:00:53. > :00:57.Welcome to Ski Sunday to one of the greatest races of the year, the
:00:57. > :01:01.Men's Downhill from Vengen. This is one of the biggest sporting events
:01:01. > :01:05.in Switzerland. With over 30,000 spectators making their way on to
:01:05. > :01:09.this mountain to watch the fastest skiers in the world. Here is some
:01:09. > :01:14.trivia. The fastest speed ever recorded in a downhill race, 98
:01:15. > :01:24.miles per hour was set here on the Labuerhorn by Stefan Thanei. This
:01:25. > :01:25.
:01:25. > :01:30.is sport at its fastest. Blink and you'll miss it.
:01:30. > :01:39.But when you are a downhill racer and you stand on stop of the
:01:39. > :01:43.Labuerhorn, time seems to stand still.
:01:43. > :01:53.And as you power out of the start gate, the seconds tick just a
:01:53. > :01:54.
:01:54. > :02:00.little more slowly. Two-and-a-half minutes. For some
:02:00. > :02:06.racers, this can feel like hours. Downhill racers were not meant to
:02:06. > :02:13.go so fast for so long. COMMENTATOR: Down he goes.
:02:13. > :02:23.Only the toughest win in Wengen, the longest downhill course in the
:02:23. > :02:39.
:02:39. > :02:43.world. COMMENTATOR: Nearly home. Over the years the superstars of
:02:43. > :02:47.men's downhill become household names. But as we welcome in 2013,
:02:47. > :02:54.the search begins for the new legend of the slopes. Enter the new
:02:54. > :02:57.breed of downhill racer, who's already staking their claim for
:02:57. > :03:01.Alpine immortality. Finding that next name is never
:03:01. > :03:07.easy but men's downhill in is in desperate need of a new star. With
:03:07. > :03:11.a few more years of experience this, group of young guns go be up there.
:03:11. > :03:15.First is Italian Dominik Paris. He shows potential and even won a race
:03:15. > :03:21.earlier this season. A result that caught everyone out. Even the young
:03:22. > :03:27.man himself. A little surprised, of course, but I was very concerned in
:03:27. > :03:37.the last season, also this season, I think I can win the race, but I
:03:37. > :03:47.didn't believe it. Max Franz of Austria has been dubbed the new
:03:47. > :03:48.
:03:48. > :03:54.Herman Mayer back home. Lake Louis was an easy beginning
:03:54. > :04:00.race. We trained very well in the summer and the start of the seasons
:04:00. > :04:03.with perfect. Canadian Ben Thomsen is majoring NICEly. Several top ten
:04:03. > :04:10.finishers have underlined his status as one to watch in the
:04:10. > :04:13.future. It is the fastest event. It is a
:04:13. > :04:23.fine limit between on the line and in control. You have to find it and
:04:23. > :04:25.
:04:25. > :04:30.take the risks. But just the fast, nasty speed is what I love the most.
:04:30. > :04:35.Ryan youngest on the tour. He is World Junior Champion and will be
:04:35. > :04:39.around for a long time to come. Although the new generation have
:04:39. > :04:44.created a new stir since bursting on to the scene, they are well
:04:44. > :04:49.aware that they have a lot to learn before they reach the top and the
:04:49. > :04:55.Labuerhorn in Wengen will be a key test. It will be a few years yet
:04:55. > :05:00.before we see these rising stars join the likes of Christof
:05:00. > :05:06.Innerhofer, Erik Guay among the elite. Over the last couple of
:05:06. > :05:11.years we've last some of the big names from downhill racing, from
:05:11. > :05:16.Mayer and Berghoffer. You have shown us the new faces coming in.
:05:16. > :05:21.Is this a transition period for downhill? Every decade you get is
:05:21. > :05:27.changing of the guard. The old guys retire and gives room for the young
:05:27. > :05:33.guns to come through. Most of the guys you spoke to are between 19-24.
:05:33. > :05:37.Is that the traditional name it make an age for yourself? Some will
:05:37. > :05:41.race younger, some at 19 will do their jirst downhill World Cup. But
:05:41. > :05:44.it takes about three years of racing before they get a top ten
:05:44. > :05:51.result. From that breakthrough point, when do they hit their
:05:51. > :05:56.prime? Generally prime for a downhill racer is anywhere between
:05:56. > :06:01.25-35 but last year we had a winner at 38. It seems comparatively late
:06:01. > :06:06.when you look at other sports? compared it slalom, it takes a whil
:06:07. > :06:10.for downhill skiers to put on the mussel mass and bulk that you need.
