Crans-Montana Ski Sunday

Every once in a while someone truly outstanding comes along. A

trailblazer, a pioneer breaking new ground, breaking consequence,

breaking records. And for every leader there are followers. Striving

to close the gap. A really good run from Lara Gut. Dreaming, believing

that one day they'll no longer be in the shadows. Continues to show

confidence. To blaze a trail themselves. A dominant force,

seemingly unstoppable, untouchable. The chasing pack continues its

pursuit undeterred, unrelent ing will. Some fall away, but for the

rest there is no giving up. An endless game of cat and mouse. The

chase is on. We're in Switzerland this week

for the women's World Cup races, where everyone is trying to catch

the amazing Lindsey Vonn. But their pursuit has been put

on hold for now ? heavy snow and high winds have put

paid to the racing here, probably to Lindsey's disappointment

more than anyone else's, as she was eyeing up

another victory. Instead, we're going to bring

you highlights from last week's Wherever she races, Lindsey

is the star attraction and the girl everyone has to beat,

but despite stacking up the records and unbelievable levels

of expectation on her, I am never afraid to go fast. That's

what I love about ski racing. Really it is just you and the mountain. You

can go as fast as you want to go. Later in the show, we bring

you an epic mountain adventure from Alaska, with a courageous team

attempting to push the boundaries of what's possible in the remotest

and most challenging terrain. I'm excited about this trip because

it is different. It is something that no-one has done. The

possibilities are huge. Stay tuned for that -

I promise you, it's one not to miss. First though, we have

racing to bring you. The piste in Garmisch is a challenge

as tough as they get in downhill. If anyone was going to beat

Lindsey Vonn, they knew they would have to be

at their very, very best. The winter resort of Garmisch,

steeped in alpine history. In 1936, the Olympics were held here, the

first time alpine skiing was included in the Olympic programme.

They've twice held the World Championships, in 1978 and five

years ago in 2011. Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The host of

downhill number six of nine of the 2015-2016 ski World Cup. The

Austrian, 24 years old, Tamara Tippler. A handful of World Cup

starts. The best this year, the best of her career, 11th in the sprint

downhill. 0.71. This is fantastic skiing from Tippler into this key

part of the track. Gets thrown out of shape by the compression. Over a

second faster, but late in the line. This could cost her. Hard on the

right ski. Just makes it inside the gate. But that's a lot of speed

scrubbed off. I will be amazed if it's the anything like 1.28. It is

still green. She lost a whole second but is 5Ks slower. This might not be

green. Falls one gate from home. This is an incident-packed ladies

downhill. We've only got one finisher from four starters. This is

the error. Higher up. Look at her fighting to get back across into the

compression, into the back seat. Can't fight it back to make the last

gate. And Tippler is another DNF. Alice will be the next to go. Her

best result of the season was 12th in the Val d'Isere back in December.

Her compatriot Jacqueline Wiles is the only finisher. McKennis has the

green light by two tenths. What is in store for her? Four tenths now.

She has doubled her lead. She's out of shape and I think she must be

skied out that. Top body was all twisted. She is indeed out of the

track. Another one bites the dust here in Garmisch. Just here, runs

wide. Gets in the soft stuff. Gets twisted. With the right shoulder

going behind her there is no way she's going to carve that right ski

back to make that gate. It is miles away. There is the hot favourite,

Lindsey Vonn. Relaxed enough to be on her smartphone. Next up, Nadia

Fanchini. Fourth in the second downhill of the season. Time is

fine. But will she come into these pattern of gates too hot. She's run

wide and is hit by the compression. She's out of shape, out of line.

Drive it forward, on to that left ski. She's got the speed. Hard on

that right ski to come across the hill. No problems for Fanchini. Can

she keep it together here she's going be faster you would assume.

Over a second faster! It is the line that's quick, because she's three Ks

slower on the clock than Wiles. If she can negotiate these two gates we

have a new leader, Nadia Fanchini! 1.46, that's a brilliant time.

