Kitzbuehel, Austria — The Men’s Audi FIS World Cup circuit returned to Kitzbühel this past weekend, and many ski racers were hanging on for dear life. The Streif is known as downhill skiing’s most challenging course, and many videos throughout the weekend demonstrated why.
Probably the save of the weekend, and the entire season, went to Adrian Smiseth. With his left leg and ski nearly falling behind him before and after a jump, he’s able to rebalance himself despite the forces trying to knock him over. This maneuver barely affected him, and he finished in fifth place. Marco Ordermatt ended up winning that race.
Nominee number two goes to Switzerland’s Alexis Mooney, who, while trying to re-engage his left ski, slid into the netting. However, he somehow stayed upright and completed the run. Giovanni Franzonni ended up winning the Downhill race.
Finally, the third nominee for save of the weekend goes to Erik Arvidsson. After a major send, he dropped into a very deep squat and got up in time to keep the momentum going. Erik was in 45th after the first run, but his daring second run got him 19th place overall.
I’d say the most impressive save goes to Adrian, but all these saves prove how athletic ski racers are.
Image/Video Credits: FIS Ski, US Ski Team
