ÖSV coach wants ban
Dangerous “wonder weapon” causes fear in Wengen
Crashes and injuries overshadowed the Lauberhorn races in Wengen last year - and this year, too, there is fear. It is unclear what role the ominous carbon shin guards play. ÖSV coach Marko Pfeifer is calling for a ban on the dangerous "wonder weapon".
"These carbon inserts, of course that also exacerbates the situation massively," said ÖSV men's head coach Pfeifer, a clear opponent of the tool, which he described as a kind of prosthesis. "It wraps around the entire lower leg up to the knees and naturally has an extreme leverage effect," explained the Carinthian, who is calling for regulation, especially with a view to the junior sector.
"I believe that the overly aggressive set-ups are already forcing such massive injuries and the large number of falls," he emphasized. The FIS has a duty to act because the individual national associations always act in the interests of their athletes. "That's why I believe only the FIS can put its foot down."
Bad falls
Last year, the Lauberhorn races in Wengen made international headlines for serious reasons that nobody wanted. Serious injuries to Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Alexis Pinturault and Marco Kohler shocked the skiing world. A year later, the crashes and injuries are still part of the scene. It is unclear what role the ominous carbon shin guards used by numerous riders play.
The carbon shin guards, socks or inserts are a permitted aid that has been used in the past, especially by athletes recovering from injuries. It is suspected that this particular component makes you faster, but also increases the risk of serious falls. World Cup dominator Marco Odermatt and Cyprien Sarrazin use the inserts - and in extreme versions, if reports are to be believed. Sarrazin injured himself in a brutal crash in Bormio before the turn of the year. It is uncertain whether and when the Frenchman will be able to return to skiing. It is also unclear whether the carbon protectors contributed to his fall.
"Beyond good and evil"
Put simply, the carbon protectors more or less enclose the lower leg and increase the leverage effect. "They are like socks made of firm material that prevent even the slightest movement of the foot in the ski boot," explained FIS Race Director Hannes Trinkl at the beginning of the year. Top skiers could use them to ski "incredible lines, but with such a set-up you are actually moving beyond good and evil".
ÖSV aces divided on the risk issue
Opinions are divided in the Austrian skiers' camp, with carbon parts only being used in individual cases. "Everyone tried it in the summer. I don't know if one or two of them use it from time to time, but most of them are running without these carbon inserts," Pfeifer said. Otmar Striedinger said: "I don't know if it's dangerous now. I think that if it's an even slope, it's not necessarily more dangerous than skiing without them."
For Vincent Kriechmayr, the skiers' move to push everything to the limit is logical. "I think it's like that in every sport where it's about the material. Everyone wants to win, everyone wants to get the maximum out of it," said the Upper Austrian. "The last thing we want is for the downhill to become a children's birthday party." He himself does not use the inserts, although they would make him faster in certain conditions.
"Especially when the slope is a bit softer, you take a shorter turn due to the aggressiveness," he emphasized. However: "You have to be careful in certain conditions. It's clear that it can lead to blending." Kriechmayr would not ban carbon protectors. "There are many athletes with shin injuries or offended feet. Others say they can no longer ski without them," he reported.
Material rides "a different program with you"
Daniel Hemetsberger, who has undergone several knee operations, also does not use the insoles after tests in the summer. "If an unexpected situation arises with a blow or compression, where you are no longer really in control of the situation but have to make sure that you get out safely, the stuff just makes it worse because it offers more surface area to attack and becomes stiffer," explained the 33-year-old. "It transfers your power better to the shoe. I even feel that it's smoother because the ski boot is easier to push. But in unexpected situations, the equipment runs a different program with you."
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