1.43.13 the time to beat. It was worth waiting for. Next is Lauren

Ross. All the travel that comes with racing the World Cup is a blessing

for Laurenne Ross. She will be focusing on the downhill and hopes

to be snapped on the podium. Laurenne Ross of the United States

the next to go. One World Cup podium to her name and that was on this

hill, back in 2013, when she was second. Ross trying to keep those

hands in front of her face as much as possible and it pays off. Finds

nearly four tenths. She goes work in these tricky gates. Into the

compression. Driving the weight forward. Slides them in. Now tries

to make them bite. Does well, adds more to her advantage. 0. .47, the

right side of the clock. The feed-back from the coaches on the

side of the piste is working as the skiers get the right line in the

hobble. 1.15.9. She runs little wide. That 0.3 might be under

threat. Laurenne Ross trying to take the lead from Fanchini. Gets out of

shape but she's OK. 0.36. 1.42.77 the total. Fanchini hasn't had a

chance to make into it the leaders's enclosure but Laurenne Ross gets the

applause from Jacqueline Wiles. Next is the Principality of

Liechtenstein's Weirather wire. She is from ski-racing royalty. Her

mother won two Olympic golds and her father was 1982 downhill world

champion. Can she rule here and be crowned the victor? It's the winner

from last year, Tina Weirather, who also podiumed here in 2013, when she

was third. She is quick on the top, but this needs to be clean. It needs

to be direct. Needs to be smooth. Weirather, hard on that left ski.

Just about stays inside the blue line. She runs little wide and has

to ski a few more metres, but she's got the green light before that

little mistake. What is it going be like if she comes across the

traverse before plunging down the finish. She has lost a little bit.

Has to ski extra metres on that gate. 1.42.77 is under threat, but,

no, that mistake cost her. Half a metre. 200ths the wrong side of the

clock. She knows it was that gate four from home. A couple of small

errors. That was the one that cost her the lead. Lara Gut of

Switzerland, the next to go. The only skier other than Vonn to have

won a downhill this season. She won in Val d'Isere when Vonn skied out.

She is level peg ing with Laurenne Ross, our leader. What can Lara Gut

do here through this tricky section? Never on the podium here. Never

better than fourth. Gut hard on that left ski. She lost half a second

between intermediate three and four. Can she get that back? Well, it is

going be a very difficult ask. There is another... Oh, correction! She

gets bumped out and the answer is no, she won't bring it back, because

she's been bumped out of the track. She is still on course. Lara Gut,

her heart will be racing. She'll be mighty relieved to get to the

bottom. 0.89 off the pace. Didn't have her weight on that right ski

coming into this turn, and was pushed out. Bang! Hits that roller.

Can do nothing but go straight on. Ready to race is Larisa Yurkiw. She

has a fair bit in common with the American number one. She suffered a

severe near injury two years ago and trains extremely hard to stay in

peak physical adoption. She has a dog. Larisa Yurkiw will want to be

leader of the pack today. Next to go is Larisa Yurkiw. What a season the

Canadian has been having. She's podiumed in the last three

downhills. Yurkiw, nice and tight as she comes into this tricky pattern

of gates. Almost gets pushed out of shape. Yurkiw just gets that right

shoulder pushed behind. It clatters that gate. She's still got the green

light but she's having to ski some extra metres. This is going be tight

on the next time split, which is 1.28.36. She has still got the green

light by 0.38. Not quite as quick as Laurenne Ross on intermediate five,

but Yurkiw, can she take the lead away in 1.42.77, yes she can! She

leads by 17 Hunts. Yes away in 1.42.77, yes she can! She

leads by 17 Hunts. -- 17 00s. That got her a little late in the line.

Late on this gate and then late on the double gate after that one.

She's enjoying that. Next ago is Fabienne Suter, the

Swiss racer has had a great season in the downhills, regularly making

the podiums. When not racing she has been training to be a farmer. She

will be hoping to bring home the bacon with a win today.

Next up to Switzerland, Fabienne Suter. Had a great start to the

season, and then Toure muscles just above her left knee -- tour a

muscle. Good skiing here from Fabienne Suter. Now she comes into

the compression. A little open. As a result has her lead cut to four one

hundredths of a second. Doesn't look quite as fast as Larisa Yurkiw. We

will find out now. A little open as well. It's working well for her.

