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Monday, March 12, 2007
It has been a great start to the season so far. Although there hasn’t been much snow in Europe, the Speed Ski World Cup Tour was able to commence in Kulm, Badmittendorf Austria the weekend of February 23rd. The race took place on the longest natural ski flying hill in the world. Despite the spring weather and lack of snow on all of the surrounding areas, Andy Nemetz and his race crew were able to truck snow in to Bad Mittendorf and pack the track with enough coverage to host the race. Surprisingly the track conditions were quite good, even with the huge compression and the short run out. It was a very technical course and the speeds were very tight between the top men and women.
I was skiing very well and I was leading at the semifinal. The speeds were so close in the end that I tied for second place with Jonathan Moret, and Martin Hochrainer, lead by Simone Origone in First place.
Just after the World Cup in Austria, all the racers got on a plane and headed to western Canada for 2 more World Cups and a pro race. The 9 hour time difference proved not to be much of a factor, as the racers were very competative again. The young new comer Ivan Origone placed first with Canadian Kenny Dale in second and myself in third, followed by Simone Origone.
The second Canadian race was a difficult one to pull off. With horrible weather conditions and high winds, we were left with only a half hour window of sunshine. The podium didn’t change much, with Kenny Dale in first, myself in second and Simone Origone in 3rd.
These results left me in the lead for the overall points of the World Cup. In the pro race on Sunday I placed 4th. It again was a tight race, and I think I finally succomed to the fatigue of travel, but I’m not dissapointed because of any race to drop in the rankings I’m happy it wasn’t one of the World Cups.
Because of the postponement of a pro race in Les Arcs France, I have a few days to relax and prepare for the upcomming races in Scandanavia. We have 2 World Cups in Sweden and then 2 World Cups in Finland. They will be followed by the World Cup finals in Italy. I am hoping the weather will be good for all of the events and that my travel itinerary goes according to plan.
Stay Fast -
Philippe
1:17 PM
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
It's been a great start to the season. In fact it's the best start I've ever had.
I placed 4th in the European XGames in Goldeck Austria.
I then traveled to participate in the races in Sun Peaks Canada. I had a great time there, despite the travel difficulties of getting stranded overnight in Germany with the whole Swiss Team. After arriving a day late, and losing all of our luggage and having no sleep, I was surprised at how well I was able to perform. In the first World Cup race, I placed 2nd, and in the second World Cup race I placed 3rd. My speed was the second fastest of the weekend, giving my the second place in the Velocity challenge.
After flying back to Switzerland and losing my luggage again, I managed to pull myself together for the French Championship/ Marco Salvagio race in Les Arcs France. The weather forecast was bad, but Marco shined on us the whole weekend. We had perfectly sunny weather and I came in second place with a speed of 207 km/h.
I'm leaving tomorrow to go to the 3 World Cup races in Sweden. I'm looking forward to these events and I hope to perform to the best of my ability.
1:45 AM
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
I had an excellent season, finishing off with a new personal record and new Swiss record. I came in 2nd place at the Pro Mondial in Les Arcs France, with a very fast speed of 248.280 km/h. This is the 4th fastest speed in the history of skiing.
I am very proud of my achievments this year and I look forward to competing again next year.
This comming season, I will not be updating the English news section of my website as frequently as I have in the past. For the latest updates, please check the French version of the site. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email.
1:18 PM
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
-----The TagHeuer/ XSpeedSki and Swiss Championships in Verbier, Nendez, Mont-Fort were a great success. After a minor set back due to the FSV changing their minds about covering the race, we changed the event from the Pro-Mondial to a Swiss Open. This was only a small bump in the road in the organization. Because the organizers of the event were so well prepared, we were able to hold a very successful race. For the first time in Swiss history, several racers were able to safely achieve speeds over 200 km/h.
We are looking at this achievement as a great accomplishment in speed skiing. We had the Mont-Fort track homoligated by the FIS over the weekend, and we are looking forward to having a World Cup, or possibly the World Championships here next year. It is possible that for the first time since the 92 Olympics, we may have a FIS race at a speed over 200. This is a great break through for the sport, and we are very proud of the performance of all of the racers, organizers and volunteers.
I am happy with my performance during this race, considering the amount of stress I was under, being one of the main organizers of this event. I really wanted everything to run smoothly, and I was hoping to be the fastest Swiss as well. I turned out to be the 2nd fastest Swiss, and the race ended up being one of the most fun events of the season.
In addition to hosting a great event, I am happy to announce that I have signed a deal with Rossignol. I was very happy with the performance of the ski during the race on the Mont-Fort. I think the skis have a lot of potential to become very fast, and I am very happy to be a new member of the Rossignol team.
