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It seems that lately, Peter Fischer, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Alpine skiing World Cup has started to lose his nerves. On top of his already busy schedule, he had to answer at a press conference some pretty embarrassing questions concerning some race timing errors in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

It is absolutely ridiculous, that in 2011, and on a big stage such as the Alpine skiing world championship, that the timing of competitors cannot be effected without flaws. Errors can be seen on TV, and even more so in the finish arena. Split times are inaccurate or completely off the mark, with some of the lapses just being down right comical. This is taking some of the gloss away from a sport that has millions of TV viewers who are now stripped of the overwhelming emotion that the hundredth usually arouses during the races. This time around, ALGE, the Austrian company in charge of race timing, has come out as the guilty part, although it is Swiss timing that is usually in charge of timing the World cup races.

The organizers saved up by signing a “better deal”, effectively putting their trust in a less experienced timing company. They are now of course very sorry about the decision taken, not only because it totally ridicules the other strong sponsor, the reputed watch maker HUBLOT, that sees its brand name being displayed under each timed result, albeit the race being timed by the Austrian outfit.

Hublot coughed out the money to give its brand more exposure, but had almost no say in the selection of the timer to be used at the competition. This has turned out to be a nightmare for Hublot, whose hope of generating good publicity in Garmisch-Partnekirchen ends up piling embarrassment instead. The company is now directing all its efforts towards informing the public that the time is being measured by someone else.

The damage has now been repaired by the International Ski Federation, which has now amended all the results. The FIS manager Francesco Cattaneo gave assurances that all the times are absolutely correct; an assurance not shared by the journalist and some of the TV broadcasters.

The most blatant example was that of the Slovene athlete Tina Maze in the Super Slalom, who had her first time cancelled, then later reinstated. She was eventually granted the official time of 1:25:06. Slovenian and Swiss television replayed, second by second, Tina Maze’s run over and over again on their computer. At 1:25:06 Tina is at least ten meters past the finish line. Following a detailed video-analysis, it was actually considered that the excellent Slovene skier would have clocked a time half a second faster. This would have in effect meant a progression from 11th to 5th place, had that time been taken into account.

The Slovenian Ski Association is now preparing a formal complaint that must first comply with all the legal provisions. However the FIS has a rule that prevents television images being taken into account in the timing of races, rendering the chances of getting an appeal pretty slim.

The biggest problem with this farce is that each timed run falls now under severe scrutiny. When it comes to Alpine skiing, only one thing matters, and it is the race time. A single error and the whole process comes immediately under the microscope, along with the integrity of the championship.
ALGE blames high temperatures and a very loud sound system being used, which at certain frequencies can affect the time measurement. Absolute nonsense if you ask me, as some of the world championship races are held in some more extreme weather conditions without a hitch.

As far as things stand, it appears that they cannot put their finger on the error, and therefore one can now expect chaos right until the end of the championship. Nothing will change at this championship.
It is only when we will reminisce of this year’s Garmisch-Partnekirchen medal winners that we as reporters, we will mention the farce in which times where all put under scrutiny.

Original text by Urban Lavrenčič translated from the Slovene by Christian Ngalikpima.

From Strap-Ons to Snowboard Slings, I’ve looked for some of 20-10s cutting edge toys to help you squander that ski holiday money. At any rate, I just wanted to give you some ideas for the slopes to help you with everything from staying warm to staying in step. Here are some things to help you get at it!

iPhone Apps

I might as well give you a sneak preview of next week’s blog article: iPhone Apps. I’ll soon give you a run-through and teach you about some of the niftiest iPhone applications related to skiing, but for now, I’ll tell you that there are all kinds of apps for gear, snow conditions, trail maps, international and US ski resort information and weather updates. It’s like playing God, pointing to what you want to see and instantly knowing. Oh the Power! (Stay Tuned.)

