COVERAGE: FIS Alpine World Cup - Killington, VT - 24-25 Nov 2018

[Cheizz]

Augment is a little Austrian brand, making handmade skis especially for the race market. Last year, the brand name was Croc. Tim Jitloff skied those last year, I think.

 

[ksampson3]

Really? We were watching on the NBC Sports channel which isI (I thought) the Olympic channel.
Maybe I'm wrong. I could have done without the screaming of the announcers, but I'm also happy that we have coverage of any kind in the USA. We need more coverage.

I watched the first run real time on the NBC Sports App on my Roku. This live feed usually doesn't include any commentary, just whatever the live microphones pick up on the hill. Unfortunately for this race, you could hear Doug Lewis screaming his head off for every racer that came down. Ugh, it was horrible. The second run that was not telecast real-time and had the usual commentary from Steve Porino and Dan Hicks. I thought that they were fine. The problem with this broadcast was that they showed so few racers due to the endless commercials and all of the Olympic-like human interest stories.

Real time with all of the racers and endless screaming OR delayed broadcast with mega commercials and too few skiers - take your pick.

 

[Average Joe]

Re: the NBC coverage, the first run announcing seemed to be a feed from the PA system. Th audio was screwed up, mixed with on snow microphones, either too loud or indiscernible. A college broadcasting student could do better audio work.
Doug Lewis was shouting, as Phil said, like it was Wrestlemania. Maybe he sees Warner Nickerson in his rear view mirror and doesn't want to lose his gig?
Tuned in for the second run at 12:45 and.......nothing. 12:57, with forerunners on course.......more nothing. 1:00, with American Nina O'Brien on course and Paula Motlzan coming up.......sorry, NBC couldn't be bothered. I guess their pre-packaged videos and promo pieces were more important than three Americans making the flip in a WC slalom.
At least, when they started showing the racing they featured announcers that I didn't feel compelled to mute. And eventually did show delayed video of O'Brien and Moltzan's runs.

But hey, at least we got coverage!

 

[Dwight]

The live feeds on the NBC Gold did have the sound of the onsite announcers for all the races at Killington.

 

[Wilhelmson]

We enjoyed the experience and will probably be back next year. Hats off to the ladies giving it their all, and the crowd for cheering on all the skiers, especially the Canadians and the Slovenian. On Sunday it seemed like there was some slush on top of ice on the course, but I couldn't tell what was causing the problems at the top. The crowd was smaller on Sunday but seemed louder. There were plenty of spots with good viewing, even for shorter kids. A small suggestion would be to prove monitors so that spectators in the K1 area can see the rankings and who is up next, as well as what's happening at the top of the course. I wouldn't label the experience itself as a circus; if the commentary keeps you away, to each their own I suppose.

Here's a synopsis of our experience for anyone considering going next year. Keep in mind we have two kids and my daughter was sick so getting from car to shuttle to lift isn't as bing bang boom as it is for singles.

Killington did a great job hosting the event. We bought the $20 Vale parking passes. We were running late on Saturday but only had a 5 minute walk to Snowshed from the Vale lot, and easily made our way on skis from there to the gondola. On Sunday it wasn't clear how to get into the Vale lot so we just kept driving up the road and ended up parking a few hundred feet from the gondola. The circulation patterns might be a bit overly contrived.

We booted up in the car however it would have been easy enough to carry bags through security. This might not have been the case on Saturday when it was much busier. Our only complaint with the logistics was that before parking at Vale on Saturday, my wife had to jog 1/2 mile each way to the Snowshed lodge to pick up our parking pass in order for us to even access the paid parking roads. Minor buzz kill which can be avoided by ordering the parking passes ahead of time.

Skiing wise there was good snow coverage and a variety of beginner through expert terrain open. I expected some crazies on the slopes however everyone was safe and courteous. There were a few lift lines on Saturday between races, otherwise there were barely any lines. I didn't notice the green jacket hosts on the trails but my wife found them helpful. On Saturday AM there were some Ikon pass issues but the lifties pushed us through so no big deal. By Sunday the passes were working fine.

 

[Philpug]

It was great seeing so much Salomon product and surprising to see so little (if any) Nordica and Blizzard. It was also interesting seeing such a mix of the Rossignol skiers in both Lange and Rossignol boots.

 

[James]

For the PA announcers at Killington, I'm pretty sure it was the same as last year, Doug Lewis and Peter Graves. (I wasn't there this year)

It's very unusual for a broadcast to use pa announcers. That's a production decision. On site, the screaming is ok because there's so much going on, there's wind, cold, and by racer 64 people have been out in the cold for quite a long time. Listening to a calm droner probably wouldn't work well. (Though I'm not a fan of Warner Nickerson's loud antics, on site unless he's in your face you don't notice him much)

Plus people are cheering so at those times pa announcers become background.