-----The high speed races of the Pro-Mondial circuit went by very quickly. After the FIS circuit was over, we immediately began racing in Les Arcs, France and Vars, France. The speed ski tracks in these locations are known to be the fastest in the world. I was very excited to be skiing over 200 km/h again. I think my enthusiasm helped me gain a position on the top of the field in the pro races.
In the first Pro-Mondial in Vars France, I had an amazing race. I remained in the top 3 positions throughout all of the runs. In the finals, I skied well and I placed 2nd with a speed of 204.08 km/h. In the second Pro-Mondial event in Les Arcs, I was also skiing very well. I was trying new skis, that Rossignol provided me, and I did very well with them. All of my runs were in the top five, which made me very confident for the finals. In the semifinals, I was in 3rd place. The weather was not looking good, and they were threatening to close the event early. After a track inspection, it was decided that despite low visibility the track was in safe condition. This was to my benefit, because with one more run, I was able to secure 2nd place with a final speed of 221.81. This result placed me 2nd in the overall Pro-Mondial competition, behind Simone Origone by only one point. I was happy with my finish in the Pro-Mondial, and this has been one of my best seasons yet.
-----The World Cup Finals in Hundfjallet, Sweden went very well. It was a very difficult race because of the shape of the track. The track was very steep, and it finished into a frozen lake. If you can imagine, this caused quite a compression at the bottom. I was under a lot of pressure to perform well here, because I was sitting so high in the overall ranking. I was very happy with my performance, and I ended up finishing the FIS season 3rd overall. This made me very happy, because it is the 3rd year in a row that I have been on the overall World Cup Podium.
2:52 AM
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
I have just returned from several races in Cervinia Italy and Sun Peaks Canada. After weeks of traveling, I am happy to report that I have been on the podium 3 times during the last 4 races.
In Canada, the track was extremely difficult. The course was quite steep with 3 jumps, requiring technical expertise and strength. In the first World Cup race, I had some difficulty on one of the jumps and landed a bit off center. Unfortunately this cost me some time and I finished 8th. For the second WC race, I was able to regain my focus and take the jumps with strength. I was very happy with my 3rd place finish.
In Cervinia Italy I had to overcome the hurdle of racing on a track where I left in an ambulance one year ago. I didn't think it would be as difficult as it was. In addition, the crowd almost seemed to view me as nonthreatening for the top position. I was a bit frustrated by this and I really wanted to prove to everyone including myself that I had what it takes to be number one. After several good training runs, I was mentally prepared to take on the track. In the first World Cup, I put up a great fight and I nailed first place. During the second race, the wind conditions were a bit inconsistent, but I was able to maintain my focus. I skied well again and fought for a podium position. After a tough battle, I placed 3rd, which moved me up to the 2nd position overall in the World Cup fight for the globe.
I will leave on Sunday for the World Cup Finals in Hundfjallet Sweden. I am really looking forward to this race. Last year I did not get to participate there because of the injuries I sustained in Cervinia. I have skied well in Hundfjallet before, and I know I can do well there next week. After the F.I.S. World Cup Finals, the higher speed events will begin in France and Switzerland. This has been a great season so far and I really hope it continues in the same direction.
5:03 AM
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
I had a really nice week at the XGames in Goldeck, Austria. The track was very interesting and was quite technical with speeds hovering around 160 km/h. I skied very well during training and felt very comfortable in my tuck. Several times in training I had the fastest run.
On the day of the race, the track was quite bumpy and there were very high winds. The organizers had to make a decision to run from the lower start instead of the very top of the track. This would mean there would be lower speeds for the race. In addition, we would only have time for one run. This made it a very difficult event.
At the start, I had a problem with my skis. The track had a lot of ridges in it, and my ski got hooked on the edge. This made it impossible for me to get into my tuck quickly. I still had a very good run and I finished in 7th place. I think I lost a lot of acceleration at the top of the track.
I am really looking forward to racing in Canada the first week of March. They have a very exciting track and the race is very well organized. I will continue to work and train in Verbier until then.
Peace!
10:05 AM
Friday, February 06, 2004
I have just returned home from the first two World Cup races in Leysin, Switzerland. We had beautiful weather throughout the competition. The track was very tricky and required a lot of technical expertise. After a successful day of training I was ready to go for the semifinals and ultimately the 2 final World Cup Runs.
On the first race run, I was very focused and determined to keep my tuck still on this bumpy, turny track. I succeeded and finished in 2nd place. On the second race, I also had a good run. I think however I was trying a bit too hard and was somewhat too aggressive. I was still able to finish 5th, which has placed me 2nd in the overall competition for the globe.
I am very happy with my performance in both races and I am looking forward to more tough competitions in the season.
On Saturday, I will join my fellow speed skier Jonathan Moret and former World Cup downhiller William Besse to compete in the Derby Du Chavanette. A cancellation of the WC on Altausee Austria has allowed the time for this race. I am really looking forward to having fun at this event before the XGames in Goldeck Austria next week.
3:42 AM
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