Speed Skiing’s 158 mph Record and the Push for the Olympics (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: This man skis faster than most cars drive, so fast that he can't see or hear anything. The Frenchman is the world record holder in the sport of speed skiing, setting the mark in 2023 when he clocked a speed of over 158mph.

[00:00:17] Speaker 2: This day was the best day of my life because when you ski at that speed, you just slow down the time, you feel the speed, there are your feet on your chute and really this is like a drug for us.

[00:00:32] Speaker 1: The goal of speed skiing is sort of obvious, go as fast as you can down a slope on two skis without any mechanical assistance. Reaching such high speeds though is anything but simple and it requires years of training for both the body and the mind, as well as state-of-the-art equipment.

[00:00:47] Speaker 2: I am ready and I visualise everything and I know what is coming and then you just drop into the track and you feel the speed coming. It's so fast but when I am in my helmet on my skis at that moment, everything is just so slow around me, it's crazy. So me when I ski down I don't hear anything and the interesting thing is I don't see anything either.

[00:01:13] Speaker 1: Speed skiing is not an event at this year's Winter Olympics. In fact its only appearance came as a showcase event at the 1992 Games in France. But despite that, the community is still pushing the boundaries.

[00:01:24] Speaker 2: We are working for it for 2013 in France because we have the Olympics at home and we have the best track in the world here just waiting for it. But if we are not, it's okay because we still have this adventure to be the fastest skier in the world and for me the most important thing in this sport is the world record. I prefer to have a world record than a gold medal at the Olympics.