:00:48. > :00:53.Hello and welcome to Ski Sunday. I'm afraid to say it's the last of
:00:53. > :00:56.the series. It's been an incredible year. We have travelled up mountain
:00:56. > :01:05.ranges, had our ups and downs, and it's safe to say, Gra, I've had
:01:05. > :01:09.about enough of you. So that's it, then? Yes. I'm in Meribel, it's the
:01:09. > :01:19.women's downhill. Are you coming? No, thanks - I'm going to go to
:01:19. > :01:30.
:01:30. > :01:40.Laax to cover some snowboarding. Welcome to Meribel, where it's all
:01:40. > :01:43.
:01:43. > :01:53.about speed. Welcome to Laax, where It's the women's downhill, where
:01:53. > :01:56.
:01:56. > :02:06.the fastest women fly down this beautiful mountain. It's Slopestyle,
:02:06. > :02:27.
:02:27. > :02:36.where we turn snow sports on their BOTH: Welcome to Ski Sunday. Who
:02:36. > :02:39.needs Ed anyway, because I've got someone even better?! Stacey Cook,
:02:39. > :02:42.you are currently lying second in the downhill. Lindsey is out for
:02:42. > :02:52.the rest of the season with injury, it's a massive opportunity to take
:02:52. > :03:12.
:03:12. > :03:16.$:/ENDFEED.Yes, it's a position I How many racers do you think have
:03:16. > :03:19.the opportunity to win it? Five can realistically do it, but Lindsey's
:03:19. > :03:21.also still that far ahead that it will take three good races from any
:03:21. > :03:31.to overtake her, so it's not a given that Lindsey's out of this
:03:31. > :03:33.
:03:33. > :03:38.What is it like competing in a sport where one slip, one crash can
:03:39. > :03:41.leave you injured for the rest of the season? We definitely know the
:03:41. > :03:51.consequences of our sport, but it's those consequences that make it so
:03:51. > :03:51.
:03:51. > :03:56.much more fun. The risks you take is part of the thrill and being
:03:56. > :03:58.aggressive is what it takes to overcome the consequences. If you
:03:58. > :04:01.keep it positive and keep the aggressive attitude, for the most
:04:01. > :04:03.part you are likely to stay safe. If you back off scared that bad
:04:04. > :04:06.things will happen, you try to keep it in the right mindset and not
:04:06. > :04:09.worry about what could be. What is the best thing about being a
:04:09. > :04:15.downhill racer? Well, the thrill is obviously the best thing, but I
:04:15. > :04:19.also really like that we get two to three runs in this event. It allows
:04:19. > :04:25.you to bring out your best skiing on race day. For the spectators,
:04:25. > :04:29.they get to see the absolute best skiing from us. What are the
:04:29. > :04:33.conditions like in Meribel and what's the course like? It's a
:04:33. > :04:37.really difficult course to remember. There is so much training and you
:04:37. > :04:47.have to memorise it really well. It takes a few times through. You will
:04:47. > :04:49.
:04:49. > :04:54.find that out when you get up there. moved the start of this course to
:04:54. > :05:04.the rock fair piste. Beautiful conditions and I'll have a look at
:05:04. > :05:14.it now and do my best to stay online. Into the tuck. Trying to
:05:14. > :05:18.
:05:18. > :05:28.stay smooth and relaxed. It's the first jump of the course. Now I'm
:05:28. > :05:33.approaching the tunnel. It's a big, right-footed turn that brings you
:05:33. > :05:38.on to this spine where you have to make a quick move one side. Then
:05:38. > :05:43.the other. And set up high for this turn. A lot of pressure on the ski
:05:43. > :05:51.as you power down through here. Now, this is the terrain that Stacey was
:05:51. > :06:01.talking about. Having to work the ski through these turns. Long,
:06:01. > :06:02.
:06:03. > :06:12.sweeping left-footer. Then this part of the course. They've changed
:06:13. > :06:16.
:06:16. > :06:21.the flags to blue so you can pick them up against the red fencing.
:06:21. > :06:31.Almost in sight of the finish now. You can see the town of Meribel as
:06:31. > :06:47.
:06:47. > :06:49.you attack these sweeping turns. A little bumpy. Compared to
:06:49. > :06:54.Schladming, snow conditions couldn't be better here. Over to
:06:54. > :06:57.Matt for the commentary and my money's on Matt Chilton.
