It’s the only speed event out there that demands a different approach from its athletes every. Single. Time. Whenever Michael Phelps jumps into a pool, he knows what to expect, and what he has to do. With ski racing, not so much. Not only is each course and terrain different—even within the same race, conditions can change wildly from one moment to the next. Flat light, making it hard to suss out bumps in the terrain, can turn to blinding sunshine, making it impossible to see. A hard, icy surface can get sticky and thick from falling snow. Wind can suddenly push you off your line (or maybe faster down the hill). All of this is being navigated at speeds of up to 80 mph (that’s 117 feet per second), sometimes more, and at steeps that can get up to 45 degrees.
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