Tina Maze is on a charge.

She has a decent band of supporters, who have made the short journey

across the border from Slovenia, to watch, at the foot of the course.

She's just three hundredths behind. Smooth jump, Burley lost contact

with the snow. Into the big left turn. Just as light spray of snow

on the inside edge there. Now, coming towards the finishing line.

She is within a quarter of a second. She heads in towards the line, and

that might have just cost her the turn it just put her left skied

into the soft snow, the golf balls at the side. It is like marbles of

rubber at the edge of the track in Formula One. You do not get any

grip and purges and she was not able to carry on down to the finish

position and she has got the best of the speed at the top of the

here as she heads into the shaded area and now setting up for the ice

floes with a smooth take-off. The clean landing and a good entrance

for the stern. Excellent speed, just shy of 106 kilometres per hour.

Can Dominic is then give them something to be excited about in St

Anton this afternoon? -- Dominique Gisin. Between first and 5th

position. The undisputed Queen of the slopes is up next, Lindsey Vonn.

She smashed records last year scoring more points in the season

than any other woman in history. She also wanted to race the men

this year but was not allowed. She had to make do with a hat-trick of

victories. Can she claim top spot once again? Lindsey Vonn returns to

ski racing in St Anton, despite her lengthy break, still wearing the

red beard as the World Cup downhill manufacturers behind her, nothing

left to chance. Very good top section from Lindsey Vonn. Two

super-G victories so far this season. She is unstoppable when she

gets it together at high speed. But she is trailing behind her team-

mate Alice McKennis here. She leaves herself with work to do. She

opened her body up and caught the wind which would have slowed her

down and she as -- she is not as quick today. She is getting further

behind Alice McKennis. 0.3 behind. Lindsey Vonn will complete her

comeback race but without a victory at St Anton. Alice McKennis's lead

is safe. Lindsey Vonn his 5th -- is 5th. This track is getting slower

as the ice balls get pushed to the side of the course. I thought that

Lindsey Vonn was too conservative with her line, particularly on the

last turns. She was setting up a fraction too much from behind and

skiing are slightly longer distance which was when the time started to

slip away. We all know what it is like to have a more successful

friend, but Maria Hoefl-Riesch is not completely overshadowed by

Lindsey Vonn. She is a double Olympic gold medallist and

nationally ranked in tennis and cycling. When Lindsey Vonn had a

tough year in 2007, Maria stole her crown. Can she snatched victory on

this testing course? In the start gate, Maria Hoefl-Riesch. Double

season in slalom. That was in Finland in the early stages of the

campaign. This is a decent start for Maria. Alice McKennis continues

to watch agonisingly at the top of the course as the big guns of

downhill racing make their way down. It is not going according to plan

for Maria Hoefl-Riesch. She is three-quarters of a second slower.

position as some and she is getting bounced around. It is a tentative

downhill run so far. There is no way back. She will finish in St

Anton but it is a slightly disappointing downhill performance

today. She is 13th at the moment, training and then she never gets it

right on the downhill day. Good results already this season. She

was good in Val d'Isere and she has made a cracking start here. Alice

McKennis is still leading in St And she is in trouble! My word. She

is tangled up and twisted. It looks really nasty. Just as she came into

the ice, she stood tall and got the balance wrong on landing. She hit

the deck. I think that might have been her own reaction to keeping

out of trouble and thankfully she appears to be OK. Daniela

Merighetti of Italy now. Always consistent. Some good results in

downhill races so far this season. Twice in the top 10 at Lake Louise,

where Lindsey Vonn won. Daniela Merighetti is continuing her form

here today. The 10th of a second faster than Alice McKennis. She has

got really good speed in the middle part of the course. Just over one-

third of a second down. A little close towards the safety netting.

Is that the sensible line into the ice? It seems OK. Her hand is on

the snow as she tries to guide to sell through. She is really giving

it everything and is closing through. Just 17 hundredths behind.

Daniela Merighetti has had a storming run in St Anton. Can she

beat 1:14.6? Not quite. That was so close. She has missed the lead by

seven hundredths. Daniela Merighetti proves that it is

possible with a higher start number. She had a really good feeling

through her skis. She was not trying to press too hard. Very

smooth on the edges as she came through that big right hand turn.

Just seven hundredths of a second. Very good. Chemmy Alcott on her way

for Great Britain, number 45 today. A clean start. She has a habit of

making a mess of the stock but it was clean today. -- the start. A

respectable run so far. The speed is good as well. The key for Chemmy

is to make the top 30 and score World Cup points. If she maintains

this speed, she will... Oh, no. She slammed the brakes on in the final

turn. That has cost her the chance of scoring World Cup points, I

think. A very good run but a frustrating finish and she is 38.