:06:57. > :07:03.We have a glorious Alpine morning in the heart of the French alps for
:07:03. > :07:13.the women's sixth World Cup downhill of the season. Nadia Kamer
:07:13. > :07:19.on her way for Switzerland. Tall, powerful racer. And she's
:07:19. > :07:28.accelerated quickly at the top of this course. 1700ths faster than
:07:28. > :07:35.Sejersted of Norway. And the next split is even better for Kamer. A
:07:35. > :07:41.lot of work on this course for her during the summer. Meribel will
:07:41. > :07:46.host the World Cup finals in 2015. A big event for which they're
:07:46. > :07:52.preparing over the next couple of years. Kamer in good shape on the
:07:52. > :07:59.Olympic course. 0.41. This is really solid in the mid section and
:07:59. > :08:04.she stays inside the blue racing corridor there. Last time the women
:08:04. > :08:08.raced in the World Cup here was back in 1994. It's been a long wait.
:08:08. > :08:14.This is only area of the course which is in shade. The rest of it
:08:14. > :08:22.is in glorious Alpine sunshine. And Sejersted's lead is in danger as
:08:22. > :08:29.Nadia Kamer comes to the final section. Just leaning into that
:08:29. > :08:34.control to send her on to the steep. A tricky section coming up. This
:08:34. > :08:43.big sweeping left-footed turn. She's got that right. And Kamer
:08:43. > :08:51.will lead for Switzerland. Good run. It was minus 15 this morning but
:08:51. > :08:54.it's warmed up nicely now. Not sure if it warrants a full face mask.
:08:54. > :08:58.Nadia Kamer seemed to be a bit hard on her edges on the left-footer as
:08:58. > :09:08.you come on to the finished pitch. That could cost her later on in the
:09:08. > :09:11.
:09:11. > :09:21.race, but Kamer's in the lead. Mardschand-Avier is into the red
:09:21. > :09:37.
:09:37. > :09:42.line. Very, very close on that control gate. Now she dives down on
:09:42. > :09:45.to this flat section. She'll be looking for speed across this
:09:45. > :09:52.traverse which sends her on one side of the mountain over to the
:09:52. > :09:59.other. This is a key turn, the left-footed turn coming up here, a
:09:59. > :10:03.long, sweeping angular turn which she must get right. Brilliantly
:10:03. > :10:06.done from Mardschand-Avier. A little hop with her right ski, got
:10:06. > :10:16.a little bit of daylight between the ski and the snow for a split
:10:16. > :10:19.
:10:19. > :10:23.second. No real mistakes. Now Mardschand-Avier's faster. Hence
:10:23. > :10:32.they've turned up the volume in the finish area. They're expecting
:10:32. > :10:36.great things from the new world champion. Maybe Mardschand-Avier
:10:36. > :10:43.can give France the lead here in Meribel and she does! 0.41. A fine
:10:43. > :10:46.run. Mardschand-Avier, not particularly
:10:46. > :10:49.that fast at the top part of the course, but once you get down into
:10:49. > :10:54.the trees on to the finish pitch, she was very, very good,
:10:55. > :11:04.accelerating out of each turn. Brilliant skiing but still early
:11:05. > :11:06.
:11:06. > :11:11.American felt she had her best ever season last year with five top ten
:11:11. > :11:21.finishes. At the end of this year, she may look back and think this is
:11:21. > :11:22.
:11:22. > :11:25.the best season ever. Two wins and she can take the downhill crown.
:11:25. > :11:28.Can she start that charge here today?
:11:28. > :11:37.Makes sure she has a good grip with the ski poles and she has a look
:11:37. > :11:45.ahead and gets ready to race. Powerful start. Really driving for
:11:45. > :11:52.speed at the top as she comes on to the Olympic downhill course. Gold
:11:52. > :11:56.medal here in '92 was won by Kerry Garrtner from Canada. She's 300ths
:11:56. > :12:03.faster than Mardschand-Avier. She's a good glider and should be able to
:12:03. > :12:13.generate good speed on the flatter section of this course. Slightly
:12:13. > :12:19.low there. She had to react to make sure of the next gate. Comes from
:12:19. > :12:29.Mammoth Mountain in California, has twice been a runner-up. Both times,
:12:29. > :12:32.the races were won by Lindsey Vonn. Dead level with Mardschand-Avier.
