Wengen Ski Sunday

Imagination. It's a powerful force. Looking beyond what is towards what

could be. It's the reason a small, sleepy mountain village transforms

once every year into a place where the world's best ski racers meet.

Absolutely ripping it up! In the shadow of three great peaks, eight

unique and challenging course was created here. A course so beautiful,

so dramatic that it has hosted almost a century of racing.

Its demands its subjects to imagine themselves in action.

Nearly home, he's done it! And to tread a fine line between

courage and respect. And he has fallen. A gruelling

course like this entices the brave, invites ingenuity, summons stamina.

This isolated village is about to transform, and the stories that

unfold will likely be more unpredictable and dramatic than we

can imagine. Hello and welcome to Ski Sunday. We

are in there and then, the Swiss resort but is usually quiet and

quaint. But not this weekend. We are joined by thousands of ski racing

fans for the classic Lauberhorn races. Unfortunately, the weather

has conspired against us, on the downhill has been cancelled, but as

we proved last week, slalom and can be run in almost any conditions, and

the Alpine technicians will be at it again here in Wengen. Later we are

in Austria for the women's downhill, and all the talk is an Lindsey

Vonn's comeback from injury. And we will be talking about Jeremie Heitz,

whose need for speed is no less now he is riding big mountain is. At the

moment, I don't think there is anyone who can touch him.

Jeremie Ayre is redefining what is possible on a mountain, and the

results are simply breathtaking. Stay tuned for that. But now it is

time for the slalom. Last week, Henrik Kristofferson was

blisteringly quick in Adelboden, and last week he won all four of the big

classic races. Can he do it again? There is a good chance he will. He

has redefined slalom skiing, he gets incredible angles and yet he moves

with such speed and precision. Even Marcel Hirscher who uses the brute

force technique is going to struggle to beat him. And there is a new name

in the mix, Manfred Molgg is skiing wonderfully. Yes, he counts for a

lot here because it is flat and then steep and then flat again, and you

need that experience. We also have a very young David Ryder, a very good

result for him last week shows improving form. And that result

gives in the points to stay in the mix for the top 15, because starting

early in slalom is important. I can't wait to see how he does.

Slalom is tested over two runs. He is the best of the action from the

first. COMMENTATOR: This looked liked being

a brilliant first run in baby 19, but an review, he was disqualified,

having been shown to miss the first gate. Luke O'Dea looked good for a

top in the first five, before a mistake close to the finish. It was

a disappointing morning for the Swiss team, with mark Shinnie

arguing with a slalom poll. A stunning run finish them second,

just 0.23 seconds behind Kristofferson. Marcel Hirscher is

just behind the Russian in fourth. The inform Italian Manfred Molgg was

first this morning, but finished a disappointing ten. The Brit skied an

impressive run. And entertaining first run, and a very solid marker

in ninth place of David Ryder. Yes, brilliant skiing from Ryder, and he

is one place ahead of Manfred Molgg, who we tipped for the podium. If

Ryder keeps this form, he will get a at some stage.

No surprises, Henrik Kristofferson is looking comfortable at the top of

the table. Yes, and his success is rubbing off on his team-mates.

Jonathan Nord bottom had a very good second run. That Norwegian team is

brimming with confidence. And you have Marcel Hirscher further down

the standings, is the gap to big to close? Not at all, this new snow

that has fallen has made the piste ever so slightly more grippy than we

normally see, so we have these close time differences which will will

lead to an exciting second run. The racers will descend in reverse

order, which means Henrik Kristofferson will have the luxury

of going last. Charlie Broome has the commentary.

COMMENTATOR: Julian Lizeroux France, the advantage over his compatriot.

Lizeroux slightly airborne as we see the yellow underside of his skis

over that terrain change. But it hasn't heard his time. Now the steep

section. Lizeroux, 1:30.37, and look at that, finding a lot of time

between two and three, and he is letting his skis run. He needs to

keep it clean if he can. 1:45.18, he has beaten him by nearly a second!

Impressive skiing by Lizeroux. He enjoyed that one!

