Talk:Downhill (ski competition)

Untitled
As far as I know, Régine Cavagnoud killed herself in training, not in any official downhill event. So I am not sure if it is correct to list her here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.250.34.220 (talk) 14:52, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

As far as I remember in a downhill course there are only red or blue gates.

So What exacly is downhill skiing. I still don't know how you do it, or what the point is.

Downhill is also a place in NI. Would that article be known as "Downhill (Northern Ireland)"? -- Tough Little Ship 13:45, 31 March 2006 (UTC)


 * No, I think that would be at Downhill, County Londonderry. See Naming conventions (city names). Sam Vimes 13:53, 31 March 2006 (UTC)


 * Heh, scratch that. It's already at Downhill (Northern Ireland). Sam Vimes 13:53, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

With regard to Regine Cavagnoud I would like to suggest to read the article about her. She died two days after a fatal accident in a training in the Tyrolian Alps (having a crash with another person (Mr. Anewander, a trainer from Germany). Maybe, confusion or misunderstanding was (were) here. Mrs. Cavagnoud did downhill. If it is so, other ski racers shouldn't race on the same course. There are controls who would inform other racers to being not allowed to race at that moment (such handlings may be arranged by radio communications). But Mr. Anewander didn't know about Cavagnoud's presence. It was said, that he had had the allowance to start his race. Maybe, he didn't understand the words in the radio communications (or misinterpreting). In the crash (head to head) Mr. Anewander had been heavy injured too. Mrs. Cavagnoud did go comatose, didn't come out of a coma.  Likewise Ulrike Maier in January 1994, who could win a World Cup Skiing Giant Slalom race several days before, Mrs. Cavagnoud also did win a World Cup Giant Slalom race - two days - before the accident did happen.  --Skiscout (talk) 17:56, 9 January 2017 (UTC).

"Sprint Downhill"
Dear Sir, I would like to cit. the German Wikipedia (but I also know it by myself): A kind of Downhill Race is the "Sprint Downhill Race". Such races have a lower length (you may call it as "shortened race"), and the first intention to carry out was due to bad weather conditions and lack of snow. It is a two-run-race, and the regulation is the same like in Special Slaloms and Giant Slaloms: Only the best thirty are allowed to start the second leg, and the thirtieth has to start at the first. - Afterwards the first "Sprint Downhill Race" such "Sprint Downhill Races" were held in Kitzbühel besides the "Original Hahnenkamm Downhill Race" (Extra Race). At a later time that kind of Downhill Race did disappear off the radar. - First winner of a World Cup Sprint Downhill Race was Atle Skårdal on January 20th, 1990, at the Hahnenkamm. Another winners were Luc Alphand, Didier Cuche and Ed Podivinsky (not only at the Hahnenkamm). I would like to point out that there also were female "Sprint Downhill Races" in the World Cup. --Skiscout (talk) 18:49, 10 January 2017 (UTC).

Another deaths
Dear Sir, there are another deaths among World Cup racers or other important racers who did die in the history of Alpine Downhill Races:

Italian Giacinto Sertorelli in 1938 and Italian Ilio Colli in 1953, John Semmelink and Austrian Toni Mark in 1959, and Michel Bozon (in the World Cup Downhill Race in 1970 at Megève), or Kirsteen McGibbon from Great Britain in 1996. Another racers were US-undergraduate David Noelle in 1972 in the Ski Resort Winter Park, and also in 1972 Austrian Arthur Gobber; Markku Vuopala from Finland in 1975.

Mr. Leonardo David from Italy did suffer a tragic fate when he did fell in the World Cup Downhill Race at Lake Placid on March 3rd, 1979; physician's care didn't help, he died six years later.

I don't forget Josef Walcher in 1984, who was killed in a benefit race, or racers who did die in trainings like Australian Ross Milne in 1964, Frenchman Michel Dujon in 1975, or German Uwe Piske in 1982, or NorAm-Cup Racer Shelley Glover, a US-Racer, in 2004, and Asli Nemutlu from Turkey in 2012. - Sorry, I did forget to signe! --Skiscout (talk) 17:58, 9 January 2017 (UTC).

Asterisk Racer
Who is an "Asterisk Racer"? - In former years, list of start was divided into groups with each 15 racers (best racers from 1 until 15 in the so-called "group one"), maybe the last group did consist of a lawer number than 15. Regulations did allow that the race mustn't start with the "group one". Race jury could determine that a posterior group should start; it happened on occasion when it did snow before a race (it was called a race with fresh snow). Insiders will know about conditions when there is fresh snow: The race becomes slow. At first, the first starters are in a disadvantage. But it was important for the better (and best) racers because the course did become faster when they had to start. But it did happen that one or another of the racers from the "poorer groups" could achieve a place in the Top Ten. However, all those racers who did start at first (before the group one, group two a.s.o.) were marked with an asterisk, therefore they were called as "Asterisk racers". Skiscout (talk) 18:13, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

No Downhill Race without a "Practice Race"
Dear Sir, apart from regulation in regard to the order of start (with dependence of the result of a particular practice race in which all competitors have to compete - that system has changed; up from the season 2008-09 the regulation became different, and it did change anew before the season 2016-17), each actual downhill race (which is hosted by the FIS) is not allowed to be held without such a practice race before. Normally, there are more inspections and practice races before the downhill race (that's counts) but, maybe, bad weather conditions do hamper practice races. The only way out may be that the officially required practice race is to held on the same day when the downhill race is to be held. Skiscout (talk) 14:24, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

Disambiguation of title?
"Downhill skiing" in British English is "skiing down slopes, rather than along level ground", according to the Cambridge Dictionary. In North American English Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "downhill", in reference to skiing, as: "a: the sport of skiing on downhill trails—often used attributively. b: a skiing race against time down a trail ." In alpine skiing, "downhill skiing" is cited as a synonym.

It seems to me that this article should be titled, Downhill (sport) or Downhill (ski competition) and allow "Downhill skiing" to redirect to either Alpine skiing or to Downhill (disambiguation). User:HopsonRoad 21:13, 16 February 2017 (UTC)

Last call
Since no-one has offered an opinion, I'm going with Downhill (ski competition) and directing "Downhill skiing" to redirect to Alpine skiing and also including "Downhill (ski competition)" on the list of items in Downhill (disambiguation). Sincerely, User:HopsonRoad 20:14, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Well, for what it's worth, I agree. There are an awful lot of incoming links to fix, but I note that many of them were going to the wrong place, anyway. StAnselm (talk) 20:57, 19 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Thanks for that observation, StAnselm, and thanks for doing clean-up. Cheers, User:HopsonRoad 21:09, 19 February 2017 (UTC)