:06:10. > :06:14.And also you need the experience. Until you get, that you can't
:06:14. > :06:19.really challenge. Aside from form and the time it takes to get into
:06:19. > :06:26.it, I will throw this out: do you think downhill skiing or Alpine as
:06:26. > :06:31.a whole is suffering in popularity to the likes of freestyle skiing?
:06:31. > :06:35.don't think so. The youngsters starting Alpine racing are still
:06:35. > :06:39.there. Generally the first thing they do is alspine ski racing. It
:06:39. > :06:42.is also something in the mind, whether you are a racer or a
:06:42. > :06:47.freestyleer. Coming back to the race here in
:06:47. > :06:50.Wengen. Last year we saw a rookie win. You have shown us new faces.
:06:50. > :06:54.They have a lot of work to do. Do you think it'll be youth or
:06:54. > :06:58.experience? Last year I said a rookie couldn't win and I was
:06:58. > :07:03.proved wrong. This year I run the risk of making the same mistake
:07:03. > :07:05.again. I'm going to go with Claus Kroell. He has the skills to win.
:07:05. > :07:10.Particularly with the snow conditions as they are, he could be
:07:10. > :07:14.one who is my tip for the top. you can stake your reputation on it.
:07:14. > :07:18.Now, we haven't found anyone who can replace him any time soon, so
:07:18. > :07:25.Graham Bell, the king of the course run is going to take the punishment
:07:25. > :07:29.again on the mighty Labuerhorn. This course was fast in training
:07:29. > :07:33.and the weather conditions are much, much warmer today. There is a good
:07:33. > :07:41.chance, in the race, the races could go over 100 miles per hour.
:07:41. > :07:48.Let's go have a look at it. At the start, pushing hard, settle in.
:07:48. > :07:53.Top part of the course, it is just about gliding, trying to be loose.
:07:53. > :08:03.Carry as much speed as possible through these top turns.
:08:03. > :08:04.
:08:04. > :08:10.OK. This part of the course is pretty quick. We are approaching
:08:10. > :08:14.the area now. With the turn in that starts with a big right-hander.
:08:14. > :08:23.Coming tight on the gate. Pressing hard on the left ski. As you come
:08:23. > :08:29.around, switch your weight and over the hunch.
:08:29. > :08:34.I got my tips up there and running low going into the mid-area. As
:08:34. > :08:41.soon as you have done that, you have got this part to Dell with.
:08:41. > :08:47.And this is where the race could be won or lost.
:08:47. > :08:53.Underneath railway tracks and out on to the glide. The snow is
:08:53. > :08:59.actually really, really gripy. Your edges are biting in quite well.
:08:59. > :09:08.That means the racers will carry maximum speed down here. It's this
:09:09. > :09:18.part of the course where they'll go over 100 miles per hour. Out
:09:19. > :09:19.
:09:19. > :09:27.through here. You have to keep fighting here. Over this jump. Now.
:09:27. > :09:30.My legs are really starting to burn. That's the Austrian hole. Most
:09:30. > :09:35.downhill coursers would have finished by now. But we still have
:09:35. > :09:40.to deal with the finish S. It's really rough and bumpy coming in.
:09:40. > :09:44.Just made it inside that gate. And tucking down. Oh and across the
:09:44. > :09:50.line. Wow!
:09:51. > :09:56.What is the verdict? You know what, it is super-fast. Really gripy and
:09:56. > :10:00.because the temperature has warmed up, the snow is running really fast.
:10:00. > :10:05.I'm expecting, hoping a racer to go over 100 miles per hour today. The
:10:05. > :10:09.first time ever on a downhill course. That is a very big claim.
:10:10. > :10:16.Now, you catch your breath. Get yourself prepared for analysis.
:10:16. > :10:19.It's that annual battle, man verses Labuerhorn. Matt Chiltern has the
:10:19. > :10:22.Labuerhorn. Matt Chiltern has the commentary. This is the 2013 Wengen
:10:22. > :10:26.downhill. 123450 this is one of the great
:10:27. > :10:30.images in winter sport. The Labuerhorn in its white winter
:10:31. > :10:40.glory. Tens of thousands have come from all over the world to marvel
:10:41. > :10:43.
:10:43. > :10:53.at the fastest bend in the at the start. It's a daunting task
:10:53. > :11:01.