What a crowd pleaser, he dives for the line to take the lead, one of

the first skiers to drop that inside hand onto the snow, and now all of

the racers are pretty much doing it. He really is a ground-breaking

slalom skier. COMMENTATOR: And this is Yuasa of

Japan, the next ago, his advantage over Lizeroux is slender, and it is

the same at the first checkpoint. Oh, but he goes down as he comes up

to the terrain change. A very disappointing way for Yuasa's

challenge to finish. And now it is Felix Neureuther of Germany. Third

in the 2009 edition here. And his advantage has been hard at the first

intermediate, now coming into the steep part, and he still has the

green light. Good from the German number one. Fourth in Adelboden last

weekend, second in Zagreb three or four days before that. And he still

has the green light inside of the finish, and Neureuther is

desperately low on the slope, that surely has cost him as he comes over

the final terrain change, Neureuther trying to take it away from

Lizeroux, Germany trying to take it away from France, and he does!

Somehow Neureuther get himself back up right to take the lead, what a

ski that was. Felix Neureuther just looks so

smooth, he doesn't look like he is trying, but he gained the speed by

not making any mistakes at all and staying relaxed, brilliant over that

second last roller to the finish. COMMENTATOR: Next ago, baby number

46, skiing into 11th place in the first run, his advantage, he won a

Roper cup race, and he has clearly brought that form, and he has grown

the advantage, a brilliant start from the Austrian. And he still has

the advantage as he comes on the steep. This is the hardest part of

the challenge, and the key is to be clean as you come off it to keep the

speed as you come onto this relatively flat section. 1:29.53,

has he done it? No, he hasn't. He has lost time, 14 hundreds the wrong

side. He is outside by 12 hundredths of a second.

Next races Manfred Molgg, enjoying something of an Indian summer, with

a victory in Zagreb and Adelboden. He likes to keep fit by climbing

when he is not skiing, but can he harness his slalom skills and top

the podium in Wengen? COMMENTATOR: The winner in Zagreb,

second in Adelboden. Disappointed with his first run, what can he do

on the second? He has to let the skis fly here. His advantage over

Neureuther has been extended to two tenths. Good skiing so far, and the

clock turns red, so he is on the wrong side of the clock. Now, he

goes to work on the flatter section, 1:29.53, he still has time to make

up, can he find it in these closing terms where Neureuther had a big

mistake? He is outside that time I over half a second.

David Ryder of Great Britain the next to go, ninth after the first

run, his advantage over Neureuther, he was excellent on the first turn,

and he has started well again on the second run. Neatly done by David

Ryding. He has the green light, but it is close. This is the hardest

part of the race. Neatly done, but what does the clock say? The light

is read by over half a second, and he has to let it go if he is to

maintain a top ten position. He is currently skiing in sixth, 1:43.94,

that time comes and goes, and David Ryding is eight for the time being.

His second run started well, able to generate speed on the flat of the

course, but when he got onto the steep, he seemed to block himself as

he went down, not letting the ski run, not generating speed, no bigger

mistakes but just slipping a couple of tenths every turn.

Next to go is Mattias Hardin. This summer, his wife was caught in an

avalanche in Chile and died, and here set up a foundation and wants

to continue to celebrate the times he and Matilda spent skiing. How

will he fare today? COMMENTATOR: Sixth back in 2016, how

will he perform? This man knows only one way to ski, and that is fallout

attack, he is like a bull in a china shop when he on a China -- slalom

course. How will he fare here? Sweden with so many top skiers, and

in the slalom standings, it is a battle for all of them as they try

to make the four spots available at the World Championships, eight of

them in the top 30. Half of them will be disappointed. 1:29.53 is the

time to beat, and he is the wrong side of the clock. Driving hard for

the line, can he find one tenth of a second? 1:43.94, no he can't, and he

goes forth. Patrick Tyler, the next to

challenge. He straddles as he comes over the

change. What a disappointment. On a fairly innocuous gate, comedy gets

it wrong. This Austrian has been enjoying the

recent dump of snow. He has been on the podium in four out of five

slaloms this season. COMMENTATOR: .41 of an advantage

over Neureuther. He has never won here in Wengen. Can he put the

record straight? Hirscher has over half a second on his German rival.

Hirscher, he recorded a podium finish 101 last weekend, looking for

victory number 20 in slalom. Still has the Green light, still over half

a second. Hirscher, driving for the line. Hirscher leads. Neureuther

drops into second. Absolutely blistering run from Marcel Hirscher.