Exactly the same speed as Yurkiw. She needs to keep this together,

Suter. This is going to be close. Can she snatched the lead away? Yes,

she can. 0.29 of a second. Next up is the home favourite Viktoria

Rebensburg. Now, what can Rebensburg do here? Cheered on by the home

support. Tightest to that gate of our seeded skiers. Just outside now

by three one hundredths of a second. Ooh, no. A little late. How will

that manifest itself later on? Tentative through their, but still

in touch. Four hundredths off the pace. A little wide, there. All

these extra metres could add up. Here comes our final time split.

Gets pushed out of the tuck position but she's in touch, the speed is

pretty similar to Suter but it does not seem to be as direct from

Rebensburg. Can she make the podium, can she take the lead away? Ooh, six

one hundredths of a second. She goes second. Well, that's excellent from

Rebensburg. Just got bounced out of the top spot, perhaps, before that

final time split. Trying to get in the tuck position. Just gets popped

out of it. Now Vonn. Last time out broke the record for most World Cup

downhill wins for a lady. Matching up her 37th downhill win. How is she

on this next split? 53.46, she's nearly half a second faster than

Fabienne Suter. Our current leader. Vonn ripping it up once again. Now

this key turn. Still leads by half a second. Needs to make this gate, no

problem. Now how is she going to fare as she comes across the

Traverse? Really bumpy, here. No problems for Vonn. And you fear for

the time. This is phenomenal skiing by Vonn. She's nearly six kilometres

faster than Fabienne Suter was. Vonn, surely, not another win? Ooh,

one and a half seconds! 41 metres! Phenomenal! Absolutely sensational

from Lindsey Vonn. This lady is absolutely unstoppable right now.

But is different class -- that is different class. It is going to be

another win for Lindsey Vonn, one and a half seconds faster than her

closest rival, it is another masterclass from the world number

one. Lindsey Vonn claims 76 World Cup race win. Fabienne Suter returns

to the podium, her third podium of the season. For Viktoria Rebensburg,

only her third podium of her career in downhill, and her thirst of the

season. Lindsey Vonn winning by over a second half. She looked really

relaxed. Dare I say it, she made it look easy. I know it is more

complicated, Carol, what is the foundation to her success? Skiing is

her happy place at the moment. She looks freest on the mountain and she

is taking every box physically. Physically strong, no pain in her

knee any more, and mentally she has the confidence to charge the top of

the term, which few of her peers are doing. She has gone away and worked

hard, so much so that she won a giant slalom this year. Combine that

with the fact she is the Queen of speed and she is kind of invincible.

