Speed skiing

November 29th, 2006

Speed skiing is the sport of skiing downhill in a straight line as fast as possible. It is the second fastest non-motorized sport on earth. The current world record is 156 mph (251.4 km/h). Speed skiers regularly exceed 125 mph (200 km/h), which is even faster than terminal velocity, the equilibrium speed of a body free-falling through the atmosphere. The terminal velocity of a skydiver in a normal free-fall position with a closed parachute is about 120 mph (193 km/h). (The fastest non-motorized sport is speed skydiving, in which divers reach speeds of over 300 mph.)


Speed skiers wear dense foam fairings on their lower legs and aerodynamic helmets to increase streamlining. Their ski suits are made from air-tight latex or have a polyurethane coating to cut wind resistance, with only a mandatory back protector to give some protection in the case of a crash.

The special skis used must be between 2.2 and 2.4 metres (94.5 inches) long and maximum 10cm wide and 15 kg for the pair. ski boots are attached to the skis by bindings. The ski poles are bent to shape around the body, and must be a minimum of 1 m long.

Speed skiing is practiced on steep, specially designed courses one kilometer long, and there are only about thirty of them world-wide, many of them at high altitude to minimize resistance from the air. The first 300 or 400 meters of the course (the launching area) are used to gain speed, the top speed is measured in the next 100 meters and the last 500 m (the run-out area) are used for slowing down and coming to a stop, with the speed being recorded over the 100 m between (the timing zone). The start point in FIS races is chosen so that, in theory, skiers should not exceed 200 km/h, hence competition is aimed at winning a particular event, not breaking world speed records.

Entry Filed under: Extreme sports, snow adrenaline