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What Would Happen if Candide Thovex Joined the Hahnenkamm?

  • He would do a backflip off the Steilhang and still win

    Votes: 6 10.5%
  • He would have a respectable result, but not near the podium

    Votes: 12 21.1%
  • He would embarrass himself and finish near the back

    Votes: 30 52.6%
  • He would die

    Votes: 9 15.8%

  • Total voters
    57

Chris Walker

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So, I was inspired by the discussion in another thread about whether racers can ski bumps or bumpers can ski gates, etc. I basically agree that "great skiers can ski pretty much anything." But I wonder if there are limits to that maxim at the top level of the sport. So I propose a thought experiment.

What if the top free-skier entered the most difficult contest in alpine racing? The only top free-skier I know is Candide Thovex, so if there's a more appropriate example just substitute that person before voting. And I know he's been around for a while, so imagine this happening at the peak of his career.

Also, let's give him a fair enough shot and not just throw him in to it, but say he gets to work with a top tech team to get appropriate equipment and get his setup dialed in, and gets say 3 weeks of training in an appropriate venue with top coaches. I really have no idea, but I know some people on this forum have direct experience at the very top levels of our sport, so I'm wondering what informed opinions would say about this.

*Even though I'm talking about competition, I put it in General Skiing and not Racing and Competition because really it is more a thought experiment about the transferability of general skiing skills than competition itself. Sorry if I screwed that pooch.
 

Philpug

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IIRC, Jon Olsson was making a run for a while.

GEPA_full_4058_GEPA-19011347024.jpg

Link HERE.


 

markojp

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He wouldn't embarrass himself, and he'd finish at or very near the back. But it doesn't matter. He's a gifted skier.

Daron Rahlves is also a gifted skier. He can ski the lines that Candide can, but not with the aerial component. They spent critical junctions in their development working on different skills.
 
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Chris Walker

Chris Walker

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He wouldn't embarrass himself, and he'd finish at or very near the back. But it doesn't matter. He's a gifted skier.

Daron Rahlves is also a gifted skier. He can ski the lines that Candide can, but not with the aerial component. They spent critical junctions in their development working on different skills.

Yeah, I shouldn't have used the term embarrass himself. I was trying to be too cute, but DFL in the Hahnenkamm is still pretty good.

I think that's a great point about the aerial component. I gather that if you don't get that kind of training by a certain age, there's only so much you can develop. And that brings up another question: How much of what makes Candide amazing to watch is his actual skiing, and how much is his ability to throw a huge trick pretty much anywhere?
 

fatbob

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Who cares I'd pay good money to see him hit a booter off the Mausefalle switch. What would be good would be to get him up against Rahlves in the Pain McShonkey Snowlerblade downhill and the extreme small mountain contest.
 

fatbob

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The other thing is size - have you seen how big most freestyle skiers are? Now Rahlves isn't a giant - something they talk about in Streif but most downhillers are fairly big lads.
 

crgildart

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IIRC, Jon Olsson was making a run for a while.

GEPA_full_4058_GEPA-19011347024.jpg

Link HERE.



I was going to say Jon Olssen could do it and finish in the top 50 but you beat me to that..

Where's the video of the doubles SL where he hopped switch and crossed the finish line backwards but still first??

SBrown said:
He would begin on top of the start house, take the Mausefalle switch, enter the crowd several times, and riff on Bode by skiing the fence large sections at a time.

I'll see yours and raise you Bode throwing a heli!

 
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James

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What Would Happen if Candide Thovex Joined the Hahnenkamm?

Is the Hahnenkamm a club now?
Considering he's never raced wcup downhill before, he wouldn't be allowed membership.
How about starting with some training and then maybe Lake Louise?
 

crgildart

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What Would Happen if Candide Thovex Joined the Hahnenkamm?

Is the Hahnenkamm a club now?
Considering he's never raced wcup downhill before, he wouldn't be allowed membership.
How about starting with some training and then maybe Lake Louise?

And if they did let him ski. Lindesy Vonn would be pointing saying but but but..
 
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Chris Walker

Chris Walker

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What Would Happen if Candide Thovex Joined the Hahnenkamm?

Is the Hahnenkamm a club now?
Considering he's never raced wcup downhill before, he wouldn't be allowed membership.
How about starting with some training and then maybe Lake Louise?

OK, Entered, sorry. Usually I'm the stickler...ogwink

I get that he wouldn't be allowed. It's not meant to be a practical question, just a thought experiment.
 

Philpug

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He wouldn't embarrass himself, and he'd finish at or very near the back. But it doesn't matter. He's a gifted skier.

Daron Rahlves is also a gifted skier. He can ski the lines that Candide can, but not with the aerial component. They spent critical junctions in their development working on different skills.
Here is @Daron Rahlves throwing my signature trick, a helicopter then a backflip..both starting about 25 seconds in.
I reference the backflip to people who think they need more than a 13DIN binding. If Daron has confidence in doing that on an Sth2 13..most every other skier should also be fine.
 

markojp

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There is significantly more money in racing than in freeskiing. So if the best free skiers were able to compete at that level they would all be on the world cup. There are not, it tells you something.

There are also much larger financial barriers to racing. You don't casually make your way through the FIS ranks without substantial investment. Not all freeride folks had access beyond a certain point. Others just aren't wired for the relative regimentation. Shane, Seth... both did pretty well in the gates before leaving racing. Marcus as well. Bode could have been whatever he wanted in more than one sport.
 
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markojp

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... but in the end we're back the whole "my favorite discipline is better than yours" which isn't very productive nor all that interesting. It's ok to be ecumenically generous. It's a lot more fun and keeps our minds open.
 
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Chris Walker

Chris Walker

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... but in the end we're back the whole "my favorite discipline is better than yours" which isn't very productive nor all that interesting. It's ok to be ecumenically generous. It's a lot more fun and keeps our minds open.

This is a great point, and I admit my preferences color my perceptions. I hesitated to post this question after I thought of it precisely because I don't want to make value judgements about which kind of skiing is "better" but to me it is still a very interesting meditation about being "great at skiing" as opposed to be "great at" a particular form of skiing. Even though as a fan I'm mostly into racing, I have great respect for and will watch top athletes in all kinds of different snowsports events. (Even snowboarding:eek:).
 

crgildart

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... but in the end we're back the whole "my favorite discipline is better than yours" which isn't very productive nor all that interesting. It's ok to be ecumenically generous. It's a lot more fun and keeps our minds open.

I'm thinking they didn't realize that the poll options only listing unrealistic results or embarrassment with nothing in between cause that dilemma. Only way any top pro like that would ever be honestly embarrassed at any high level event is if they showed up too drunk to ski.

Top freestylers could certainly fore run a race course and look pretty good and top racers could fore run a bump course event and do OK.. Bode's heli is proof of that..
 

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