You always talk about her with a huge amount of reference, there is a

lot to be admired about her skill. I really love the power that she puts

into her skiing. She's racing downhill on men's skis, which much,

much stiffer, but if you can get them to bend at the top of the turn,

that energy is released as acceleration at the end of the term,

that's why she's so fast from Steve to fight. One of the things that is

a slight difficulty is that men's skis have a longer radius and she

has two setup from slightly further behind, so that is when she is

honourable. That leads me onto quite a difficult question that I will put

to you, is her overwhelming dominance of women's downhill

diminishing the spectacle? I did think so, when Mike Tyson was

knocking guys out in round one the crowd still turned up to watch. It's

the same. People love to see a champion really at the top of their

game. I think the French is almost invincible is actually getting more

spectators into the sport. -- the fact she is most invincible. And

don't forget she is fighting for winning. She had two knee injuries

back-to-back and she has shown she is vulnerable, normal person. Well,

redemption is always a popular story. Lindsey is still in demand

even when we have a down week like this but the American still finds

time to relax, especially now that she's got company on tour. Chemmy

went to meet Lindsey and Lucy. This is Lucy, she is a cutie. Everyone

wants to play. This thing about dogs, has it all ways been part of

your life? Yeah. I got divorced and I was thinking about it, and then I

got injured and I thought now was the time to get a dog. So I got Leo

in Florida, he was a second-class dog in a shelter. He had a bad knee,

so I thought, you was the one. How is Lucy going to get on with your

other two dogs, who are big boys? This lady is absolutely unstoppable

right now! So many times you have seen world-class athletes doing it

because it is their profession not their passion, but you are very

lucky because they are completely interconnected. Yes, skiing is my

profession but it's mostly my passion. It's my happy place, it's

where I go when everything else in my life is falling apart. It's

always been there in my life. In my toughest times personally, there

have been my greatest moments professionally. Because I just put

everything into skiing. OK, can use it to me in? Lucy, there's a lot of

other people who would like to be in there with you. There's a lot of

elements to your skiing where the rest of the world can't keep up. For

me what sets you apart from everyone is this commitment to the top of the

turn, this commitment to speed, always searching for it, is that

where you think your speed lies? I think that's definitely one of my

biggest strengths, I am good at generating speed at the top of the

turn. I think I'm just blessed with a good body type. I'm big enough to

where I have the gravity working in my favour, but I'm small enough to

where I can move my body quickly. I think it's a combination of talent,

mental strength, hard work and just wanting to go fast. I never afraid

to go fast. That's what I love about ski racing. Really it's just you and

the mountain, you can go as fast as you want to go. I totally agree. You

talked about body types, you look at you and the other girl on fire right

now, Lara Gut. You are so different in that and it is so exciting to

watch. How do you like standing next to her on the podium? It makes me

feel really big! And I'm pretty normal. Watching you both ski, you

take different lines, different tactics, and yet sometimes you can

be within hundredths and tenths of a second within each other and I think

that's where our sport is exciting. It's shocking how close it comes

down to because we ski so differently and have such a

different approach. Somehow we are not that far off each other. You

have fans all across the world, is that pressure for you or does it

inspire you? Know, I love it. For me it's really inspiring to know that I

can positively impact people, especially little girls. That's what

really motivates and drives me. When I know there's a lot of fans at the

finish it makes me that much more excited to race. Starting to run out

of superlatives! You are making history, every time you make the

record there is always another record to get. I know. It's amazing

to me that every race is another potential to break new records, it

makes it really cool. Everybody keeps asking me if I am in the best

shape of my life. I don't know, I'm not going to save my best, because

who knows? I may have more and better things to come. The women

have spent the weekend waiting and ultimately not racing here. The men

had better luck with the weather in Japan. A stellar slalom field lined

up at the World Cup. Here was the best of the action. All eyes were on

Henrik Kristofferson. The 21-year-old Norwegian was making to

make it five wins in a row. Even with his great rival Marcel Hirscher

failing to make run one, it did not all go to plan for Henrik

Kristoffersen. With poor visibility in the second leg he could not make

up enough time to propel himself onto the podium. As the days riding

of Great Britain, another positive day on the Hill.

The 29-year-old coped far better with the conditions, making up five

places to finish 22nd overall. Still a strong day for the Austrian team.

They fill the void left by Marcel Hirscher's early departure. The

group, sixth place was his best ever World Cup results. Schwartz scored

his second podium finish in only his first full World Cup season. As for

the winner, it looked as if it could finally be the German's day. He

failed to convert the win. This time round he missed the podium by five

hundredths of a second as he eventually finished in fourth place.

He is yet to win a World Cup race. All was not lost for the Germans.

Fifth after run one, he produced a clinical second leg to take his

first slalom victory of the season. Confirmation of the final results.

Big mountain riding is all about exploration, discovery and pushing

the boundaries in some of the most extreme terrain.

And for the past few years, one of the greatest free-riders

at the pinnacle of his domain has been testing himself on the world's

most extreme mountain ranges. His name is Xavier de le Rue,

and last season I joined him and his team in Svalbard.

There, I witnessed them testing out paramotors with the goal of scoping

terrain and filming unridden lines in sub-zero conditions.

But true to form, that was just phase one for this ambitious

crew. Last season they sought out

a location that would allow them to take their mission

to the next level. The mountains in south-east Alaska.