He does attack on the difficult courses. He cuts the line-up with so

much pressure on the skis, so clean on his edges. Not as quick as

Neureuther in the final section of the course, but has throw down the

gauntlet of the Henrik Kristoffersen at the top.

COMMENTATOR: His advantage over Hirscher, just 1200th of a second.

He likes its steep, and that is what we have here it is desperately icy.

Can he find his best form on the steep. Shows you how well Hirscher

Skeete, because the Russian is just behind Hirscher. He is a long way

off the pace of the Austrian. As skied himself out of the podium at

the moment. In seventh place. Needs to find time on these bottom turns.

Two remain, both are Norwegian. The first ago,. 26 years of age. His

advantage over Hirscher Kotze. Gone the wrong side of the gate.

That is the end of the road. What a disappointment after a great first

run. Massive disappointment, sat on his inside ski and got late. Had to

stop and went out of the course. Those World Cup points would have

been crucial to move his start number forward. It wasn't to be for

one Norwegian, one left to go. Henrik Kristoffersen, the last ago.

Huge advantage over Hirscher. 0.56 of a second. He has won three of the

four slalom races he has raced this season. Henrik Kristoffersen

maintains the advantage at half a second. He makes slalom skiing look

so easy. 113.6. He loses a little bit more time. Hirscher was

excellent down this steep bit. Henrik Kristoffersen will be under

pressure. But he rarely feels the pressure. Well, he has got the red

light, so Henrik Kristoffersen doesn't ski it well. He will have to

find something here, otherwise Hirscher will make the 20th slalom

World Cup win. Never any doubt! Hirscher cannot believe it. Henrik

Kristoffersen has won again. This man is incredible. When Hirscher saw

the red light on, he thought he might have finally done it. But

Henrik Kristoffersen skied the final section very well, almost as well as

Neureuther skied it. And carried the speed over birth flat for Gates to

the finish and picked the Austrian. The final results...

It is Henrik Kristoffersen who will take the overall lead in the men's

slalom standings. Dave Riding finishes 12th. It says something

you're disappointed coming down with a top 15 results? I come down and I

saw eight. I thought that is not top 15 if everyone finishes. It was

tough, I did what I could, it is so hard to keep it going the whole way.

I just miss out on the top ten. But I was happy with that. Today was a

little bit more difficult with the courses being so fast and straight.

I like it when it is turning more and a bit more difficult. So does

Marcel? He does, but he skis with more power and intensity than I do,

I am a little bit more smooth sometimes. But we are kind of

similar. Today, I am really happy. The men have been racing in Wengen,

but the women have been racing as well. We have one of the all-time

greats. She has been the dominant force on snow for so long now,

Olympic downhill champion, for overall World Cup son two world

titles. Very little Lindsey Vonn hasn't already won. The

uncompromising approach to ski racing has left her injury prone and

this problem has been difficult to overcome. A training accident in

November left out with extensive nerve damage and the loss of feeling

in her right arm. The world kept spinning while she recovered,

bringing an exciting new name to talk about in the name of downhill.

Breathtaking skiing from the civilian.

This weekend, against all the odds, guess who is back? Back again.

Brillant from Vonn. No one can touch her when she is racing. Can you talk

me through the last few months, what it has taken for you to get here? It

has been a lot of work, rehab five hours a day. Step-by-step, I am

making progress, but still a little bit to go. What do you make of Ilka

Stuhec, and her progress? I haven't really watched, it is insane to what

races when I cannot be there, but I am happy for her. Big goals, big

titles? Definitely, I didn't finish two races and I missed one downhill

and I still won the title. Anything is possible and I will give my best

every day and we will see what happens at the end of the season.

Who is this new start to emerge? It is Slovenia's Ilka Stuhec. She has

won all three downhill this season beating the likes of Lara Gut along

the way. She always had potential. She was a three-time junior

champion, but her success this season has come as a surprise to

everybody. Incredible season for you so far this year? It is amazing. I

know how good I can ski but I didn't show it in the race yet. When it

started to go, everything was growing and I was more confident. I

had more fun and it is just flowing. At home, you are a big star, you are

on billboards, how does it feel? Kind of weird. I am still the same,

I didn't change, but everybody knows me now. It is nice. In 2016, Vonn

was head and shoulders above the rest of the field before injury cut

her season short. Last season she was an entire second faster than

anybody else. As the 2017, the American still has World Cup titles

in her sights. So victory number 77 of an already incredible career

could be on the cards. Picking up the action is Charlie Broome.

