The highest speed on the ski track, according to the organization France Ski de Vitesse, was developed on March 31, 2014 in the French town of Var by the Italian athlete Simone Origone. His record is 252.454 kilometers per hour. The Italian competes in the speed skiing discipline, which is not yet included in the program of the Olympic Games.
Speed races
Speed skiing or downhill skiing on a straight hill is the fastest non-motorized land sport. Skiers regularly exceed 200 kilometers per hour, which is even higher than the free fall speed of a parachutist - about 190 km / h.
Speed races are held on specially designed one kilometer long tracks. There are about thirty such tracks around the world. Tracks are located, as a rule, in high mountainous areas in order to minimize air resistance.
The track is divided into three sections. In the first 300-400 meters, the rider tries to pick up speed. The maximum speed is measured on the next 100 meters - the time zone. And the last 500 are meant to slow down and come to a complete stop.
Speed skiers use special sealed latex suits and aerodynamic helmets to reduce air resistance. They must also provide some protection in the event of a fall. Special skis should be 240 centimeters long and no more than 10 centimeters wide. The weight of a pair should not exceed 15 kilograms.
Speed records
The first official speed skiing competition took place back in 1930. The author of the first record in the same year was the Austrian Leo Gasperl, who accelerated to 139 km / h. In the sixties, the Italian town of Cervinia became the "mecca" of high-speed skiing. Every year the best masters came here, regularly improving speed records. Italian Luigi di Marco reached 175 km / h, Japanese Morishito - 180.
Technological progress did not stand still. In the seventies, new tracks appeared, speeds increased significantly. In 1978, on the Portillo circuit in Chile, American Steve Mc Kinney overcame the seemingly unattainable 200 kilometers per hour.
In the eighties, the French ski resort Les Arcs turned into a new "mecca" for high-speed skiing. Here, as well as on another French track, Var, speed records have improved many times over. Today the records belong, among men, to the Italian Simone Origone - 252, 454 km / h and, among women, the Swedish athlete Sanne Tidstrand - 242, 590 km / h.
In 1992 Les Arcs hosted demonstration performances in the discipline "speed skiing" in the framework of the Olympic Games in Albertville.