:11:01. > :11:08.for a racer to be first to tackle winding down the windows but makes
:11:08. > :11:18.a nice landing. Sweet and soft as he flies over there and makes the
:11:18. > :11:26.
:11:26. > :11:30.turn mid-air into the Canadian exit speed is key. He needs to be
:11:30. > :11:40.70 kilometres per hour. It is closer to 8 0. Good speed on the
:11:40. > :11:41.
:11:41. > :11:46.exit there for Poisson. 156.2 kilometres per hour. There is a
:11:46. > :11:53.chance that the 100 miles per hour mark might be broken today. We saw
:11:53. > :11:57.a new record set in the super- combine on Friday. At this stage
:11:57. > :12:01.every other downhill would be at an end. But Wengen still has a sting
:12:01. > :12:11.in the tail with this brutal finish. David Poisson of France is home in
:12:11. > :12:21.
:12:21. > :12:25.Off to an aggressive start. He was still skating by the time he got to
:12:25. > :12:35.the second of the red control gates. They are all red in this downhill
:12:35. > :12:39.
:12:39. > :12:43.today. He is way ahead of Poisson. He sweeps in. A long flight there
:12:43. > :12:53.from Sporn. About the longest jump I have seen from any of them,
:12:53. > :12:59.
:12:59. > :13:05.including training runs. He is That's fast. -- velocity.
:13:05. > :13:13.He exists at a speed of 70.7. Not so fast. But the intermediate times
:13:13. > :13:23.look promising for him. He is still in front. A good run so far from
:13:23. > :13:24.
:13:24. > :13:28.Andrej Sporn. There is the silver horn jump. Artificially built up to
:13:28. > :13:31.provide a spectacle. Still in the hunt for first
:13:31. > :13:37.position here. Drifting dangerously close towards those advertising
:13:37. > :13:45.banners at the side of the course. He manages to hold on, down to his
:13:45. > :13:49.final reserves of energy now and first position by 0.07. Sporn takes
:13:50. > :13:53.the early lead but looked to run out of energy slightly on the
:13:53. > :13:57.finish and lost a bit of time but still took the lead off Poisson. I
:13:57. > :14:07.think this run is going to go faster and faster as the big names
:14:07. > :14:08.
:14:08. > :14:12.marked with flashes of brilliance and months of frustration. Severe
:14:12. > :14:17.back pain has haunted his skiing and a car crash this summer hasn't
:14:17. > :14:25.made things easier. The omens are good. He was fasters in the
:14:25. > :14:30.downhill section of the supercombined yesterday.
:14:30. > :14:38.Tall and powerful, pushing hard out of the start. He is a good glider.
:14:38. > :14:46.Should get up a decent amount of speed at the top here. Sporn the
:14:46. > :14:54.best at this intermedate. That's a really direct line from the Italian.
:14:54. > :14:59.Beautiful landing. That's how to do it! Makes the turn
:14:59. > :15:08.mid-air and heads towards the Canadian corner in good shape.
:15:08. > :15:13.Now the kernen-S. In with good speed.
:15:13. > :15:19.Slightly high on the exit there but maintained his velocity and exits
:15:19. > :15:27.at 78. Under the old railway and he is going like an express train.
:15:27. > :15:35.Miles ahead now! Three quarters of a second faster
:15:35. > :15:40.than Sporn. Now the silverhorn jump. Reasonable landing from Innerhofer
:15:40. > :15:44.and he is getting quicker all the time. The final seconds of the
:15:44. > :15:49.Lauberhorn. Has he the strength and stamina to keep them running here?
:15:49. > :15:59.Jams that left ski into the snow and sets up for the line. And he
:15:59. > :16:00.
:16:01. > :16:05.leads in Wengen by 1.35 seconds. That's very, very good indeed.
:16:05. > :16:11.He really showed everyone how it's done here. Absolutely perfect on
:16:11. > :16:17.all of those tight turns where you need to carry speed. The kernen-S
:16:17. > :16:27.was brilliant. Good speed out of there. Didn't break the 100mph mark,
:16:27. > :16:28.
:16:28. > :16:32.but again perfect on the finish and that's a big lead for Innerhofer.
:16:32. > :16:38.Romed Bauman. Needs a good result here to give himself a chance of
:16:38. > :16:48.being selected for the Austrian team at the forthcoming alpine ski
:16:48. > :16:52.
:16:52. > :17:02.World Championships where only four guys per nation can race in each
:17:02. > :17:11.
