Extreme Skiing

Lars Berger had never before finished at the podium in the World Cup - the Norwegian very eminently clocking 35:50 in the 15 km freestyle, bagged his maiden cross-country win at the World Championship in Sapporo.

Leaving all the favorites lingering, the outcome of the race is just difficult to grasp - teenager Leanid Karneyenka of Belarus a debutant at the Worlds finished .30 seconds behind Berger for the silver, while Germany’s World Cup Champion Tobias Angerer closed in for the bronze.

The race starting late in the day was made enduring by the snow and the defending champion Pietro Piller Cottrer of Italy found it even stiffer finishing 10th 1:24.3 seconds behind the leader.

Norway managed only one gold medal in Nordic events at the Turin Olympics, though here at the World Championship the Norwegians are desperate to salvage pride.

Read: IHT

Austria led through the first round of the team event at the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide.

Only two men and two women raced one super-G each in the morning and slalom heats latter in the day at the Silvano Beltrametti course, while the top racers were on off to prepare for the season’s final two individual races scheduled for the weekend.

Austria ended the heats for the super-G with seven points while second placed Canada managed eleven and Switzerland third with fourteen, in a penalty points system were the team with the lowest points total wins.

Andrea Fischbacher and Mario Scheiber were fastest in the first and the fourth heats while Canada’s Francois Bourque bettered the rest in the second only to be closely followed by Christoph Gruber, Marie Marchand-Arvier of France topped in the third heat.

Read: Eurosport

He refuses for the slalom and is forced back in the super combined - but clocking the fastest in the opening downhill run, the speed specialist has taken to the apex of the men’s super combined.

Didier Cuche clocked 1:29:89 to remain the fastest down the Olympia course.

Wishing to compete in the slalom leg for once, Swiss legend said:

Maybe it (slalom) can help me grab some points. I trained in the slalom yesterday and it was not so bad. Hopefully I can ski as I did yesterday

American Bode Miller finished second fastest just 0.14 seconds behind Cuche, while Austrian Mario Schreiber was third.

Cuche was elated with the race conditions, though the course was shortened ahead of the race owing to high wind intensity and poor visibility.

Winning the super-G at the US Alpine Championship in Alaska, Bode Miller tied for the men’s record with the ninth national title of his career.


A thorough professional, Miller for whom the national event is a mere child’s play described himself of being slightly better through the most difficult part of the relatively unchallenging course.

With the slalom Sunday and giant slalom Tuesday opportunities remain to go past the best as Miller joins Dick Durrance and Tiger Shaw for the most titles at the U.S. championships.


Julia Mancuso, the Olympic gold medalist in giant slalom and third overall in the World Cup this season was the best in the women’s event, bagging the her eighth super-G national title.

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Garmisch-Partenkirchen has developed into a Ski paradise of late, the German resort is to host the Alpine Skiing World Cup events this season - but weather is playing spoilsport here as heavy snowfall has forced the event into delay.

Despite the snowfall, FIS race director Guenter Hujara is hopeful of appropriate conditions to get underway with the event over the next few days.


The venue is scheduled to host two downhill and Slalom events and the first men’s World Cup races post the championships conclusion - though the final decision of the events to take place is likely to be finalized on Saturday.

Read: Eurosport

He faced an early exit out of the giant slalom - but managed a sweet revenge over his younger brother Philipp (who won the Olympic PSG final) winning the parallel slalom at the World Championships.

Simon Schoch was unparalleled on course; he complemented the win to his enthusiasm and fitness, and quoted,

“I absolutely wanted to win a World Championships medal. That I did it in front of all the fans is the best thing that could happen.”

Rok Flander of Slovenia managed to stick is nose ahead of Austrian Andreas Prommegger for the final podium spot.

It was Heidi Neururer who finished at the pinnacle in the Woman’s event (registering her first ever victory at the World Championship), while Marion Kreiner and Doresia Krings followed for the second and third respectively.

The home fans were elated, when Ole Einar Bjoerndalen narrowly triumphed over Raphael Poiree in an epic 15-km mass start biathlon race in Holmenkollen, Oslo.

The Norwegian edging out his French opponent with the slightest of margin, claimed the second win in as many days and the 11th one of the season.

Having lost out in such intensity packed environment will be a befitting adieu for Poiree who was contesting in what would probably be the final race of his career, as the Frenchmen has called for retirement from the competitive scene.

Germany’s Sven Fisher bagged the final podium finish behind the duo.

What is the craziest bet that you have herd or ever made - could have been anything, but I guarantee none would be as extreme as this: to make it and then implement it in public is what puts this at the top of them all.

Rainer Schoenfelder, a 29-year-old Austrian Skier had vowed he would ski naked if his physiotherapist managed to lessen his pains by Wednesday - Schoenfelder had injured his neck, back in a crash last week, and was under treatment with his physio.

Schoenfelder found respite from the pains post a special treatment from the physio on Tuesday night - losing the bet he paid for it by skiing nude down the Lauberhorn, the longest downhill run in the world.

Schoenfelder skied wearing boots, helmet and gloves, and was clicked by a photographer in the process and the picture was shown on the Web site www.sport1/at. - The Austrian lashed at the photographer saying,

“Somehow I didn’t notice the photographer, It was a private bet and of course the whole thing wasn’t planned for the public.
I am happy though that the pains have eased up and that it was not cold when I carried out my forfeit.”

Nudity must have been private and rightly so but if one goes out in public performing such acts then this needs to be captured, all credit to the Photographer.

Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong calls himself the snow leopard but he surely didn’t leap like one at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Are - the Ghanaian lacked pace in the qualification race for the giant slalom in the men’s event.

Kwame was a minute and 17 seconds slower to winner Urs Imboden and finished distant last in the two-leg event, which meant he didn’t qualify for the main event of the giant slalom.

He may not be a contender for the main event but for sure was the pick of the competition not so much for his skiing ability but for the Leopard print outfit with the skies, boots and helmet alike.

The 31-year-old born in Glasgow, moved back to Ghana as a kid - he feels he isn’t a top Ski contender though can be an inspiration for the youth back home enticing them to take on the sport.

Kwame is a true competitor post his international Ski debut in France he failed to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics he didn’t lose out got back to compete and here he is at the World’s this time.

For the Ghanaian Ski is passion beyond self and his Leopard outfit a way of attention, fanfare, recognition and wildcat conservation appeal.

Read: Reuters

Owing to a recurrent knee trouble the veteran Bode Miller had refused to compete in the downhill event - however now the schedule for the American seems stiffer as he has decided to compete in all five events at the World Championships.

The explanation he has quoted for his for taking on the downhill is that this course is less challenging to the others. He said,

“The jumps are a little bit smaller and the snow is a little softer.”

Miller is favorite at the world’s and is expected to better his last season performance in Turin where he failed to win any medal - he himself is eager to improve his performs.

Miller will have no breathers in the championship as he has all the available events clogged up in his itinerary - how far will he be successful in them depends on his performance and fitness.

Read: Eurosport