COMMENTATOR: Lindsey Vonn, coming back to reaction. But first Ilka

Stuhec, picking up the mantle. The last skier to win the first four.

Stuhec has the advantage by 0.74 over Sophia Godley in the finish.

Stuhec continues her fine form. Goggia's time... She gets hard on

the right ski before snaking her way back. Here comes the final jump.

Stuhec, surely it is going to be beaten? 1.39, the right side of the

clock. Here is a welcome sight for ski racing fans. Lindsey Vonn in the

start of a World Cup race. That break of her right arm, has it

affected her ability to get her initial speed out of the hut. She is

half a second off the pace. Vonn, finds herself 0.89 out of the place.

Will she find some time as she comes across the hill. Coming up to the

final jump. Vonn goes into second for the time being. She is safely

down. First blood to Ilka Stuhec as Lindsey Vonn's comeback ended in

disappointment. The American eventually finished 13th. But Lara

Gut was delighted. That was before Tino Y Rather stunned the crowd

finishing ahead of Lara Gut. She looks set for her first downhill

victory. It was time for one last twist.

Christine Shire of Austria. Perhaps a dark horse. That has gone up to

0.60 two. She has run a little wide, Scheyer. Has to come back and that

has resulted in her running wide as well. She still has half a second in

the tank. Scheyer, in only had 12 World Cup start. Little wobble. Her

best finish was ninth in Valder 's earlier in the season. She is there

by 0.39 of a second. And Scheyer sends the Austrian coaches into

raptures. A result nobody could have

predicted, even more so when Jacqueline Wyles, an ambassador of

the Lindsey Vonn foundation scored her maiden World Cup podium later

on. Scheyer took the wind. The women's World Cup moves on next

weekend and who knows what will lie in store for us.

In as part of the world, every kid dreams of becoming a ski racer. It

is the equivalent of wanting to become a footballer back home, but

very few make it to the top. And like in football, the question is,

what next? It was a conundrum Jeremie Heitz faced a few years ago.

But he came up with a spectacular answer.

50 years ago, these peaks were sold preserve mountaineers, armed with

ice axes and a great deal of courage. The idea of descending

these sheer faces on skis was considered impossible. Then came the

steep skiing pioneers, and extreme skiing was born. Half a century

later, a young man husband following in their footsteps, drawing up a

list of some of the Alps' steepest peaks to climb and ski.

I was born here in the mountains. I've been skiing all my life. For

me, it wouldn't be possible to live without this passion, this sport. I

came to a tiny Swiss mountain village to meet Jeremie Heitz. How

would you describe this ski resort? It is where I learned how to ski. It

is my home. As soon as I was able to walk, my parents put me on some

skis, and then it is where I learned Alpine racing. You were a really

talented downhill racer. Your technique was really good. But it

was your size that you struggled with? Yes, exactly. I did some Swiss

championships. But I was not good at all in alpine skiing. When Jeremie

Lane school, he turned his back on formal ski training and started

riding with the legendary extreme skiing brothers Nicholas and

Lori Falquet. As soon as I saw him, I knew he had something special. He

is super fast and super motivated, and you put this together, you have

one of the best skiers in the world. Since he was a little kid, he had

this energy that was probably hard to manage for the parents and

grandparents, and maybe if you find a way to manage his energy in this

sport, and that is a very important aspect of this little guy. Not big,

but strong. Jeremie Chardy that energy into La List, his idea being

to scale and film 15 of the top weeks. The idea was to show the

evolution of steep skiing, so that was the red line for me. That was

the natural evolution of my skiing, exploring this area for a lot of

times, and for me, it is clear, the Alps is the best playground we have.

He started skiing behind us. He was the first to climb out and ski down

this route. Because before that, people had only been interested in

climbing it? Exactly, and he said to himself, I think it is possible to

ski down this route. Saudin became known for skiing the

impossible, and Jeremie decided to attempt became slope. It has been 50

years since he was here to ski for the first time.