:17:11. > :17:17.discipline. Steady in flight, that was easy. Very good timing. Takes a
:17:17. > :17:27.low line, close to the safety netting to the skier's left.
:17:27. > :17:28.
:17:28. > :17:33.As he heads towards the railway he still has good speed. 75.3. Bauman
:17:33. > :17:37.is up there on speed. He is just over a second down. He needs to be
:17:37. > :17:43.nice and light and controlled on his edges through the final few
:17:43. > :17:47.turns. His reserves of energy will be
:17:47. > :17:53.severely depleted and he might be in with a chance of pushing for a
:17:53. > :17:58.provisional top three here. Last couple of turns for Baumann of
:17:58. > :18:08.Austria. He can see the finishing line. He tucks in and it's second
:18:08. > :18:22.
:18:22. > :18:28.for Baumann. Reichelt for Austria. High line
:18:29. > :18:34.there. Reichelt has set his own course at the top here. Interesting
:18:34. > :18:41.direction, but it's paying off for him now. Can he match Innerhofer's
:18:41. > :18:46.line? What a jump. That is as smooth as silk. Jammed the skis on,
:18:46. > :18:56.on the landing and he is slightly low into the Canadian corner.
:18:56. > :19:04.Comes towards the end of this track. Then to the kernen-S. Not bad. The
:19:04. > :19:13.exit speed is more important. That's very good indeed. 78.5. He
:19:13. > :19:20.is within just over a second of the lead of Innerhofer. Hits the tree
:19:20. > :19:29.line now. Off the silverhorn jump. Slightly off to skier's left, but
:19:29. > :19:36.no matter, he is in touch. If he can find a couple of - he will push
:19:36. > :19:39.Innerhofer close here. On the final stages. His legs are on fire and
:19:39. > :19:45.Reichelt is second for Austria. surely does have the legs because
:19:45. > :19:51.he picked up a lot of time on Innerhofer on that last finish S,
:19:51. > :19:55.let it run as much as he possibly could and that's why he picked up,
:19:55. > :20:01.there is a big gap between first and second. It's 43 years since
:20:01. > :20:06.France had a downhill hero in Wengen but the whole of the French
:20:06. > :20:13.team have been flying here. Clarey was fastest in practice and his
:20:13. > :20:22.team-mate won Friday's supercombined. With With Johan
:20:22. > :20:26.complete an extraordinary double? Johan Clarey for France. Very
:20:26. > :20:29.talented. Capable of reaching the top level in World Cup ski racing
:20:29. > :20:38.and he likes this course, he was really fast in training earlier in
:20:38. > :20:48.the week. Clarey's right Thrupp with Innerhofer at the first
:20:48. > :20:50.
:20:50. > :20:55.intermediate. Clarey tucks in to the last possible moment at the
:20:55. > :21:03.Hundschopf. He is really leaving everyone on the mountain here this
:21:03. > :21:09.afternoon. A risky run. Chance to refuel and relax slightly before he
:21:09. > :21:16.approaches and exits the Kernen-S and the inspeed was OK. The exit
:21:16. > :21:24.speed 74. Would have hoped for maybe a speed closer to 78. But the
:21:24. > :21:29.speed through the gun there is 161.9. That's more than 100mph. A
:21:29. > :21:33.new record. A speed record for Johan Clarey. He won't win but he
:21:33. > :21:39.will have something to enjoy from his downhill run today.
:21:39. > :21:46.Remarkable speed across the snow from the Frenchman. He is spent now.
:21:46. > :21:51.He is out of steam and Clarey is third for the moment. Excellent run.
:21:51. > :21:57.Fabulous speed. Clarey comes in third. 1.17 down. Really good in
:21:57. > :22:06.the mid part of the course, able to carry good speed through the
:22:06. > :22:15.Kernen-S and broke that 100mph barrier down down. Svindal is ready
:22:15. > :22:18.to go. He got his first pair of skis for his third birthday. Until
:22:18. > :22:22.last weekend he was leading the overall standings and winning that
:22:22. > :22:31.title for a third time is his main driving force. Can the bookies'
:22:31. > :22:37.favourite claim the points here? Escapable of winning today, more
:22:37. > :22:42.than capable of winning. Hits that first control gate like a speed
:22:42. > :22:52.skater. Wearing the red bib as the leader in the standings for this
:22:52. > :22:52.
:22:52. > :22:58.season. He is the man to beat and might be the man to beat today.
:22:58. > :23:08.Hits the Hundschopf. He is in trouble and he is in the net! My
:23:08. > :23:09.
