With a speed of 161.07 km/h, Linda Baginski of Sweden won the Women’s Speed 1 Category in the second FIS World Cup race at the Subaru Velocity Challenge. Karine Dubouchet-Revol from France came in second place with 159.96 km/h and Jennifer Romano from France took third place at 159.93 km/h. The competition was held March 6 in Sun Peaks Resort.

“I feel very good. I feel very relieved because yesterday I wasn’t too happy,” said Baginski. “It was so small, the time difference yesterday. Very happy that I won now!”

The Origone brothers of Italy once again ruled the podium in the Men’s Speed 1 category. But this time, it was Simone Origone who won the race at a blistering speed of 165.63 km/h. Ivan Origone was a mere seven-hundredths of a second behind with his speed of 165.56 km/h. Philippe May of Switzerland came in third at 165.40 km/h.

“(I’m) happy to be on the podium but it’s a little frustrating to be 0.2 km/h of the victory,” said May of how close the the top three contenders were in their speeds. “It’s good, but it could’ve been better.”

The Men’s Downhill category came up with the same ranking as yesterday’s World Cup race but the speeds were farther apart compared to the Speed 1 category. Gunther Foidl from Austria came in first with a speed of 156.07 km/h. Michel Guomoens from Switzerland came in second place with 155.04 km/h, while Markus Munzer from Austria got third place with a speed of 153.13 km/h.

“I played hard for this victory and today was the confirmation of this,” said Foidl. Although he’s still extremely happy of winning today’s race, he said that the first win yesterday was more exciting for him. “I expected to win,” he said. Foidl said having two Austrians in the top three demonstrates the calibre of athletes in the Austrian team.

When it comes to the world of speed skiing, there are only a handful of female competitors.

Just like the guys, for Jennifer Romano of France, it’s the speed and resulting adrenaline rush that attracted her to the sport.

Some of them had planned to compete in the sport, while others happened upon it by chance. Baginski had been competing in alpine racing but decided to try speed skiing “because it looked fun”.

“Because the downhill looked like the most fun part, I thought I would phone the speed ski team and ask about training and they talked me into it,” said Baginski. She ended up getting hooked. Baginski said she never regretted making that phone call. “I love speed skiing. That was a good decision.”

“I would love to see more women (in the sport),” said Baginski. “Over the years, there’s been quite a few, but it’s a shame there’s not more.”

Lisa Hovland-Uden, 19, from Sweden is one of the brave newcomers to the sport. Hovlend-Uden said she only sees an average of five or six women at each World Cup race competition, and thinks it would make for a more challenging race if there were more women that she can compete with.

At 33, Elena Banfo from Italy is a female veteran of the sport. She said she tries to encourage younger women to compete in speed skiing. “I say ‘Go for speed skiing’ but they say ‘No, it’s more dangerous’,” she said.

Whether it’s for women or men, speed skiing is definitely not a sport for the faint of heart. And though it may not be a sport for everyone, the danger factor makes it a thrill for spectators to watch.

The official Subaru Velocity Challenge Pro Race will be held tomorrow and will wrap up with an awards ceremony at Sun Peaks Resort’s Village Square.

For the complete results, visit www.velocitychallenge.com.

So you think skiing at over 100 km/h down the near-vertical Headwalls track is terrifying? How about skiing at that speed in the fog?

Training was delayed this morning as a thick fog descended over the track during the Subaru Velocity Challenge’s first official training day. With the low visibility, volunteers and racers had to wait until around 11 a.m. before racers were able to train.

As soon as visibility improves, everyone immediately gets to work. The volunteer’s walkie-talkies crackle to life with the familiar checks.

“Start, clear.”

“Timing, clear.”

“Finish, clear.”

Then all eyes turn to the Headwalls, hoping to get a glimpse of the racer going down the rolling track despite the fog.

In spite of the weather conditions, first-time competitor David Harel didn’t seem intimidated. A Sun Peaks local, Harel was attracted by the challenge that the competition presented. “We were talking about it last year that we were gonna do it this year,” said Harel, but his friend didn’t make it to the competition. His girlfriend waited nervously on the sidelines looking up at the very foggy track. “He said he’s coming after this one,” she said.

And sure enough, it only took seconds for Harel to whiz down the track.

“Oh, it’s a rush! Everything just comes at you all at once. It’s awesome!” exclaimed Harel after the run.

Vancouverite Harald Wuigk thinks it can be a bit intimidating not seeing where you’re going. “Not being a professional, you feel pretty nervous going down. But once you’re on the slope, the worries go away.” It would’ve been easier on the nerves without the fog, he admits. “It’s the waiting…that’s what gets you.”

Mike Forster, another Sun Peaks local, said that fog or no fog, there’s not a lot of time to be scared when you’re competing.

“It’s so fast. You’re on there; you’re finished. You don’t have time to think about it so you just go,” said Forster. A five-year veteran of the race, Forster owns a company named after the Headwalls track. “ I got talked into it because of that,” he said, laughing.

The overnight snowfall also made the course preparation longer. “It probably took us an hour and a half to shake all the nets off and get everything set up,” said Scott Whitecross, chief of course. “If it doesn’t snow, we can be ready in 25 minutes because then it can all be ready (the previous evening), as long as there’s no snow.”

With the help of the Sun Peaks Resort mountain operations and slopes crew, Whitecross and his team also prepared the Headwalls prior to the competition. “To build it, it takes about four initial groomings. Then it takes our crew of about six to 10 people about five days to construct.”

This includes smoothing the snow on the track, setting up safety nets and painting the blue guidelines along the sides and red across the track.

All this hard work, and especially the paint guidelines, make it easier for racers to ski in heavy fog. Just like racer Don Gagnon explained, “You just ski until you see the red line (near the bottom of the tracks).”

Catch the semi-finals for the first FIS World Cup race tomorrow at Sun Peaks Resort. For more information on race schedule, visit www.velocitychallenge.com.