Live sports events have all sorts of things to get the crowd involved. Including mascots who thankfully, don't speak. (Do you really want to hear what the Philly Fanatic has to say?)

A broadcast is a created production. Everything has to be mixed in and an atmosphere created. Screaming pa announcers don't really work for a presentation to someone sitting in a room. But everything that gets put out is some sort of a decision. Some of the live? or early broadcast slalom I saw had absolutely horrendous production. Snow noise drowning out everything else, sounding like a jet plane. Inconsistent levels of the commentary, which was the pa system. Total mess.
The later broadcast on the Olympic channel had none of that and was quite normal.

In general for the tv coverage, most annoying was the finish banner obscurred a few gates at the very end. They really needed another camera with a sightline below the banner to switch to. Very surprised they didn't have that.

If Killington gets it again I'd like them to rig a cable cam. You could probably even use the lift towers as they parallel the upper part of the course, and cross the steep final pitch.

Peter Graves with Doug Lewis in back, in Killington pa booth, 2017.
East Thetford’s Peter Graves Broadcasts Pro Skiing at Killington
By Jared Pendak
Valley News Staff Writer
Saturday, November 25, 2017
https://www.vnews.com/Peter-Graves-World-Cup-PA-aanouncer-13956812

 

[James]

We enjoyed the experience and will probably be back next year. Hats off to the ladies giving it their all, and the crowd for cheering on all the skiers, especially the Canadians and the Slovenian. On Sunday it seemed like there was some slush on top of ice on the course, but I couldn't tell what was causing the problems at the top. The crowd was smaller on Sunday but seemed louder. There were plenty of spots with good viewing, even for shorter kids. A small suggestion would be to prove monitors so that spectators in the K1 area can see the rankings and who is up next, as well as what's happening at the top of the course. I wouldn't label the experience itself as a circus; if the commentary keeps you away, to each their own I suppose.

Skiing wise there was good snow coverage and a variety of beginner through expert terrain open. I expected some crazies on the slopes however everyone was safe and courteous. There were a few lift lines on Saturday between races, otherwise there were barely any lines. I didn't notice the green jacket hosts on the trails but my wife found them helpful. On Saturday AM there were some Ikon pass issues but the lifties pushed us through so no big deal. By Sunday the passes were working fine.

Where did you eat lunch?
Last year, after seeing the K1 lodge absolutely packed, we hopped on the bus to Snowshed. Hardly anyone down there. Then grabbed the bus back. Very easy and probably quicker than waiting in line for food. If I had a ticket I go to the top lodge. Especially on a beautiful day like Sat, fantastic view. You can see I think 5 or 6 ski areas if you look carefully. But with kids that gets expensive.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Best bet is to put a sandwich, apple and beverage in your pockets.

On Saturday by boy and I ate at the Peak lodge which was pricey ($20 burger), busy but not too bad. The base food options were cheaper. We ate at the stand up counter on the right when you walk in. The tables at the back wall had the best view. I think there's a deck on that side that wasn't open. My daughter was getting over a bad cold so spent Saturday AM with my wife at Snowshed and they ate there.

We stayed a ways from the mountain so on Sunday morning we picked up lunch at Bridgewater Corners Store which I highly recommend.

 

[AaronFM]

Man that crowd was loud yesterday.

Seems like the majority of skiers are on Heads, never counted to verify though.

Most were Rossi.

It was great seeing so much Salomon product and surprising to see so little (if any) Nordica and Blizzard. It was also interesting seeing such a mix of the Rossignol skiers in both Lange and Rossignol boots.

The FIS Start List has the breakdown (at least for skis)
GS Start List
SL Start List


Here's a picture of how fast the conditions were changing. Everyone on the photographers stand was hoping that it would be clear, albeit flat light. Then, as New England weather does it changed in <5 min.

 

[Dwight]

@AaronFM Thank you for this list. I tried to search the site yesterday but was unsuccessful.

 

[Guy in Shorts]

Great World Cup Race from my perspective. Worked as a volunteer for my wife in the media area. Skied a few runs with Rudi on Friday morning in sweet winter conditions. Watched up close as the Pugski team of Rudi and Aaron covered the race. Marveled at the huge crowd of fans that came out to enjoy the race. Biggest tailgate party that Killington has ever seen for those lucky enough to snag the K1 parking pass. Impressed that Mikaela walked the entire fence line signing, taking pics and making small talk doing her best not to miss any fan. Looking forward to hosting the race again next year.

