Boundaries exceeded

ÖSV Alpine boss rages: “This should be absolutely banned”

ÖSV Alpine Director Herbert Mandl

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof/Krone.at)

Austria's ski association is calling for a ban on the much-discussed carbon rails in alpine skiing and wants to enforce this with the results of research by the University of Innsbruck. "This massively increases the reaction of the ski, it should be absolutely banned," raged ÖSV Alpine boss Herbert Mandl.

Mandl does not think it is a good idea to leave the athletes with personal responsibility in this matter. "When it comes to performance, everyone will take whatever is faster." Anyone who needs a support for medical reasons should be allowed to use cushioning material. The numerous crashes this World Cup winter and sometimes massive injuries are not always due to wearing carbon rails, such as those used by many skiers from the Swiss and French national teams. These are not used in the ÖSV, Felix Hacker tore his cruciate ligament and meniscus in training in Kitzbühel without falling. "He also had a small driving error. It happens like that, and when they have the caps in, it happens even faster," said Mandl.

"We have clearly exceeded the limits of resilience. Of course it's the result of crashes. But also when someone gets caught up. The quick reactions of a ski, you can see that it's all so aggressive." From his point of view, the ski boot should be the starting point. "Everything gives way even more than the boot, the boot is a block." But there is also a need for action with the carbon rails. "This massively increases the reaction of the ski, it should absolutely be banned."

Herbert Mandl

(Bild: APA/EXPA/JOHANN GRODER)

Damping material instead of carbon
Mandl said that biomechanical measurements had already been taken and that this could be clearly proven. They will "make a strong case for it with documents and evidence that it reacts much more sharply". "And say it's nonsense. We want a general ban. We are also a role model for young people, schoolchildren are already coming along and saying they have to drive with these lids." Anyone who has an exemption, for example after a fracture, shin or leg inflammation, should be allowed to use cushioning material that is not stiff and enables power transmission.

The ÖSV skiers who had tried the rails had not been able to cope with them. "You have to adjust the whole set-up of the material and distribute the aggressiveness." Wearing the rails would not have advantages everywhere, but on crisp slopes, where more power would be sensible and useful. And, of course, the grooming is becoming ever sharper, compact snow has more density than natural snow, and water turns the surface into ice.

Odermatt doesn't believe in many changes
When asked about the safety debate in general, superstar Marco Odermatt said in Kitzbühel. "Maybe you can ski with ski boots, then it would be less fast, less aggressive. Then it would no longer be ski racing." Skiing is a dangerous sport and everyone is aware of the consequences. "You have to get the external conditions as good as possible, you have to make yourself as strong as possible in order to prevent injuries or counteract risks. I don't see major changes as realistic."

Marco Odermatt

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

The World Cup superstar uses insoles, as does Cyprien Sarrazin, who suffered a bleed near the brain in his horror crash in Bormio. Sarrazin uses a model that encloses the leg, while the South Tyrolean Christof Innerhofer uses protectors. "It gives me security. I feel much more comfortable. Especially when it hits, it gives me stability in the ski boot. It's no more aggressive, I haven't changed anything on the ski boot." He also mentioned that, as a taller athlete, the ski boot ends somewhere else than for a smaller athlete, so it is simply a longer support.

Christof Innerhofer

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

"I see the problem that people nowadays think we have to slow down the downhill course with waves and hills and edges. This is downhill skiing and not ski cross on downhill skis. We all have no problem going 5 km/h faster, we don't notice it. Most mistakes happen because there are weird snappers somewhere, most of them are twists or stupid falls." His possible solution: "Lower the plate by a few millimetres, then you can ride with less lean angles."

Paris misses the playful side of the sport
Innerhofer's compatriot Dominik Paris, who doesn't wear protectors, said in Kitzbühel: "The athlete is the athlete, he wants to win and tries to do so with help. And the equipment is our great help." He decides which setup he takes and what risk he takes. "If the FIS can find a good regulation to regulate this and make it more playful again and work more with the forces of the body than with the forces of the skis, we would certainly have taken a good step in the right direction." Test results are needed, according to which the regulations should then be drawn up.