:23:09. > :23:13.word. I think he is OK. He is fine. So that's a big shock. If you look
:23:13. > :23:16.back at the crash, it didn't do anything wrong. He maybe didn't
:23:16. > :23:21.have quite enough pressure on the outside ski but it did look like
:23:21. > :23:24.his right ski just plain released. The safety bindings are designed to
:23:24. > :23:30.come off if you fall, but you don't want them to fall off if you are
:23:30. > :23:37.skiing normally. That's a very scary thing to happen.
:23:37. > :23:43.The Canadian Erik Guay. Off he goes. Looking for good speed at the top
:23:43. > :23:49.of the course. Following his run via the helicopter shot here. Look
:23:49. > :23:53.at them all, in their thousands watching this part of the course
:23:53. > :24:03.the Hundschopf, an iconic section of ski racing worldwide. Everyone
:24:03. > :24:07.
:24:08. > :24:17.knows this jump. He is winding down the windows slightly as arrives at
:24:18. > :24:20.
:24:20. > :24:29.the Minsch-Kante. Into the Kernen-S. Can he maintain that speed as he
:24:30. > :24:39.heads towards the railway bridge? He is marginally slower than he
:24:39. > :24:45.would have liked. It suggests he will be close to Innerhofer's time.
:24:45. > :24:50.Off into the forest. Sweeping left and right turns before he plunges
:24:50. > :25:00.down the fastest part of the course where we have seen the 100mph
:25:00. > :25:02.
:25:02. > :25:09.barrier broken by Johan Clarey. . Guay is within three quarters of
:25:09. > :25:14.a second of Innerhofer's time. If he can hold it together, if he can
:25:14. > :25:24.keep them running through these final few turns, Guay has a chance
:25:24. > :25:27.
:25:27. > :25:32.of pushing for a top three position. Still to come Klaus Kroell of
:25:32. > :25:39.Austria. Guay plunges towards the finish line. How close can he go?
:25:39. > :25:44.It's third for Erik Guay. Very fast on the part gliding part of the
:25:44. > :25:49.course. Where he lost the time is going through the Kernen-S. Lost
:25:49. > :25:53.pressure and didn't carry that acceleration that Innerhofer had
:25:53. > :25:57.through that section. When you make a mistake there you pay for it
:25:57. > :26:03.along that middle gliding section. Still not bad, third for the
:26:04. > :26:09.Canadian. The World Cup downhiller is next to go. When Klaus isn't
:26:09. > :26:14.steering his way to World Cup victories he competes in motocross.
:26:14. > :26:19.A crash in April left him with a broken foot but he managed to make
:26:19. > :26:27.the podium this season. Can the Austrian triumph again on Swiss
:26:27. > :26:35.snow? Klaus Croell of Austria. Can he
:26:35. > :26:43.make an impact on this race? Good glider.
:26:43. > :26:53.A man of unmatched experience in these mountains. What a start for
:26:53. > :26:57.
:26:57. > :27:07.Klaus Kroell. Heading for the Hundschopf. Great jump. Cleverly
:27:07. > :27:11.done. Kroell is moving beautifully down the mountain here in Wengen.
:27:11. > :27:21.The Kernen-S. Glides softly across the relatively soft snow. Often
:27:21. > :27:28.
:27:28. > :27:34.this course is icier. Now he dives down. Within half a second of
:27:34. > :27:41.Innerhofer's time. The Italian is watching carefully at the bottom of
:27:41. > :27:51.the hill. He closes the gap even further. Very tight. He can still
:27:51. > :27:57.win this. Good line there. Left-footed turn.
:27:57. > :28:03.Kroell is second for Austria. That was close! So if he looks back on
:28:03. > :28:07.his run he will look to that one turn, that right-hander going into
:28:07. > :28:11.the Kernen-S where his left ski washed away slightly, that cost him
:28:11. > :28:21.half a second and cost him the victory here in Wengen because he
:28:21. > :28:36.
:28:36. > :28:41.picked up speed after that mistake never take all risk because I was
:28:41. > :28:46.afraid to do something wrong. Now I say hey, risk all, you win or you
:28:46. > :28:52.go out. So I am really happy. It was an electric performance from
:28:52. > :29:02.the young guns, the best was Dominic Paris. Ben Thompson just
:29:02. > :29:06.missed out on the 100mph club recording 99.3mph and finished 12th.
