Aerial Skiers… Wow
Posted on 26 February 2010
I’ve been impressed by athletes before.
But HOLY MOTHER OF ALL THINGS HUMANS SHOULD NEVER ATTEMPT, the aerial skiers have been blowing my mind for the past couple of nights.
My heart literally races as I watched them flirt with death (or at least paralysis) for Olympic glory.
I mean, just imagine what it must be like.
It’s dark. You can barely see through the fog. And you’re about to catapult yourself off a vertical ramp to *hopefully* fly 50 feet in the air, do a bunch of acrobatics and then *hopefully* land on your feet, which—don’t forget—are still strapped into skis. Oh, and the whole world is watching.
Respect.
Where do they get the balls? How do they ever even try this the first time? Why?
Luckily, the internet has some answers.
“If you’re an aspiring aerial skier, expect to get fairly wet. New skiers have to make a minimum of 200 successful jumps into water before they even get their first crack at the snow, and these jumps have to get the thumbs-up from coaches in order for the skier to move on.”
I found out that a lot of them were gymnasts first, too. Which makes it all a little more fathomable. Still, gymnastics on skis is really a whole different level of horrifying/awe-inspiring/amazing.
I don’t know how I’d never seen this before. Maybe because, up until now the only winter sport I’d been interested in was figure skating. Interested in watching, that is. I’m not interested in doing any of them.
Just kidding, D! Can’t wait for our ski trip.
Truly amazed,
Tania
1 Response to Aerial Skiers… Wow
My dream — and it is ambitious, but still a dream — is to somehow combine skiing, barbecuing and sex into… something. Still working on it.
Also, hi.