:12:32. > :12:34.That could be a key mistake that, from Stacey Cook, outside of the
:12:34. > :12:41.blue racing corridor, and she's drifting again. Her composure's
:12:42. > :12:49.been lost. The next bit, she's bound to be behind Mardschand-Avier
:12:49. > :12:56.whose time is 123.08 and Cook is now nearly four seconds adrift.
:12:56. > :13:00.A couple of mistakes. And another. She's having to try and adjust her
:13:00. > :13:06.ski racing line. She's now all over the place. Looking tentative over
:13:06. > :13:13.her skis. She'll be happy to finish in one piece. It started well, it
:13:13. > :13:20.finished poorly for the American and she's only 13th at the moment.
:13:20. > :13:23.A massive disappointment for Stacey Cook. She was quick on the top part
:13:23. > :13:27.of the course and carrying speed well through that chicane and on to
:13:27. > :13:30.the big, sweeping right hand of the carousel turn. Just as she went
:13:30. > :13:33.from the intermediate time, she got late to the line, got pushed out on
:13:33. > :13:37.to the softer snow of the course, running such a wider line on a
:13:37. > :13:47.couple of gates that she had to be a lot slower. Massive
:13:47. > :13:53.
:13:54. > :14:01.Lichtenstein. For those of you who've been watching, you will know
:14:01. > :14:03.her name because her father won a few World Cup downhills for Austria.
:14:03. > :14:13.Her mother another legend, an Olympic champion for Lichtenstein
:14:13. > :14:14.
:14:14. > :14:20.and a solid established ski racing pedigree. Her uncle, Andy, was a
:14:20. > :14:27.double Olympic medallist as well, picked up 14 World Cup wins. She's
:14:27. > :14:34.been very close to winning in the last couple of seasons, Tina. She
:14:34. > :14:40.lacks a bit of bulk, but technically is a very strong skier.
:14:40. > :14:45.She's in touch. 1600ths of a second behind the time of Marie
:14:45. > :14:51.Mardschand-Avier who still leads for France. This big left-hander
:14:51. > :14:56.sends Weirather upwards. She landed a little lower than she might have
:14:56. > :15:04.liked. A couple of training runs earlier in the week and a detailed
:15:04. > :15:07.course inspection this morning. Weirather I think knows that she
:15:07. > :15:11.needed to be higher on landing there and she's paid the price near
:15:11. > :15:15.mistake, 0.38 behind. Lots of noise again from the French supporters.
:15:15. > :15:21.It looks as if Maria Mardschand- Avier's lead will remain intact.
:15:21. > :15:31.Last turn for Tina Weirather. 142.77 to beat and she's missed it
:15:31. > :15:36.
:15:36. > :15:46.and goes third for the moment. have the power and bodyweight for
:15:46. > :15:54.
:15:54. > :16:04.Merighetti. She was second in the downhill at St Anton just a few
:16:04. > :16:05.
:16:05. > :16:15.weeks ago. She did not feature among the top places there, where
:16:15. > :16:17.
:16:17. > :16:23.the gold went to Marion Rolland. She is in good shape here. Dead
:16:23. > :16:26.level at the second intermediate with Marie Marchand-Arvier. Hands
:16:26. > :16:35.thrust forward, looking for good speed, as she cuts her way through
:16:35. > :16:38.the air. At the next split, she is still equal with the French racer.
:16:38. > :16:44.Nothing to choose between them. This left footed turn could be
:16:44. > :16:49.key... Oh, it did not look quite so smooth from Daniela Merighetti, she
:16:49. > :16:56.was leaning backwards for a fraction of a second. That might
:16:56. > :17:01.have cost her the chance to take the lead. Let's see. At the next
:17:01. > :17:09.split, she is into the red zone. Another mistake on that chicane
:17:09. > :17:13.section. It looks as if Marie Marchand-Arvier's lead is safe for
:17:13. > :17:23.France. And they have still got the downhill champion of the world to
:17:23. > :17:32.
:17:32. > :17:34.come. Daniela Merighetti is down in are old friends and bitter rivals.
:17:34. > :17:42.Maria has had an impressive all- round World Championships, so this
:17:42. > :17:52.might be the moment for her to step out of the American's shadow.
:17:52. > :17:53.
:17:53. > :17:56.Number 20, for Germany, Maria Hoefl-Riesch. She has not had a
:17:56. > :17:58.great season at World Cup level, by her standards. But she had a very
:17:58. > :18:02.good Schladming World Championships, where she took the gold in the
:18:02. > :18:07.Super Combined and the bronze in this event, the downhill. She comes
:18:07. > :18:13.to Meribel full of confidence. She has got fast skis and all the
:18:13. > :18:23.resources of the German team behind her. She is behind at the first
:18:23. > :18:27.intermediate by six hundredths of a second. That was a super jump.