Battery-Heated Ski Socks

Say you’re on ski holiday but you never really get to enjoy those Alps in Tonale, Italy nor do you ride the runs in Tignes, France because you’re always just too cold. If you’re the type that freezes to death on a summer’s eve, it’s time to quit shivering. May I introduce to you the battery-heated ski sock, long enough so you can still fit into your ski boots, and warm enough to keep you skiing merrily till dusk. If you’re still cold you can try Smartwool socks, Insolator winter insoles or Thermastat silk that heats up naturally. Ther-Mic Foot warmers have insoles already built in to a battery operated heater sock. You may never have to enjoy hot cocoa again…

No Such Thing As Handicapped

If you have an amputation above the knee, then do not fret—Your high-adrenaline rush will continue to flow with the XT9 Energy Storing Prosthetic Knee. From Telemarking in Kranjska Gora to Alpining or Cross-country skiing in Les Orres, SymBiotecks make it possible to ice climb, play ice hockey, go ice skating or, yes, snowboard (among many other non-ski related fun). Your next skiing holiday will be just as fun as you remembered it, but this time, you may even be better than ever!

SnowQ Snowboard Sling

Though this doesn’t involve any batteries or windy widgets, the SnowQ Sling allows you to carry your snowboard or skis on your back. This is especially handy, if like me, your ski hotel, hostel or apartment is immeasurably far from the slopes (yes, because I’m poor and cheap). At any rate, no more lugging your skis or board to the slope with arms achey and numb. (So far, I think these are only available online from retailers in the USA.)

Tri-Slider Sled

Some of us just want to stay off our feet while on ski vacation. One way we can do this and have more fun is through the tri-slider sled. This sled allows the rider to comfortably sit over the top of their legs and have control whilst going vroom down hill. The concept is quite easy and nicely ergonomic. There’s even brakes and steering handlebars.

Strap-On Snow-blades

You’ve probably heard of these because they have been around for a few years. Snow-blades are unique in that they are shorter but wider and mainly used for Alpine skiing, though denomination groups for snow-blades may very well use them for all kinds of purposes. They are easy to carry around and great for carving. Usually, these are worn with your alpine ski boots, without poles.

When I diverted my attention from the debate which was taking place at our table, I noticed a lone diner in the corner of the restaurant. The gentleman was eating a steak and enjoying a glass of red wine. He gave a distinct impression of a confident man, one who keeps himself and his surrounding under control. Makes sense, I thought. Otherwise he’d never be the most successful skier in the history of alpine skiing. To win 25 downhill races in the World Cup Championship, he needed to be daring, focused, egotistical and a bit crazy.

I got up and walked over to him. I spoke to him in German and invited him to join us for a drink at our table. I figured that such an important guest shouldn’t be left to himself in Kranjska Gora. Franz Klammer was visiting Kranjska Gora as a representative of Bad Kleinkircheim which, together with Tarvisio and Kranjska Gora, is a candidate for the organisation of the World Cup Championship in Alpine Skiing in 2017.

I introduced myself and when I told him that my colleague and winner of the Adelboden slalom in 2000, Matjaž Vrhovnik, is also at the table, he accepted my invitation. I must admit I was quite proud of myself as I waited on tenterhooks for the arrival of our intriguing Austrian guest.

After the mandatory greetings and introductions the atmosphere loosened up considerably and Klammer sat with us for a good hour and a half. It could have been even longer, but they were closing up the restaurant. Franz Klammer turned out to be a great person to talk to, both in German and in English, to which we switched so that the others could join the conversation.

He didn’t come across as self-centred for a minute, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say that a perfectly normal person was sitting amongst us – this was, however, the skier that dominated the slopes in the second half of the 70’s.

We mostly talked about skiing, and it was just a matter of time before we got to the winter Olympics in Vancouver. I remembered Kjetill A. Aamodt winning gold in super G in Turin with a performance that would normally come in 10th, at least that’s what the analysis showed. I wondered why those who ski incredibly well in races each week, can’t seem to put themselves together and do the same in the Olympics.

Franz Klammer heard me out and after a short pause replied that the role of a favourite in such an immense competition is a very ungrateful one, and that pressure is incredibly high. I replied that people like himself, or Michael Walchhofer or Didier Cuche as his modern equivalents, shouldn’t succumb to such nonsense. A skier that wins regularly in World Cup races has nothing left to prove to anyone. He thought again for a moment and said “If I hadn’t won gold in 1976 at Innsbruck, I’d still be a champion, but never a legend.” I remembered that race in a second; the day that every Austrian was sure Olympic gold was as good as theirs. Klammer made a series of mistakes on the upper half of the slope, but made up for everything in the middle and bottom, beat Bernhard Russi and won by 0,33 seconds.
A legend was born.