That massive mistake a couple of turns from home has cost Chemmy a

good result. Only half a second coming into the ice. Later on in

the race it has got darker and shadier down there. She got through

that well but then she made a mistake which cost to well over a

second and she is out of the World Cup points. A maiden World Cup

victory in St Anton for Alice McKennis of the USA it with Daniela

Merighetti second and than a pfennig at second, the best of the

Austrians. -- Anna Fenninger second. It was incredible. Did you have any

inkling that it could be on because of the condition of the snow?

thought it was good to start early and I went with what I had. I did

not really expect to win but I guess I put down a good run.

Americans have been on the podium this year. Almost everybody in the

team has been on the podium and it is amazing. The way everybody is

skiing and the confidence, it is cool to watch. Alice McKennis is so

cute and she was so happy and crying. It is really fun to see

that. It means a lot and I think it inspires the entire team. Every

weekend we are inspired by each other at the results keep coming.

And it takes the pressure off you. Everybody talks about you winning

but now you know that in tough conditions there will be someone

out there from America that will get the luck if you do not. Yes! I

can rely on my team mates to take up the slack for me. I can't do

that! Maybe I should join the American team. You can be an

honorary member! Congratulations to Alice McKennis on her first World

Cup win. Where was it one and lost? -- won and lost? The start number

helped. When it came down from the big right hand turn, she cut a very

tight line and carried all of that speed down. That is when she was

the quickest and that was when she won the race. Disappointing for

Chemmy. There are some positive to take away. Just 1.3 out at the very

last split before she made that massive mistake with her hand. She

would have come in the top 25 so she can take some positives away.

From the fastest women in the mountains to the poster boy of big

mountain snowboarding. Not as recognisable as Shaun White, the

rocks of snowboarding, who has won consecutive Olympic gold medals. --

rock star. But Travis Rice plies his trade in some of the greatest

parts of the Earth. I met up with down one of the world's most

talented snowboarders as he takes on what is considered the most

challenging terrain on the planet. Alaska represents a rite of passage,

the last frontier, if you like, for professional snowboarders to prove

themselves and the undisputed king of Alaska right now is Travis Rice.

Dropping in three, two, one. Although he is fashionably late,

it's safe to say he is not your average superstar. HoorayBasically

I've spent the last 12 years practising. There is no training

for what we do. You go out and you just do it. You are always able to

critique and see where you can do things better. I think when you

gain that confidence and experience... I mean, I still feel

like we are just getting started. Travis Rice has such great control.

A beefy guy and he can stomp anything. He is obviously at the

super high end of what is going on in the snowboard world these days.

He's a really awesome guy to ride with, you're always learning

something or, you know, feeding off each other. He has the whole

package going beyond everybody else. Where did you start, then? I never

really had that, like, "I want to be pro". It just kind of evolved

into that. Basically right place, right time and Justin was there.

Travis is probably one of the most confident humans I've ever met and

that is where a lot of his ability comes from, without a doubt. We are

more like other people but he is definitely a superhuman when it

comes to snowboarding. He came up to me and said, "Hey, if you want

to get a part in a film, have a filmer, you can go up to Alaska,

just the two of you for the next month, and try to make it happen".

At that point I was pretty much like, "Oh, Mum, I know I told you I

was going to university next year but I'm going to push it back just

one year, promise. I promise I'll make it to university, promise."

Still haven't made it to university. Travis won almost every major event

in snowboarding, a feat that earned him the freedom to leave that

structured environment behind and follow his creative instincts into

the backcountry, namely Alaska. An intimidating environment that can

take riders years to master. But Travis had no problems adjusting,

making a statement on his first visit, something he credits to his

mentors. The first five or six years of my career I was able to

ride with a lot of incredible people and I guess I got exposed to

a lot of revolutionaries, if you would, in the snowboard world.

met Travis quite a while ago when he was still pretty young and he

was super talented even when he first started doing the heli-ski

thing. He has visited us here quite a few times in the past and he is

always going for those real challenges and he makes it look

easy somehow. He is very smart, very witty, and he grew up in the

mountains, in Jackson. His father worked on the mountains so he had a

lot of respect for them. Why I love backcountry freestyle riding is

that it tests everything I have ever learned. You can get yourself

into some pretty sticky situations pretty quick here. You are flying

around and you point to something and it's like, "Yeah, that goes.

Let's get dropped off right there." You get there and you look over and

you are like, what am I getting myself into? Have you had many

close calls? Yes. I've had some close calls. Once I was younger I

was in some pretty good slides. That was probably the closest call

I have had. We had this false sense of confidence in the snowpack.

Travis rode down it and he pushed a bunch of sluff down and the whole

side of the mountain cracked. We were all lucky to get out of there

alive, especially Travis. It was massive. I've never seen anything

like it. How did that change your approach to riding? I think if

anything it just made me a little smarter. It gave me a little bit

more willingness for patience and like, full steam at all times. You

know, he is always thinking about something. Always got a project in

the works, a little scheme. Yeah, I'm definitely competitive. I'm not

saying that I'm done on the contest scene, it's just what I want to put

my time and effort into these days is to do something a little

different, take it a little further. The whole Supernatural Backcountry

contest that I've been working on, for me I felt like there was a need

for it. In 2012, Travis introduced Supernatural to the world, a

competition format designed to blend free riding in natural

terrain with freestyle tricks. He did this by constructing jumps in

the summer that would become part of the mountain when the snow fell.