:18:27. > :18:32.0.13, she is hot on the heels of Marie Marchand-Arvier. Nothing
:18:32. > :18:37.wrong with this so far. She was very fast in training on Thursday
:18:37. > :18:44.and Friday. Can she use that experience now to get a solid
:18:45. > :18:47.performance on downhill day? It looks good for Maria Hoefl-Riesch.
:18:47. > :18:52.Confidence has been lacking, but that is now restored, following her
:18:52. > :19:01.two medals in Schladming. And she is getting closer! Nine hundredths
:19:01. > :19:04.of a second behind. This turn is key. The exit is solid. She does
:19:04. > :19:14.not lose too much speed, and she sets up now to go through the
:19:14. > :19:15.
:19:15. > :19:18.forest, and the run for the line. It has gone a little quiet at the
:19:18. > :19:25.foot of the Roc de Fer, as Maria Hoefl-Riesch switches on the green
:19:25. > :19:29.light, seven hundredths of a second faster. The German, skiing to deny
:19:29. > :19:38.Marie Marchand-Arvier potentially her first World Cup win. How close
:19:38. > :19:43.can she go? She is fastest! Maria Hoefl-Riesch leads the way in
:19:43. > :19:47.Meribel. Well, Maria Hoefl-Riesch, one
:19:47. > :19:49.hundredth of a second, she silences the French crowd. Her downhill has
:19:49. > :19:52.not been going that well this season, but she won gold in the
:19:52. > :19:54.combined in the World Championships, and it has given her a whole new
:19:54. > :20:03.lease of confidence, together with brilliant skiing, particularly
:20:03. > :20:10.through the shady parts of the course. The big, tall, powerful
:20:10. > :20:12.German is in the lead. Next to go is the dominant force in
:20:12. > :20:20.women's skiing this season, Tina Maze, who has got twice as many
:20:20. > :20:22.points as her nearest rival in the overall standings. She left the
:20:22. > :20:29.World Championships with one gold and two silvers, as well as getting
:20:29. > :20:36.to perform her hit single in traditional Austrian dress. The
:20:36. > :20:42.stand-out skier of the season, Tina Maze. She has won in Super-G, giant
:20:42. > :20:48.slalom and slalom this season. The only discipline she has not
:20:48. > :20:52.conquered is downhill. Maybe today in Meribel. She was quickest in
:20:52. > :20:59.training on Thursday, second fastest in training on Friday. She
:20:59. > :21:07.loves this course. Seventh in the World Championship downhill in
:21:07. > :21:12.Schladming. Tina Maze, looking solid at the top. How close is she
:21:12. > :21:19.to the time of Maria Hoefl-Riesch? Very close. 15 hundredths of a
:21:19. > :21:28.second adrift. Oh, a little low in the line there. A slight skid from
:21:28. > :21:34.Tina Maze. She comes into the shaded area in the forest. She
:21:34. > :21:39.opens her hands out wide, which will slow her down a bit. And Tina
:21:39. > :21:45.Maze is now back in the red, a quarter of a second behind. She
:21:45. > :21:50.took that gate really tight, that was a brave turn. On to the last
:21:50. > :22:00.section. It has been a good run, but I do not think it is going to
:22:00. > :22:05.be good enough to win in Meribel. And it is not.
:22:05. > :22:10.This is going to be one of those really, really tight races. Tina
:22:10. > :22:13.Maze managed to make up an awful lot of time on the last four turns.
:22:13. > :22:17.She came within sight of the finish and clattered that control gate. In
:22:17. > :22:24.downhill, you are not wearing much padding, and that would have hurt.
:22:24. > :22:29.And she clattered the next one as well. Great skiing from Tina Maze.
:22:29. > :22:33.Next to race will be the French skier Marion Rolland. She won the
:22:33. > :22:43.downhill at the World Championships this month. That gold represents
:22:43. > :22:49.
:22:49. > :22:59.quite a comeback after her from France. Will this be a
:22:59. > :23:03.
:23:03. > :23:10.glorious homecoming? She is out of the gate. Her story is one of zero
:23:10. > :23:13.to hero. In the Olympic downhill, in Whistler Mountain, for the
:23:13. > :23:19.Vancouver Games, in 2010, she came straight out of the gate and fell
:23:19. > :23:29.flat on her face. It was a comical moment, almost, but she blew her
:23:29. > :23:31.