Remote, breathtaking, a blank canvas for Xavier and his team. He hoped to

take unprecedented steps to big mountain riding by approaching this

epic terrain in a way that's never been done before.

epic terrain in a way that's never been done before. It is not just a

sport. But it is an environment that's dangerous but at the same

time rewarding. I think the challenges are to go further and

explore. I'm excited about this trip because it's different. It is

something that no-one has done. The possibilities are huge. Camping on

top of Rainbow Glacier offers them the isolated beauty they crave, but

at a cost. The challenge now is accessing these stunning peaks. All

these new ideas we have involve logistics. We are a bigger crew,

more money involved, more everything. More pressure at the end

of the day. This is a big chunk of your winter. If it goes bad here,

it's pretty bad. Necessity, as ever, is the mother invention and Sam and

Xavier have a plan. They are not going to settle for just finding and

filming their descent with paramotors. This time they want to

use the paramotors to access the top. This Svalbard expedition proved

that these motorised provider gliders can be used to hunt unseen

lines. It has given them confidence, this technology opens up endless

opportunities for riders and film makers. We are going in tandem to

the top and jump off the top of the peak. I can see the excitement in

your face when you talk about it. It is like a child's dream I think. It

is something where you need to have all the stars well aligned. The idea

of pioneering something so fresh left Ralph to join and strengthen

their ranks in Alaska. I have never paramotored before. Sam and Xavier

seem like they are into it pretty good. I have a lot of trust and

faith in those guys, so if they say it is doable, I'm going to give it a

shot. But together they've already faced plenty of set-backs. The

mildest winter in decades scuppered their first-choice location. Then

the weather prevented travel to an alternative glacier. A week ago it

didn't seem like our trip would be much fun. I'm glad I can sit in a

T-shirt on a glacier. If we can do it it will be amazing, but the

challengeses are quite small. The up and downs of a trip like this is

normal, I think. You involve a lot of people to do something that is

special somewhere in a place that is so remote. It is clear that there

are problems coming. Making it on to the glacier with an operation of

this size is an achievement in itself. And as we bed down for the

night, I'm apprehensive and eager to see what can be accomplished here.

What's going on? Look at the space over there, it is all gone. The

biggest peak? Yes, with all the spines. It is down to rock! Yes, it

is crazy. As day breaks the damage is clear. All the rock exposed on

that main peak, the snow has cascaded into the main glacier.

That's terrifying, but so lucky en in as on it. In all my years on the

mountain I never saw that much snow cleared in a minute during the

night. The mountain is not solid. It is moving, it's living. You see it

day by day faces falling down. Of course the avalanche danger is

always present, but every minute you take decisions. If it is good to go

or not. With snow conditions uncertain, any attempt at a drop is

on hold. But the team decides to test the snow with an early hike.

I've just crossed the glacier with an alpine start, 4.30, and we are

heading up here to Rainbow Peak. The camera crew are getting ready down

there, and a very intimidating crevasse field. Nearing the summit

I'm reminded just how much effort goes into hiking these lines. If the

paramotor plan works it would offer freedom here on a scale big mountain

riders have only ever dreamed of. It is the scariest, deepest snow I have

ever climbed. Have you got your lines, boys? I think so, yes. I

can't lie, I was pretty nervous. My camera hand has got a shake on it.

You don't want to show nerves in front of riders of this calibre.

This is incredible. Tackling my descent I realise how effortlessly

these guys ride the toughest of lines. And that's just the start of

what they are hoping to create out here, with paramotors.

The next morning we wait to perfect conditions, and the team are excited

about the prospect of finally attempting a drop. To my knowledge

it has never been done before. No-one's had the experience,

expertise or courage to try this, and we are about to witness the

first attempt. They are airborne. Wow! He's hanging out of the front

of it! Looks like he's trying to get the bar out of the way. Cutting the

motor. I think that's it for now. No drop yet. From the speed and

altitude and everything it's perfect, but no chance to unstrap. I

was hanging there. A nail-biting moment for Sam, but the guys remain

hopeful. It was only a matter of time before conditions were right to

try again. We've gone from zero to 100 in the last ten minutes. The

weather window has popped out, so we are going up for attempt number two

at the paramotor drop, this time though with Xavier. There's a

palpable air of expectation amongst all the crew. No-one is saying

anything. My heart is racing. Can't take my eyes off them. I don't know

what happened, they've been going around for a second bite. To imagine

what Xavier is unfeeling, unstrapped and hanging out of the front of

it... They are taking another look. So close, you are just waiting for a

black speck to fall out of the front. He's gone! He's out and

riding! LAUGHTER. Wooh! That is

unbelievable. It isn't often you get to witness a world first. They are

queuing up behind us now. It's going to be a very entertaining afternoon.