:29:06. > :29:10.Max Franz was 14th. They couldn't keep the pace of the seniors. These
:29:10. > :29:20.unlucky racers couldn't keep up at all. 12 failed to control their
:29:20. > :29:21.
:29:21. > :29:29.speed on the Lauberhorn. Once again Lauberhorn lives up to
:29:29. > :29:36.the hype. Certainly does. A fantastic race. Innerhofer skied to
:29:36. > :29:39.near perfection and a speed for men's downhill. Congratulations to
:29:39. > :29:44.Innerhofer. Cast your minds back three years to the last winter
:29:44. > :29:47.Olympics where the star of the Games was Amy Williams. Her gold
:29:47. > :29:50.was Britain's first individual gold medal at the winter Olympics in
:29:50. > :29:57.over 30 years. Everybody's hoping we won't have to wait quite that
:29:57. > :30:07.long for the next one, and moving to Sochi next year a lot of hopes
:30:07. > :30:11.
:30:11. > :30:15.are are pinned on Elysee Christie. Having retired a if you months ago,
:30:15. > :30:21.today I'm going to give another ice sport a go. It's just as fast,
:30:21. > :30:25.furious a few crashes, but just a little bit flatter.
:30:25. > :30:33.Speed, grace, aggression, drama. Short-track speed-skate something
:30:33. > :30:40.compulsive viewing. Reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. It's a
:30:41. > :30:48.rare winter sport in which Team GB have a real Olympic pedigree.
:30:48. > :30:52.win the men's 500. And a bronze. years on, there is a new generation
:30:52. > :30:57.of potential British medal winners. Speed-skaters start early. At the
:30:57. > :31:05.rink by 7.00am for their first session on the ice. It's good it
:31:05. > :31:10.see you are all doing your own preparation. We skreed it, because
:31:10. > :31:14.it'll freeze and leave bumps. learning tips. Short track is one
:31:14. > :31:17.of the few winter sports that still has Lottery funding. It means the
:31:17. > :31:22.British squad can train full-time at a permanent home in Nottingham.
:31:22. > :31:28.It is a big reason for their recent success. Despite having won Olympic
:31:28. > :31:32.gold on ice, I've ever actually put on a pair of skates before. This is
:31:32. > :31:35.the first session of the morning for these guys. It's amazing
:31:35. > :31:41.watching them. They move around so much faster than I thought. And I'm
:31:41. > :31:44.having a go later on. A little bit nervous at the moment. It's just
:31:44. > :31:49.unbelievable. You can see the precision of them changing the
:31:49. > :31:52.blades over. I'm trying to watch them in the corners how many times
:31:52. > :31:56.they push and move over. I fear I'm not going to get to that point. I
:31:56. > :32:00.think I'll be lucky if I can stand on the skates. Nottingham might be
:32:00. > :32:04.a permanent base but the skaters aren't the only ones who use the
:32:04. > :32:08.ice and not everyone needs a crash barrier.
:32:08. > :32:13.In between sessions, while the ice dancer took over, I caught up with
:32:13. > :32:20.one of the sport's brightest medal hopes. Elise, how did you yourself
:32:20. > :32:25.get into it? Did you do figure skating first? I was a figure
:32:25. > :32:29.skater. I always had my heart set on being a figure skater and making
:32:29. > :32:34.it to the top. I thought I would do speed-skating to have extra ice and
:32:34. > :32:39.have fun. I skaited the British and did well and they asked me to come
:32:39. > :32:43.down. And I was like - oh, so it's time to stop figure skating and
:32:43. > :32:51.start speed-skating, I guess. I'm glad I ZI do think it is a much
:32:51. > :32:58.better sport. -- I'm glad I did. She is the best female short-track
:32:58. > :33:04.speed-skater over 100m in Britain. She has finished on the podium and
:33:04. > :33:09.has won in Japan last month. It is a nais feeling. You do all the hard
:33:09. > :33:14.training day-in and day-out. -- nice feeling. I think it is a bit
:33:14. > :33:17.easier to get there than it is to stay there. Now you have everyone
:33:17. > :33:21.chasing you. Do you feel any more pressure now knowing you are in the
:33:21. > :33:25.number one spot? I guess you know that feeling well. Especially going
:33:25. > :33:30.into the last race day. Going in as number one in Vancouver, I can't
:33:30. > :33:34.imagine how that felt and being the only British person. I remember
:33:34. > :33:39.watching it and thinking - wow. I think I do feel some. I mean I
:33:39. > :33:43.don't get that much media attention, so it is not so bad, really. But
:33:43. > :33:47.you want to make them proud more than anything, I guess. I just
:33:47. > :33:50.don't want to let people down and drop that number one spot. I want
:33:50. > :33:55.the people who have supported me to see I can do it for them in a way.