:23:31. > :23:38.knee and was out for the rest of the season. And she leads the way!
:23:38. > :23:46.Two hundredths faster than Maria Hoefl-Riesch. Now, the noise levels
:23:46. > :23:55.are rising at the foot of the Roc de Fer. Hands forward, totally
:23:55. > :24:01.focused. This right footed turn is beginning to chew up a bit. She is
:24:01. > :24:06.having to stand tall and absorb the lumps and bumps of the hill.
:24:06. > :24:14.A little skid on landing. Has that cost her the chance to lead the
:24:14. > :24:17.way? The French, still with Marie Marchand-Arvier in second, but they
:24:17. > :24:21.would love Marion Rolland to back up her World Championship gold with
:24:21. > :24:28.victory here in Meribel. I think it is unlikely now, following a couple
:24:28. > :24:34.of mistakes. And she stood tall again. She is getting chucked
:24:34. > :24:37.around, as the course starts to deteriorate. Maria Hoefl-Riesch's
:24:37. > :24:43.lead is safe, and that is only eighth for Marion Rolland, which is
:24:43. > :24:50.disappointing. The first three splits had the
:24:50. > :24:58.crowd cheering. She was in touch until halfway down, when she went
:24:58. > :25:01.into the shade, and she got bounced and hit quite hard by the bumps.
:25:01. > :25:07.And then, on that final, big turn, coming in towards the finish, she
:25:07. > :25:15.went round a bit too straight so had to get hard on the edges.
:25:15. > :25:24.That's where her time was lost. Next, from Spain, Carolina Ruiz
:25:24. > :25:29.Castillo. She is from the south of Spain. Actually, she was originally
:25:29. > :25:38.from Chile, but she races for Spain. She trains up on the hills of the
:25:38. > :25:44.Sierra Nevada. Great top section here from Ruiz Castillo, who has
:25:44. > :25:46.never won a World Cup race. Sometimes, she puts down really
:25:46. > :25:52.good performances in pre-race training runs, and then lets the
:25:52. > :26:00.nerves get the better of her on race day. But things are going
:26:00. > :26:04.smoothly so far. The next gate gives us a really good idea. And
:26:04. > :26:12.Ruiz Castillo is flying down the Roc de Fer. What a good top
:26:12. > :26:18.section! No Spanish racer has ever won a World Cup downhill. Can she
:26:18. > :26:20.deny Maria Hoefl-Riesch the victory? It has been green all the
:26:20. > :26:30.way for the Spaniard, who is coached by Mark Tilston, from
:26:30. > :26:35.
:26:35. > :26:37.Scotland. Yes, it is getting better and better. Vastly experienced,
:26:37. > :26:41.Carolina Ruiz Castillo, but has she got the stamina to see this one
:26:41. > :26:46.through to the end? She is getting a little bounced around. But that
:26:46. > :26:56.was a good turn. Ruiz Castillo goes for the line, and takes it! What a
:26:56. > :26:57.
:26:57. > :27:01.run from the Spaniard! Fantastic! Well, to say that was a shock would
:27:01. > :27:07.be a bit of an understatement. Carolina Ruiz Castillo can hardly
:27:07. > :27:09.believe it herself. A superb run. Very, very fast on the top section
:27:09. > :27:19.of the course, but then she was able to keep the speed through all
:27:19. > :27:21.of those technical sections. She is actually coached by a British coach,
:27:21. > :27:26.Mark Tilston, Chemmy Alcott's old coach, so there is some little bit
:27:26. > :27:34.of British celebration to be going on tonight in Meribel.
:27:34. > :27:44.Regina Sterz, for Austria. She got married in June of last year. She
:27:44. > :27:45.
:27:45. > :27:48.was quickest in the second training run. Ruiz Castillo watching
:27:48. > :27:54.nervously now, because she knows that Regina Sterz had a good day on
:27:54. > :28:04.this hill in training yesterday. But on race day, it is not quite so
:28:04. > :28:07.
:28:07. > :28:15.good, and she is 0.65 off the pace. Regina Sterz is in good shape, no
:28:15. > :28:18.real mistakes. I'm not sure if she is quite as quick across the snow.
:28:19. > :28:23.Maybe there is a problem with ski preparation, compared to yesterday.
