BEAVER CREEK — What is it like to race downhill in excess of 75 mph on the Birds of Prey? Racers cover 1.7 miles and descend 2,470 feet in about one minute, 44 seconds. The Denver Post asked U.S. Ski Team downhillers how it feels to compete here in the fastest and most dangerous of the alpine disciplines.
Travis Ganong: “It’s the ultimate extreme sport. It’s an adrenaline rush. It’s crazy — you’re going super fast, you’re pushing the limits of your sport every day, and you’re on the line of life and death. Not life and death, but it’s just really, really dangerous. When you’re in that zone, sending it off jumps, going fast and looking for speed and challenging yourself, it’s just exhilarating.”
Steven Nyman: “I’m (originally) a slalom skier, and slalom is amazing when you’re on it. When you nail a slalom run, it’s just like, ‘That was beautiful, and such a good feeling.’ But if you’re sucking, it is the worst feeling in the world. In downhill, if you’re not on it, you may be scared, but you can get back into it, there’s a lot of time between turns, you’ll get back up to speed. You’re going to get to the bottom and you’re going to be like, ‘That was awesome,’ every run. That’s what’s cool about downhill, it is fun. … You get into this different mental state — you have to get into his mental state — on a World Cup track. It’s just a different level of intensity that you have to be at, otherwise that mountain is going to kick your (rear).”
Marco Sullivan: “Steven’s right. Unless you know you just totally blew it (in downhill), maybe it’s not fun because you can’t embrace the moment. But 90 percent of the time, you have a smile on your face as you cross the finish line. First it’s like, ‘Oh, I made it down, I can relax.’ Then just the exhilaration of the run. When you see your time, maybe that’s a reality check, but regardless, when you’re on the hill, you’re negotiating these huge mountains and all the terrain, you’re one with the hill.”
John Meyer: jmeyer@denverpost.com or @johnmeyer
