McThoughts: Some observations from Val d'Isere's World Championships

Sometimes Val d’Isere seemed like merry olde England. Like some sort of winter Robin Hood might be lurking in the shadows.

There’s more British in this high mountain village than French. Okay, that’s not quite true, but it can seem that way. The whole area  – including the resorts of La Tignes and La Plagne down valley – is a very popular holiday spot with inhabitants of the Isles.

I love the understated quality the English bring to what we Americans consider our home language. Where we ‘Mericans would say a racer was “a tuna”, indicating his candidacy for ending up in the safety nets, an Englishman might suggest he was “a bit out of his depth;” So diplomatic.

Ski racing is a big game in Val d’Isere and has been for long time. With the 2009 championships the village has become the sixth ski area to host World Cup races, the Olympics and a world championship. That’s pretty cool.
Sometimes Val d’Isere seemed like merry olde England. Like some sort of winter Robin Hood might be lurking in the shadows.

There’s more British in this high mountain village than French. Okay, that’s not quite true, but it can seem that way. The whole area  – including the resorts of La Tignes and La Plagne down valley – is a very popular holiday spot with inhabitants of the Isles.

I love the understated quality the English bring to what we Americans consider our home language. Where we ‘Mericans would say a racer was “a tuna”, indicating his candidacy for ending up in the safety nets, an Englishman might suggest he was “a bit out of his depth;” So diplomatic.

Ski racing is a big game in Val d’Isere and has been for long time. With the 2009 championships the village has become the sixth ski area to host World Cup races, the Olympics and a world championship. That’s pretty cool.

There are, of course, more French here than Brits. They speak French, though, which I did not pass in junior high, high school or college. “Ferme la bouche” I understood after a month or so of classes, but these guys speak pretty rapidly and they aren’t talking clinically, either. “Oui,” is apparently pronounced “wegh,” for example, of which I’m pretty sure any of my French teachers would have disapproved.

There are 503 athletes at Val d’Isere (maybe that went up to 504 when Nicole Hosp arrived); And 1,500 journalists. About 900 of them are writers. Seeing the number of tape recorders in the face of any racer interviewed in the finish area would have one believe the ratio was way more slanted toward the writers.  It is worth mentioning that there are more of both athletes and journalists at the Nordic Worlds now underway in the Czech Republic.

The most enthusiastic of any of the skiers who won medals at Val d’Isere had to be Marie Marchand-Arvier. She vaulted onto the podium at the awards ceremony with a leap that would make any freestyle mogulist proud. She received a huge ovation. She deserved the ovation, not for the leap but for what she accomplished on the race hill.

It was nice to see the FIS embracing technology. The rather confusing situation with Michael Walchhofer’s rerun in the men’s downhill was the prime example. To review the situation jury radio calls were run over the race video and all of it was accomplished at the same precise timing of the live event. That’s NFL quality stuff. Think we’ll see a referee under a hood on the sidelines someday?

Here’s an oddity of Val d’Isere: it’s a tradition based town, a remote spot on the map where folks like to remember the huge amount of skiing history it has seen. There are lots of vintage trophies in the local ski club building. It’s Jean-Claude Killy’s home, and he was raised among recollections of local skiing legends already celebrated. Yet you cannot walk anywhere without hearing Snoop Dog. What the hell is that?

Loved the ad for Alpe d Huez that played on the French television station. It was touting long runs and shows a young man beginning his run. He’s got grey hair when he stops. Nice.

Here’s my favorite GEPA photo from the World Champs. It’s of FIS Assistant Women’s Refree Jan Tischhauser taken as he looked over the damage to the women’s speed track. Pretty evident he’s not a happy man.

As big of a downer as Vonn cutting up her thumb on a champagne bottle was, “This stuff is my kryptonite,” she said, holding up a glass of bubbly later in the evening, there should be some kudos for all of the people at that initial bloody celebration who did not give up the culprit’s name. You know he, or she, felt bad enough as it was. The whole thing did take place at a sponsor wing-ding. It’s not like it was a purposeful thing.

Congratulations are certainly in order for Vonn. What a class act. Well girl you’ve got at least a piece of all the American records, but there remains a huge gap between that and the real alpine world that extends around the world. You still got 25 DH wins ahead to match Annemarie Moser-Proell’s mark; and 44 to match her win total for all disciplines. The late Christl Cranz won a total of 12 gold medals at Worlds. She average 2.4 gold medals per title meet. All we’re saying is, don’t stop now. At 24 you have time to take a serious run at some all-time records. Just stay healthy.

We like Universal Sports a lot. Good guys and a good product. But in Europe access via our site was blocked. Come on guys, Universal or National?

There were some magnificent performances at Val d’Isere and the crowds definitely appreciated them, even when the winners weren’t French. But there were so many other nearly magnificent performances that fell – literally – short. Here are some kudos for Jean-Baptiste Grange, Manuela Moelgg, Nicole Gius, and yes, Bode Miller for some fabulous memories. Thanks.

It was a great championships for so many countries and individuals: A medal for Croatia without a single Kostelic on the podium; A slalom medal for Canada; Six medals for Switzerland, two of them from a 34 year old and two more from a 17 year old; Russia put a skier into the top 10.

And the fifth Frenchman who ran as a forerunner and reportedly would have won the run. I suspect we’ll see him racing down the stretch, Wegh?

And now for something completely different: Unless you live east of Sugarloaf – and not many North Americans do – I urge you to face East, take a knee and bare your head in memory of Paul Schipper who passed away Feb. 16. The man skied 3,903 consecutive days at the ‘Loaf, every day the lifts ran for 24 years. That is pure love for our sport.

Safe speed my friends.