:28:24. > :28:31.Half a second behind! The best she could hope for here is a place in
:28:31. > :28:39.the top five. Into the shaded area. The Spaniard Ruiz Castillo,
:28:39. > :28:43.watching at the bottom of the course, is now beginning to believe.
:28:43. > :28:51.Regina Sterz has found a tenth. Can she find a couple more, and get
:28:51. > :28:56.herself on the podium in Meribel? The final turn - this is where Ruiz
:28:56. > :29:00.Castillo was so strong. Regina Sterz goes a bit wide, and she
:29:00. > :29:07.finishes in fifth at the end. That is a bit disappointing, after such
:29:07. > :29:09.a strong training run. So, she could not match Ruiz
:29:09. > :29:19.Castillo on the top part of the course, perhaps the skis not
:29:19. > :29:21.
:29:21. > :29:23.running quite so well. But she got a very respectable fifth place.
:29:23. > :29:33.Well, what a shock result for Carolina Ruiz Castillo, who wins
:29:33. > :29:35.
:29:35. > :29:37.the downhill in Meribel. We tried to make some changes from
:29:37. > :29:41.the training run yesterday, going for the win, and maybe we tried to
:29:41. > :29:49.take a bit too much risk, but as a team, we all messed up in exactly
:29:49. > :29:54.the same spot. That is not a good day as a team. But we did what we
:29:54. > :30:03.could, there is no lack of effort. Sometimes it just does not pay off.
:30:03. > :30:12.A bit of a surprise winner. Yes, it is awesome. She is such a friendly
:30:12. > :30:15.person, so positive, and it is so exciting to see her get that win.
:30:15. > :30:20.It is a perfect day, something I have been looking for for such a
:30:20. > :30:25.long time. A lot of work behind this, a lot of good and bad days. I
:30:25. > :30:32.am just happy. And you are coached by a British coach, Mark Tilston -
:30:32. > :30:37.what is he like to work with? good. Since we have been working
:30:37. > :30:41.together, I have changed a lot of things. In the end, it is something
:30:41. > :30:51.special. We work a lot on the technique, also on the mental and
:30:51. > :30:53.
:30:53. > :31:03.on the physical. I have improved every year a little bit. How does
:31:03. > :31:03.
:31:03. > :31:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds
:31:47. > :31:56.this day rate in all of your days snowboard slope style, pushing
:31:56. > :32:03.athleticism to jaw-dropping limits. Challenging their creativity,
:32:03. > :32:13.examining the minutiae of their technique. A mind-blowing spectacle,
:32:13. > :32:17.the newest, most anticipated event at the Winter Olympics. And from a
:32:17. > :32:24.British perspective, things are British perspective, things are
:32:24. > :32:26.looking very promising. Here in Laax, it's the European Open,
:32:26. > :32:29.everyone from 12-year-olds to retired Olympic gold medallists
:32:29. > :32:33.come here to compete, meaning some of the British faces will be seen
:32:33. > :32:40.in Sochi next year and they're also here now.
:32:40. > :32:42.I really, really want to go. I'm hoping I'll qualify. Never thought
:32:43. > :32:49.what I'm doing now would be a possibility, travelling all over
:32:50. > :32:52.the world and competing. It's a bit of a dream come true, really.
:32:52. > :32:58.Olympics is like the big one that everybody does and wants to win.
:32:58. > :33:01.That's basically the dream. It gets you in the eye of the public and
:33:01. > :33:06.instead of the X Games and stuff. What do you need to do to get
:33:06. > :33:13.there? To get to Sochi, you need to do the World Cup circuit. I've made
:33:13. > :33:16.the quarter spot now. To qualify, you need two top 20s, now I need to
:33:16. > :33:23.stay in the top 30. Provided you are fit, that's relatively
:33:23. > :33:29.straightforward? Yes, yes. Jamie should be joining the men's
:33:29. > :33:39.team by Billy Morgan who came from gymnastics quite recently. His fast
:33:39. > :33:42.
:33:42. > :33:48.development as a skier has been extraordinary. Billy's come from a
:33:48. > :33:50.different background, gymnastic, same as my cousin, Katy. He has a
:33:50. > :33:57.great awareness of when he's in the air, especially when he's doing
:33:57. > :34:07.doubles, it seems too easy for him. The pace of snowboarding is moving
:34:07. > :34:07.