He wants to show that skiing has progressed, and for a long time it

didn't. Steep skiing was popular for 20 years in the mid-80s, and then it

was trying to get down the mountain in the safest possible way. The

original steep skiers use the windscreen wiper technique, jumping

back and forth. Basically trying to find the safest way to get down the

mountain. I like to ski fast, and I've been

doing that for ages now. When I was a kid, we were going up to the

summit of these mountains, and we wanted to go the fastest we can, and

to be the first down to the chalet, so that was always the game.

Speed you ski on the gradients, the risk looks so high. How do you

minimise the risk? It is the preparation. There is a lot of

tension, because you are waiting a really long time to get those

perfect conditions, and you are putting the pressure on yourself. I

won't deny it is dangerous, but he is at such a level, he knows what

he's doing. He is not unnecessary risks. People at the top of their

game, they have got such a feel for the mountain. The reason why we

climb at first this mountain, at least we are all aware about the

steepness, the snow, and then we can see how much snow is sticking to the

ice at every aspect. All of the elements you need to study to know

it's safe? Yes, and to know how fast you could ski this route. The choice

you have to make on the mountain, if you take the wrong decision,

sometimes it can underpin a really bad situation.

It is overconfidence, I think. When you lose one ski, especially on the

ice, when it is super steep, you can't do anything. And on that

gradient, at that speed, if you catch, you can start to tumble, and

you won't stop? Yes. We are just playing close to a certain line,

where you can have high consequences, and if you are close

to that line a lot of the time, you have those experiences.

If you are able to learn from this mistake, it is the best experience

you can have on the mountain. After that, I was telling to myself that I

need to go back home, to take a rest, to learn from this

experience,... And to process it? Exactly, and then to come back, and

we did that with success, so I am super happy.

You've worked with some of the best skiers in the world. Put Jeremie

Lane context with those. Just how good is he? In the environment he is

in, which is the big, big mountain, at the moment, I don't think there

is anyone who can touch him. I think the most impressive thing I have

witnessed an skis is possibly the descent he did on the Gabba horn,

and it is like the days where it is in a condition to ski so few and far

between. We had the discussion if he should ski this line or not, and in

my opinion, it was too risky for me, and he was still taking it. It's

opening also my eyes. Not many people would have skied it, and I'm

pretty certain no one would have skied it at the speed he did.

He once dominant most scared he has ever been an skis were stood on one

of those Alaskan peaks. And that puts it in perspective, because in

Alaska you have huge amounts of soft snow. What Jeremie is doing is

skiing steeper harder snow twice as fast. We have arrived at the end of

the show, but we just have time for Ski Social. We asked you to send in

your pictures, and you did in abundance. What we were not expected

was the artwork, and I love these because I appeared to be having more

fun than you. But look at the smile on my face, and I have obviously had

a really big lunch! Photorealistic. You have also been sending in your

videos as well, and it is great to see you starting your kids so young.

Archie has clearly inherited the speed gene. And Ted appeared to have

been inspired by last week's dry slope feature, he has gone DIY on

us. Ten out of ten for creativity, keep sending us your photos and

videos, and don't forget your questions. Does use the hashtag: The

first question this week, a lot of people were confused by your, last

week in the slalom that the coaches set the courses. A lot of people

wondering if that is fair. If you had a standard course set like you

having downhill, you would lose the progressive element of that

discipline, so what happens is they take the top 15 skiers, the coaches

are drawn at random at the beginning of the season, so if David Ryding

keeps skiing well, we could have a British course set next season.

Fantastic news. Sam wants to know how Deuchar von ice, he feels like

he is just sliding. I feel a demonstration coming on.

Three tips for you for carving on ice. Practical, technical and

psychological. Make sure your edges are sharp enough, I do take your

skis to the ski shop, or sharpen them yourself. Secondly,

technically, make sure you are stood in the right position. Try to avoid

too much pivot or steering movement with your ski. Thirdly,

psychological. You have got to have faith that your skis are going to

grip. You have to have faith to lean them over on an edge, otherwise they

will not carve. Hopefully that has answered your

question, Sam. I'm afraid that's all we've got time for this week. We

will be back next week from kits COMMENTATOR: And he's gone! Oh, my

word. Big moment. a free five-a-side tournament

that's for everyone. For more information,

go to the Get Inspired website.