This is what athletes will be fighting for from the 13th of February. For themselves, for their country, for glory, for fans, for money. Two incredible weeks lie ahead, full of drama, surprises, sensations and tragedies – things only the Olympics can offer. Off to Vancouver!

It’s always hard to skip powder days because of the contests, but in this case it was worth it

Gloryfy bastards was a contest with the best format ever. Hitting the biggest hip of my life in Gerlos at night was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

I came to Gerlos on Friday night and missed the training and when I saw the feature I was blown away. A perfect shaped hip almost in the middle of the village was looking really cool and pretty big. 18m of flat at the top which looked sketchy to hit over but soon this myth was busted when I started to hit it during morning practice.

Within 6 attempts I decided to go a bit faster and jumped over for the first time. Came a bit short but everything was ok.

Qualifications started with a jam session of snowboarders before skiers and snowboarders didn’t step it up. One of them made it over with a backside 180 and that scared me a bit because my first goal was to do some cool tricks over.

It was snowing and there wasn’t much speed. Our time was up and the skiers were all pumped. I did a couple of jumps on the side and then surprised everyone by doing a smooth 540 over the whole thing. Since then everything just went crazy. Everyone saw that it was possible to do so they stepped up their game as well. It was madness already in Qualis. My team-mate and I made it through to the finals which was pretty cool.

The finals started with a best trick session where I made a mistake and didn’t land my 900 tail. But the team finals were still ahead of us. We did a run with his 180 and my 540 and decided to go for all or nothing on the second run. We didn’t make it so we had to be pleased with 3rd place which is  pretty ok for this invitational contest that had also beaten me up so many times before with big crashes.

Once I came up short and knocked my knee into my face and broke a lens. Another other time I went for a 9 and as soon as I came out I knew it was going to be big. I couldn’t see anything in mid air, but when I came out, I saw I was still 5m too high for a sweet landing and landed really deep and ejected out of my skis. The feature was 10m high and as you can see from the photo that I was already pretty high, so you can imagine how big the crash was.

As soon as I came home I got a call from my friends saying that powder time was on and we built a kicker in the back-country and got no shots which was a bummer.

Today, however, we went across one peak and found a perfect playground which helped us shred the best pow of the year and put a big smile on our faces.

So many things can happen in just a few days and I’m already stoked about the new snowfall which is coming in a few days!

It’s great to make progress in skiing; but to have an impact on other kid’s progression, is way cooler.

Last weekend, I won the first stop of the “Quicksilver Slovenia Free-ski Tour”. A series of events throughout the season, intended for Slovenian kids only and designed to introduce them to the free-skiing world and help progress them in skiing through events like these. I couldn’t be more prouder than to see kids jumping on kickers bigger than on most contests. Even if they can’t reach the double cork level, they still keep up with style and confidence to hit the course with flat up-rail, 16m and 15m kicker in the line.

flat rail is fun if you fly out of it

loads of airtime helped me to do easier tricks with ease

representing 4frnt MSP skis…they’re true killing machines

and always good to have photos with my groupies

Next up is the Gloryfy Bastards Invitational event in Zillertal (25m kicker…plenty airtime) stooked!

The Rail Event, Kranjska Gora has been the first event so far in Slovenia and definitely a place for me to be at!

The Setup

I’m not really a fan of rails, but I came here to show what I’ve learned in the past few years on the street. I don’t practice rails much in the parks because I’d rather hit some jumps or shred some pow. So I usually go on the streets and film rails. The first street rail I ever hit was the one in Planica (44 stairs, wooden crooked rail, remember?) and the next day in Kranjska Gora (double kink, narrow, steep, iron steps on bith side). So I was really happy to see a sweet down rail and a flat down box before the event even started.