:34:07. > :34:10.phenomenally, why is that? Everything's so secretive. People
:34:10. > :34:14.go off and you're like, where the heck did he learn that and you have
:34:14. > :34:17.got to do with it. It was all about the double cork, suddenly almost on
:34:17. > :34:22.cue, the year before the Olympics, the triple cork arrives. Are you
:34:22. > :34:27.actively working on them now? It's something I'm going to let
:34:27. > :34:33.build up. I'm going to keep my head down, keep having fun, riding jumps
:34:33. > :34:36.and see how it goes. At the moment, I am kind of working on one. I've
:34:36. > :34:45.not really said much about it, but, to be honest, I'm going to try go
:34:45. > :34:47.for it at some point. We'll see what happens.
:34:47. > :34:50.Jamie and Billy will continue to push themselves in preparation for
:34:50. > :34:56.Sochi. And, on the women's side, the GB team have an unprecedented,
:34:56. > :35:00.the GB team have an unprecedented, but very welcome selection headache.
:35:01. > :35:04.We've got Master Jones and then Katy and I'm the one in the middle.
:35:04. > :35:09.There are three of you in the running. Is it possible all three
:35:09. > :35:13.of you can qualify? We've each got to get two top 12 results which I
:35:13. > :35:16.think all three of us are perfectly capable of. It will be an awesome
:35:16. > :35:25.experience for all three of us to go, three Brits, three snowboarders
:35:25. > :35:27.there. I started doing the World Cups to
:35:27. > :35:33.qualify for the Olympics and I'm not trying to put too much pressure
:35:33. > :35:36.on myself because I know that could be bad. You are only 15 now, but it
:35:36. > :35:43.feels like I've heard your name for nine or ten years? Yes, I've been
:35:43. > :35:46.snowboarding a long time. I'd say my main inspiration is Jamie
:35:46. > :35:52.because he's my cousin and he does really well. But also Jenny Jones
:35:52. > :35:55.because she won the X Games three times which was amazing to see.
:35:55. > :35:59.We have a massively exciting young team at the moment, especially in
:35:59. > :36:01.free ski and freestyle snowboard. It's a legacy that's been
:36:01. > :36:04.developing over a number of years, very much led by Jenny Jones and
:36:04. > :36:06.her huge successors in the X Games, the fact that she's British opened
:36:06. > :36:16.up a huge store for freestyle snowboarding which has created a
:36:16. > :36:20.
:36:20. > :36:22.lot of momentum that the young riders can jump on the back of.
:36:23. > :36:26.Literally, the last year or two, it's noticeable that we have this
:36:27. > :36:31.amazing team. Great coaches and the support, also the funding now. It
:36:31. > :36:34.has exploded, it's like, wow, what's going on. It seems there is
:36:34. > :36:37.more people coming through now and the sport is more well-known to
:36:37. > :36:45.people in the UK. I hope more younger people will follow in our
:36:45. > :36:46.footsteps. It's such a good opportunity to be able to go to the
:36:46. > :36:53.Olympics, get that experience and hopefully get other people
:36:53. > :37:03.interested in snowboarding. It's such a fun sport so why not share
:37:03. > :37:16.
:37:16. > :37:21.What are your goals for Sochi, looking at the whole British theme?
:37:21. > :37:25.We'll only have had support for a couple of seasons. There is only so
:37:25. > :37:27.much you can do in a certain amount of time. But I would love to see
:37:27. > :37:31.all the riders that we have competing in the stage, reaching
:37:31. > :37:37.their potential. We have riders who have potential to be up there in
:37:37. > :37:39.the top five. We have hopes and are quietly confident.
:37:39. > :37:44.Looking forward to Sochi, let's say slow start finals, ten best riders
:37:44. > :37:49.in the world, you are one of them. Are you going to turn it on?
:37:49. > :37:55.Oh, yes, mate, I'd do it anything. I don't care. It would be like all-
:37:55. > :37:59.or-nothing. I'm competitive so any pressure I feel is pressure I
:37:59. > :38:08.literally put on myself, but it's a good kind of pressure. I'm really
:38:08. > :38:14.motivated to succeed. Desire and talent - two qualities
:38:14. > :38:16.the GB snowboard slope star riders have in abundance. Success in Sochi
:38:16. > :38:19.will encourage even more youngsters into the sport. And with the levels
:38:19. > :38:29.and depth of talent already so high, the future is looking very bright
:38:29. > :38:29.
