A Demonstration Run
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.... We slide down to the slope, which is quite steep, in a snowplough position. Waiting for start takes some time: a skier falls over in the slope below us and we have to wait a bit longer... I manage to get my thoughts away from my tense hip muscles by recalling the pattern of the upcoming downhill run and the number of turns.
I wake up to reality when someone shouts: "Ready?" in the front. The others say that they are ready, and I must quit dreaming as I straighten my skis, first the right one and then the left one, and take my sticks off the ground. The initial glide sharpens up my mind, the wind starts to whistle in my ears. As far as I can remember, the first turn is to the right...
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Demo Team Himos; Jenni Kilpinen, Aleksi Kyllästinen, Petteri Vihmalo, J-P Stenberg, Pasi Marjanen, Timo Aaltonen, Olli Lahtinen (deputy member) and coach Mikko Skyttä.
You need to be careful when making short turns close to each other. You have to stick to the skier in front of you and take the rhythm from farther away. The first part of the pattern is called Samba. Every other skier goes with the same rhythm, which means that the one in front of you takes a different rhythm. I feel like being a part of a rhythmic pattern, the snow flying in the air stings my face. How many turns were we supposed to make in this line?
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I manage to catch on the rhythm as the action begins: the sixth turn is a longer pull to the side and one of our lines is split into two. You do not have time to look at the advertisements at the side of the slope, as the third turn should bring you back to a single line. The line is in a nice formation in front of me as the second turn throws me to the other side...
My quick visit on the other side is as quick and efficient as the first pull. We are in a single line again and the turns come to a sudden end. What now? Everyone is going straight forward in the middle, the phase is called the Candle and speed is building up towards the wide turns. Everything is swimming before my eyes as the skiers are turning alternately to the right and the left. I go after a skier that turns to the right. The one in front of me turns to the left. After a wide turn we meet in the middle and we should be able to manage without crashing... I am so close to the previous skier that I have to jump over the ends of his skis. I can barely make it to the other side. Three cross-patterns to go...
The run ends with short turns. I keep watch for the front skier's stop signal that means that there are two more turns to go. Signal - turn - stop. I am covered by flying snow as six pairs of skis are being braked by the edges simultaneously. I can feel my face becoming wet - not of tears but of flying snow. My ear facing the top of the slope is full of snow. What the heck!? The snow settles down on the slope and I check my position in the final grouping. Yes, I am in the right place at the right time.
The next step is "demotalk", talking through the run and planning improvements for the next one. Some of us take a look at their wrists - Suunto tells the number of runs taken. Did the close call increase my heart rate? Hey, the run went quite well! Oh, the coach is coming. Why does she have such an impression on her face?
Story written by Petteri Vihmalo. Photos by Olli Lahtinen.
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