:33:55. > :33:58.So you do feel a bit of external pressure in that sense. We have had
:33:59. > :34:02.the success of London and now back into Sochi. How does that make you
:34:02. > :34:06.feel, you know the change from the summer and winter and the success
:34:06. > :34:10.and medal hopes, I guess? I do think, touch wood, but this is
:34:10. > :34:14.probably going to be the most successful Winter Olympics ever,
:34:14. > :34:18.probably for Britain. I guess watching you would have helped
:34:18. > :34:22.thinking - people can do it. You have to see it to believe it, I
:34:22. > :34:25.guess. With the skeleton, it is still doing well. There are results
:34:25. > :34:28.coming in and speed-skating has results coming in and a few other
:34:29. > :34:33.sports. The good thing now is that there's more people. I think that's
:34:33. > :34:38.such a good thing to be part of. I do think, hopefully, fingers
:34:38. > :34:43.crossed, that it'll all work out in Sochi. I'm hoping Elise is as good
:34:43. > :34:49.a coach as she is a skater. It is my turn to take to the ice and find
:34:49. > :34:55.out how tricky her sport is. way you put your laces in. It is
:34:55. > :34:59.different. I like the way you put your laces. In I don't want them
:34:59. > :35:05.dangling around. Safety conscious. It is good. When was the last time
:35:05. > :35:11.you saw a prr first-timer in ice- skating? -- proper. Well she was
:35:11. > :35:21.three. As opposed to 30. Just getting on to the ice was a
:35:21. > :35:23.
:35:23. > :35:27.challenge. OK, the first few laps. Interesting.
:35:27. > :35:37.I haven't fallen over. It's a really nice feeling. I can see why
:35:37. > :35:41.these guys love what they do. She has learnt very quickly and
:35:41. > :35:51.enjoyed herself which is amazing. She has determination.
:35:51. > :35:56.Despite my nerves, the competitor in me took over.
:35:56. > :36:02.I can't stop. I like it. This is a great sport. I can get why they
:36:02. > :36:06.like going fast. It's smooth. I'm out of breath. There's a thrill of
:36:06. > :36:11.when you can feel the wind going and I'm going slow compared to
:36:11. > :36:17.those guys. Yeah, it's like a buzz. I'm buzzing. I love it. I'm going
:36:17. > :36:19.to come back for my second lesson. Elise has started 2013 in fantastic
:36:20. > :36:25.storm. At the European Championships in Sweden she's
:36:25. > :36:30.already picked up gold in the 1500 m and she is going into her
:36:30. > :36:33.favourite event, the 1,000 m today. We haven't had an Olympic medal
:36:34. > :36:43.contender on skis for quite a few years but for Sochi things are
:36:43. > :36:53.looking up. We have high hopes in a freestyle skier from Sheffield.
:36:53. > :36:55.
:36:55. > :37:01.My name is James Woods. I'm 20. I do freestyle skiing slopestyle. I
:37:01. > :37:06.did a lot of rollerblading. I went up and gave this a go. The cheapest
:37:06. > :37:10.way to carry on was to join the ski club. I Zfreestyle skiing is the
:37:10. > :37:14.coolest thing you have ever, ever seen. There's lots of spinning
:37:14. > :37:21.around and going upside down and rail slides and loads of stuff you
:37:21. > :37:25.have never seen bfrplt the routine is to do something no-one has ever
:37:25. > :37:30.done before. 2014, winter Olympic Games. Massive. I didn't have as
:37:30. > :37:40.much of a opinion after I went to London 2012 this year. Now I get
:37:40. > :37:45.some serious goosebumps. Towering above the skiers on the
:37:45. > :37:55.Labuerhorn, are three of the great mountains of the Swiss Alps, the
:37:55. > :37:58.
:37:58. > :38:04.munch, the Yungfr ouand the eager. -- the Jungfrau.
:38:04. > :38:08.The North face of the eager is a sheer ice wall that Franz fixes
:38:08. > :38:18.anyone who stands under it. For 150 years people have been captivated
:38:18. > :38:21.
:38:21. > :38:28.by it. Tried to climb it. And in many tragic cases, have died on it.