Pugski Reporter

Finish Line

Rudi And Aaron

Living legend Pres Smith hugs the Winner

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I took a couple of photos on Saturday. Didn't really try so hard because the press stand is in such a bad spot and I couldn't really get very close anywhere else. Had some fun with the light on 1st run since I was waaaay back from the course on that one. Posted up pretty decent on one gate without a bunch of stuff in my way for 2nd run. I posted pretty much the same spot to show how the better girls took better line. Hopefully I can figure out how to do a sequence of Mohwinkel. Frame by frame you can really see how she was on it, even compared to Shiffy.

 

[Rudi Riet]

In the GS, Shiffrin simply overskied everything. She didn’t let things run, didn’t look for speed, didn’t really let it all hang out. Mowinckel and Brignone did, and Brunner’s search for speed really served her well.

I think Shiffrin has taken a step back in GS compared to the past two seasons. She just seems a little off.

 

[no edge]

In the GS, Shiffrin simply overskied everything. She didn’t let things run, didn’t look for speed, didn’t really let it all hang out. Mowinckel and Brignone did, and Brunner’s search for speed really served her well.

I think Shiffrin has taken a step back in GS compared to the past two seasons. She just seems a little off.

No doubt. She was off but she can bring it back.

I thought skiing - skiers were fantastic. Great to see.

 

[no edge]

For the PA announcers at Killington, I'm pretty sure it was the same as last year, Doug Lewis and Peter Graves. (I wasn't there this year)

It's very unusual for a broadcast to use pa announcers. That's a production decision. On site, the screaming is ok because there's so much going on, there's wind, cold, and by racer 64 people have been out in the cold for quite a long time. Listening to a calm droner probably wouldn't work well. (Though I'm not a fan of Warner Nickerson's loud antics, on site unless he's in your face you don't notice him much)

Plus people are cheering so at those times pa announcers become background.

Live sports events have all sorts of things to get the crowd involved. Including mascots who thankfully, don't speak. (Do you really want to hear what the Philly Fanatic has to say?)

A broadcast is a created production. Everything has to be mixed in and an atmosphere created. Screaming pa announcers don't really work for a presentation to someone sitting in a room. But everything that gets put out is some sort of a decision. Some of the live? or early broadcast slalom I saw had absolutely horrendous production. Snow noise drowning out everything else, sounding like a jet plane. Inconsistent levels of the commentary, which was the pa system. Total mess.
The later broadcast on the Olympic channel had none of that and was quite normal.

In general for the tv coverage, most annoying was the finish banner obscurred a few gates at the very end. They really needed another camera with a sightline below the banner to switch to. Very surprised they didn't have that.

If Killington gets it again I'd like them to rig a cable cam. You could probably even use the lift towers as they parallel the upper part of the course, and cross the steep final pitch.

View attachment 59066
Peter Graves with Doug Lewis in back, in Killington pa booth, 2017.
East Thetford’s Peter Graves Broadcasts Pro Skiing at Killington
By Jared Pendak
Valley News Staff Writer
Saturday, November 25, 2017
https://www.vnews.com/Peter-Graves-World-Cup-PA-aanouncer-13956812

I hope I am not insulting anyone, but I thought the tv announcers were weak. They came up short on technical analysis. I missed Bode. To much talk about unimportant stuff.

 

[scott43]

I hope I am not insulting anyone, but I thought the tv announcers were weak. They came up short on technical analysis. I missed Bode. To much talk about unimportant stuff.

I think a lot of people liked Bode's commentary. Insightful..

 

[James]

What's the thought on Anna Veith? I hope she gets fully back. One of the smoothest, most beautiful skiers ever.

 

[PinnacleJim]

I think a lot of people liked Bode's commentary. Insightful..

I missed Bode. I was very impressed with his ability to take a glance at a skier coming down and immediately discuss the good and bad points of the technique. I really hope he comes back

 

[Living Proof]

What's the thought on Anna Veith? I hope she gets fully back. One of the smoothest, most beautiful skiers ever.

Fully agree that she is marvelous to watch on skis, and, perhaps even better to watch off the slopes. When I saw her enter the start area, I came to full attention to watch her run.One bad fall can destroy an entire career, there is just so much kinetic energy to rip up the human body. Hope she can return to her former level of GS greatness.

I do want to acknowledge the great work done by the Pugski contingent covering the Kton event. It speaks volumes about the work Phil and Trish have done to become recognized as a skiing community serving the public. Thanks to all for the inside-the-event pictures and commentary.