When it comes to gaining a competitive edge in Olympic downhill ski racing every little advantage counts whether it comes to wax choices, custom made speed suits, or all the untold hours athletes spend in the off-season fine tuning their bodies for maximum velocity.
One aspect in the pursuit of downhill excellence that often goes under the radar is choosing the best racing line through the course to shave fractions of a second off runs. Much of the decision making process relies on athletes’ input after test runs and reviewing post-run footage but there is another way gain perspective on the slickest way to approach the course, an aerial perspective.
This pursuit of a bird’s eye view explains why broadcast camera’s spotted a group of ski coaches dangling from trees adjacent downhill course at the Milano-Cortina Olympic, including what appears to be a representative from Team USA.
Thankfully they look to be harnessed in and in no danger of falling but it goes to show that these folks will exhaust every possible opportunity to get their athletes across the line first and standing on top of podiums.