:38:28. > :38:35.Eiger, translates as ogre. The North Face is known as the Wall of
:38:35. > :38:42.Dead. And in German as the murder wall. In 19 35 the race to be the
:38:42. > :38:47.first up the wall had begun. Munich mountainers attempted the climb.
:38:47. > :38:51.The weather changed quickly on the face and they became trapped. A few
:38:51. > :38:58.days litter, when the storm cleared, their bodies were found. They'd
:38:58. > :39:08.frozen to death. Disaster followed disaster. In 1936
:39:08. > :39:09.
:39:09. > :39:14.a team of four climbers were swept off the wald by an avalanche. Three
:39:14. > :39:18.were were killed instantly but one was left dangling and still alive.
:39:18. > :39:23.Mountain rescue teams tried to save him and the awful drama could be
:39:23. > :39:28.seen by the crowds gathered below. I said, "I will give you a knife
:39:28. > :39:33.and you have to cut the rope above you because I'm so good here, we
:39:33. > :39:42.are all good. We are 100% and you don't fall more than five metres to
:39:42. > :39:48.us and we will hold you. Cut the rope and you will be safe." After
:39:48. > :39:52.the third day Tom Kurts lost his battle with the rope. His death
:39:52. > :40:01.caused outrage. Climbing was banned in Switzerland. The Alpine journal
:40:01. > :40:11.Ed for called it an obsession for the mentally deranged. In 1938, the
:40:11. > :40:15.climb was attempted again by a German-Austrian party.
:40:15. > :40:22.We understated the whole thing. The height, the difficulties and the
:40:22. > :40:31.snows, the storms, the difficulty to find a place, for instance. You
:40:31. > :40:41.English have a wonderful saying - have a plan and stick to it. We did.
:40:41. > :40:44.
:40:44. > :40:49.On July - in July they finally hit the spot. Hitler and others
:40:49. > :40:55.revelled. That perhaps should have been that but the obsession with
:40:55. > :41:01.the wald continued to challenge. Graveyard as it is, the climbing
:41:01. > :41:09.world still look and wonder whether there is another route, a direct
:41:09. > :41:19.route, a new line, straight for the summit over every over-hang, up
:41:19. > :41:19.
:41:19. > :41:24.every ice pass. And the wald claimed yet more lives. In 1961 an
:41:24. > :41:29.engishman died and his companion rescued. A year later, Chris
:41:29. > :41:36.Bonning ton became the first Briton to ascend the wall. The infatuation
:41:36. > :41:40.with the wall was incomprehensible to outsiders.
:41:40. > :41:44.You have done one route up the North Face, why on earth are you
:41:44. > :41:49.going up again, risking your neck. I don't like that tefrplt we have
:41:49. > :41:53.taken trouble and time thinking about this route and have planned
:41:53. > :41:59.it. We are prepared always to turn back. We are certainly not taking
:41:59. > :42:09.unjustified risks. To this day people take on new challenges. In
:42:09. > :42:10.
:42:10. > :42:16.2008 a solo climber took just two hours, 47 minutes and 33 seconds.
:42:16. > :42:26.And climbers are going up faster and faster, base jumpers fling
:42:26. > :42:26.
:42:26. > :42:31.themself off it, speed riders fly down it. The obsession continues.
:42:31. > :42:35.It may seem over time that the Eiger has become more benign, but
:42:35. > :42:40.you can never underestimate it. I have seen first hand what a storm
:42:40. > :42:44.can do on the Eiger and its notoriety will never aby the, but
:42:44. > :42:48.neither will the obsession of climbers, to test themselves
:42:48. > :42:53.against it. I'm pleased to say we will not be throwing ourselves off
:42:53. > :42:57.any part of the Eiger this year. We are saving ourselves from St Moritz
:42:57. > :43:01.where we naively take on Amy Williams in the bob track. Next
:43:01. > :43:06.week we are in Austria for the most terrifying race of them all,
:43:06. > :43:09.Kitzbuhel. The only race that sends him into a cold sweat. You can
:43:09. > :43:15.watch the Kitzbuhel slalom live on the red button on Sunday morning.
:43:15. > :43:21.Ed is travelling to Lake Tahoe, California, to meet one of his
:43:21. > :43:25.idols, a legend of snowboarding. Mr Tom Burt. Straight after the
:43:25. > :43:35.show you can watch more ski racing on the red button and keep up with
:43:35. > :43:36.
:43:36. > :43:44.us on Twitter using the hashtag skeetweeth. Dump