:38:29. > :38:31.for British snowboarding. That is it from Laax. Now, you may
:38:31. > :38:34.have noticed that Olympic skeleton goal medallist Aimee Williams
:38:34. > :38:40.joined the team and showed us the ins and outs of the St Moritz bob
:38:40. > :38:50.track. We decided to give her a lesson on the piste, returning the
:38:50. > :38:53.favour. This is Ski Sunday after Olympic winter gold medallists
:38:53. > :38:57.who've never set foot on skis. We have found one in the shape of
:38:57. > :39:03.Great Britain's gold medallist Aimee Williams. What do you know
:39:03. > :39:07.about skiing? I know nothing. I know this is a pair of skis and
:39:07. > :39:09.that's the top and that's where I put my feet, but I've never done it.
:39:09. > :39:15.We've got a couple of hours and I hope to have you snowploughing,
:39:15. > :39:22.doing turns and skiing blue runs. I don't even know what a blue run
:39:22. > :39:26.First of all, we are going to put one ski on, just to feel how it
:39:26. > :39:34.slides and we are going to scooter along. Sounds really stupid, but
:39:34. > :39:39.it's way more slidey than I thought. Yes, snow is slidey.
:39:40. > :39:44.Shall we get the other ski on? Let's. Lift your poles up and keep
:39:44. > :39:51.the pressure in front of your boots and just slide with it. Let's go
:39:51. > :39:55.for it. Slide along. First impressions? I can already feel
:39:55. > :39:58.when you lean your angle a bit more, you can feel the edge of the ski. I
:39:59. > :40:08.think I've got a lot to learn. think we are getting there pretty
:40:09. > :40:10.
:40:10. > :40:13.quick. There are three ways of stopping. One is the snowplough for
:40:13. > :40:17.low speeds, the other is the hockey stop you see racers doing. And the
:40:17. > :40:22.third is to throw yourself on the ground. Final option! Yes, the
:40:22. > :40:29.final option! OK, I'll go for the first option first. Straight
:40:29. > :40:34.running. And then just push out into a snowplough. There's another
:40:35. > :40:40.way of going uphill. I think she's one of the fastest
:40:40. > :40:43.learners I've ever had. Turning is very, very important, so we are
:40:43. > :40:47.going to move on to snowplough turns. Snowplough turns! Straight
:40:47. > :40:54.down and the other hand down. Push your legs out, snowplough,
:40:54. > :40:59.snowplough, snowplough... We are going to ditch the nursery
:40:59. > :41:08.slopes and tackle our first blue run. OK. So put your weight here
:41:08. > :41:18.and you are going to come across the hill like this. That's it.
:41:18. > :41:19.
:41:19. > :41:28.Nice, nice. Argh... Snowplough does not work. I broke the barrier
:41:28. > :41:32.instead! Shh... Turn back. Brilliant. We are going to try and
:41:32. > :41:38.get parallel turns done. What's a parallel turn? Turning when your
:41:38. > :41:45.ski's not in snowplough. That's it. Nice. That's one parallel turn.
:41:46. > :41:48.Turn the other way. And turn the other way. Brilliant. I can
:41:48. > :41:53.honestly say hand on heart I don't think I've ever taught anyone who's
:41:53. > :41:57.picked it up quicker. Normally, that would take at least a week
:41:57. > :42:01.before you are skiing parallel so it's all good, well done. OK, thank
:42:01. > :42:10.you, I can ski, I'm happy. Want another run? Yes, don't want to
:42:10. > :42:15.another run? Yes, don't want to So you are back like a bad penny.
:42:15. > :42:20.Truth is, I missed ya! Only shame of it is, I'm not back for that
:42:20. > :42:22.long. It's the end of the series, but the good news is that we are
:42:22. > :42:26.back next winter with Ski Sunday and the Winter Olympics, so plenty
:42:26. > :42:31.of winter sport action to keep you warm on those cold nights. From all
:42:31. > :42:34.of us, that's it for 2013. Did you know that Ski Sunday's been running
:42:34. > :42:41.for 35 years, and if this programme was a marriage it would be
:42:41. > :42:50.celebrating its coral. Do you think you will still be able to do the
:42:50. > :42:57.Hahnekamm when you are 80? they'll let me! See you next winter.
:42:57. > :43:07.Hello to Ski Sunday. Hello to Ski Sunday.
:43:07. > :43:17.This certainly isn't the kind of welcome I expected to give you.
:43:17. > :43:17.
:43:17. > :43:27.Makes a bit of history. Good morning. There we go...
:43:27. > :43:28.