In essence, this format would reward the best all-round rider.

The snowboarding world family was broken into two distinct groups.

There is not a lot of crossover. People are pretty focused and the

guys that do contests are pretty focused on contests and those that

do filming are focused on filming. It's pretty sad because these two

sides have so much to share with each other and that's why we do

supernatural, to build a course that focused on freestyle riding

but so that we could utilise natural conditions. It was to

create endless amounts of options. Every single person is going to

ride that course differently. When you watch the event, you see

everyone's individual style shine through. It is impossible to have a

conversation about Travis's talent without mentioning Shaun White.

Both are supremely talented, but while Shaun chose to cash in on

mainstream success, Travis's currency is respect within the

world of snowboarding. We are definitely on very different paths,

100 per cent. I mean that guy is insanely talented, you know. But

Shaun wants to be a rock star. I so much. I really want to continue

to help push it to the new places that it will inevitably go. I'm

just really excited that through all of it we have been able to get

where we've gone by staying true to From one of the most extreme places

on earth to the slightly calmer slopes of St Anton, where things

are about to get extreme for Ed, as he tackles me at my own game. St

Anton is the birthplace of Alpine racing. Back then, there were no

helmets, no lycra. Ski racing was a very different discipline and

spectacle. The first Alpine skiing World Championships was organised

here in 1928. It is named after this Arlberg region of Austria.

There is a massive difference between the equipment that we raise

with now, and that of the 1920s. Modern skis will have a wouldn't

call, but they are wrapped in a titanium sheet. These are just

plain wood. Massive difference also for the boots. These are the ones

that they just walked around town in. They would have had another

soul, hobnails, basically up to your ankle. Nowadays they are

plastic, basically half way up your shin. The plastic of the race boot

is ultra stiff. The last thing, the thing that worries me most, is the

bindings. Modern bindings will release at the heel and toe, but

these bindings simply did not release. If you do fall, there is a

good chance of breaking your ankle. To show you how difficult skiing on

these is, I'm going to challenge Ed to a competition. He is going to

have modern equipment, and I am going to ski on the stuff from the

1920s. I am not particularly happy about this. First of all, you're

making the race on full-blown, hybrid racing skis. I will not put

you in those boots, you can have a normal ones, but hybrid skis, and I

am going to go with these old leather goods. After what I have

just heard you say, I hope you get down safely. The very first race

was a combination raise between downhill and a slalom. In the

slalom, they had sought and Walden -- solid wooden panels. There was

no crashing through the gates in the old days. Ed is going to get us

under way. Are you ready? I don't think I will ever be ready for this.

104.71. I am quite pleased with that. I have no idea whether it is

any good, but I did not fall over. Well, for a snowboarder, Ed looked

pretty good. I am going to have my work cut out on these. He we go,

gates, and if he is clipping these gates, he could save some time. He

has only got 10 seconds to do this last section! I reckon I have got

this one in the bag. Come on, Graham! I used slightly

embarrassed? Four seconds, beaten by a snowboarder in a ski race. 100

years of ski technology, that has certainly moved it on. I just beat

Britain's second best downhill racer ever. The hardest thing was

not the skis so much as the books. There is absolutely no ankle

support. Did they have apres-ski in the 1920s? I think that is probably

the most important part of the day. The countdown to the Winter

Olympics next year has begun, with just over 12 months to go. We

thought we would take this opportunity to take -- catch up

with some of the Brits who are hoping to make a big impact. I am

Billy Morgan, 23, from Southampton. I was one of the first people to

land a triple rodeo, that would be my trademark move if I had one. I

started snowboarding after I went skiing with school, enjoyed it so

much because I had just quit gymnastics. I was going every day.

Then it went to the British championships and did quite well,

then I joined the British snowboard team. To go to the Olympics to

represent my country will be an amazing opportunity. I have been

training really hard and working my way through competitions, so it is

great to have that Olympic goal on the horizon, which lots of people

would kill for that opportunity. It is great. We have got some very

exciting news to follow that feature as well. Billy Morgan has

recorded the best ever result of a British male at the World Cup. That

has got his Olympic qualifying campaign off to a blazing start.

But stealing the limelight from him is freestyle skier James Wood, who

took his second freestyle victory of the season. And congratulations

to Ted Ligety on his giant slalom win as well. And don't miss next

week, when we meet up with another of our a Olympic hopefuls for Sochi

2014. Elise Christie is the world's number one short-track speed skater.

She will be showing Amy Williams exactly what life on two blades is

all about. On the red button now, you can watch highlights of the

women's Super-G from St Anton. You can follow was on the website, or

on Twitter. If you have any questions or challenges for us, we