Even if the season is not fully on…actually it’s not on at all because of the lack of snow. I was surprised that so many people actually came to shred and support free-skiing. Many of the riders were at home watching a movie, eating pies or whatever, but still…we had fun!

Afternoon Practise

It was cool for me to warm up on the box before hitting the rails!

After 1.5 hours of a jam session,  riders decided who would take home €250 and some sweet stuff from 69slam and others. I guess my style was appreciated so I won the first contest of the season. I like!

Before hitting it to France with MountVacation.com I’m obliged to stay at home and shred nothing but the resort near my place. It doesn’t offer any rails, parks or back-country, but at least it’s skiing. Better than nothing right?

Check out this little edit from myself.

Whilst you’re watching this clip, I’ll be out on the field doing some street rail filming.

I’ve bitched about the lame winters over here in Slovenia since I got back home from Indonesia in November. Yesterday was a relaxed day spent with cool people where I took a trip to Bohinj and had dinner in Bled.

At dinner I was talking to my sponsor and good friend David, about being stressed out because of the green December. It’s nonsense for skiers having to be forced to stay  home!

As if they heard me from above, I woke up at 5.30am to find that it was snowing! Unbelievably, the first snow was here. I grabbed my 4frnts, Dalbellos,Ooakleys, Skullcandys and iPod and rushed out to  the resort of Krvavec which had just opened today. A cool day out with cool friends and some freshies. Still, not waist-deep pow or a big kicker, but I’m glad that winter has finally arrived and I can ski again. I will be skiing as much as I can, even if I only do turns on a piste without good edges on my skis. It’s fun to float! We made some shots with our new GO PRO HD camera. Flat light but shots are still perfect.

After winning Air&style, Marko Grilc made it to the premiere of Burton’s new movie in Ljubljana. It was soooo sick to have him here, not only as a host but also as a friend. He’s achieved so much and made at least 400 people at the party soooo proud of being in the Slovenian extreme sports scene.

“‘Yo dude you gotta come over here…the premiere is on!’

“Grilo in the name of love”

It felt so good to be back among friends who I haven’t seen for  such a long time. I took a picture with everyone I knew, or didn’t and it made my day.

The press car only means trouble!

and tall girls mean only…long legs…definitely not trouble!

the hat means having a cool lifestyle

and a wink means only ALL IN!

a movie night gives us all a reason to hang out

the crowd shows appreciation of it!

and a group photo means nothing but love.

This week, it took us less than 5 minutes to make up our minds and leave for Austria to spend the week. Some of you would call that a ski holidays, but I call it practice time and dialing new tricks just before the season starts over here. Because of really bad snow conditions all over the Europe, we couldn’t go anywhere else but the Dachstein ski resort has lots to offer anyways. Besides comfy apartment in the Kielerhof lodge and warm sunny afternoons, there are loads of medium sized jumps at the top of the glacier.

On the first day, I was kinda’ disappointed by how small the jumps are in comparison to the one we built at the Kanin resort last spring, but everything went smoothly. Started warming up my ankles and knees on the icy landings. Hard landing weren’t really good to my body but sometimes, you just have to be on it.

There were many of my skier buddies from all over the Europe, who were practicing for the Winter Jam in Stockholm. This event in the world’s biggest tour event, it stops in major cities to display man-made jumps. Ten of the world’s best skiers are invited to the series and they throw down the biggest tricks on the ski market at the moment. What has been happening in our industry for the past year is just plain crazy! Double corks improved so much that no one is throwing any other tricks in competitions. It is so dangerous to do the 3 or 3 ½ full rotation of the body with a combination of two flips over the head in the same trick, all that while grabbing your skis!

Photo by Daphne Levac Cornelissen

I wasn’t doing doubles on Dachstein but I sure had fun to practice natural (left), unnatural (right), switch (going backwards) spins on every jump. Definitely, I am ready for some slopestyle events from now on: I have my run dialed.

On the other hand, hanging out with my friends in an apartment and cooking food for them was best. We laughed so much when I was telling them stories from my summer in Down Under and Indo. We fell asleep after that, and woke up every morning ready for some action.

I am home now and I plan to do some photo shoot and interviews. Then, I’ll head back to snow and some waves.