WOOH! The practical application of this and the way the boys can use

this moving forward to access all of this terrain, to stop having to

climb to be able to drop out if there's a flat section on a peak is

huge. This changes the entire game for them now. Did it feel as good as

it looked? Even better. It's crazy though. Just enough tension to

really enjoy every moment of it. It's been such a long process over

the last few trips, and today... Boom! I've had this idea and that

moment he crops, everybody was near him. So good. Jumping from the

paramotor was one of the magic moments of an entire life. This is

what I like to do. I like to be out there, I like to adventure. This is

the way I see happiness. Over the course of a year and two ex-me

additions Xavier and Sam and their entire crew have been tested to

their limits. But in doing so they've opened up a new world of

possibilities for big mountain riding. They are an inspiring bunch

to witness in action and I guarantee you it will be a long time before

their achievements here are bettered. Awesome stuff. But the

avalanche in that Alaska film shows how dangerous the mountains can be,

particularly in the up this is year after we've had a lot of snowfall

after heavy rain right to the top, which has created an unstable snow

pack. The snow is adding weight to the snow layers, so it is more

dangerous as the year goes on. Please stay safe out there. We

thought we would start Ski Social by showing you how to stay safe

off-piste. We will show you equipment you need and, crucially,

the training you require to use it properly. With equipment there are

three things you must carry. In some areas of the Alps it is illegal if

you don't have these. First off is the transceirr, it will help you be

located in an avalanche or locate your friends. And the probe, for

locating the victim. And thirdly you need to practise this, good

shovelling technique, as time is of the essence if you have a borrow rid

casualty. If you are going to do a lot of riding off-piste, invest in

an air bag. This will significantly reduce your chance of being buried.

Can I have 12 euros to refill my bottle now? You owe me your life. If

you are not confident or are going somewhere new, hire a guide. Not

only will they keep you safe, but you will learn an invaluable amount,

and they will take you to the best spots.

Let's get to your pictures and videos.

After last week's engagement, we've had some more -

perfect for a show on Valentine's Day.

So it's congratulations to Sean and Jorge, who have just got engaged

in Les Arcs. And also to Peter, who popped

the question to Anna in Soll, Austria.

And finally to Davin, who rode to his ceremony before

tying the knot with Anna in Levi, Finland.

Talking of nuptials, Jane doesn't have any wedding tackle. We hope you

are alright, Jane. Hope you're ok, Jane.

Wherever you're riding, don't let a crash put you off -

it's part of the game, as Freddie found out

in attempting his first backflip. Speaking of which, we've

had a question from JW, who wants to know how to go

about attempting a backflip - says he's scared he'll

land on his head. The back flip is one of the easiest

tricks. All it takes is a lot of courage and commitment. Remember,

the arms and the head will initiate the rotation, so commit with those

and the body will follow. Don't hesitate, or you will land on your

head. After that it is a matter of controlling the speed of the

rotation. Lengthen your body out and you will slow down. Tuck up and you

will speed up. Finally, after Alex Kilde's

pre-release in Jeongseon last week, we've had a question

on whether your time counts if you finish a race on one ski?

Yes it does. You've got two skis and two poles.

You can finish with three of them for your time to count. We couldn't

resist showing you Bode Miller in the World Championships in 2005.

He's lost a ski and he's gone! This is unbelievable. Is he going to

finish on one ski? He's going for the edge.

is unbelievable. Is he going to finish on one ski? He's going for

the edge. He's got to be careful here. Let's see what he does on one

ski for the speed gun. This should be interesting. 83.3 km/h.

He didn't make it to the finish, but skied virtually the length

of the course on one leg. Please keep sending in your

questions, pictures and videos - you've got one programme

left to get involved. We also want your suggestions

for the music track to accompany our series-ending montage.

Send your suggestions in using #SkiSocial.

That's it for this week though. Next week, we're in Chamonix -

Europe's capital of extreme sport. And home this year to the historic

Khandahar races, including the men's downhill.

See you then. Join us on a high-flying,

sponge-diving, olive-picking, gun-toting epic odyssey

through paradise.