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ITALIAN FACE OF THE WEEK

SKIING

The world’s fastest man on skis

More than 30 years since Simone Origone first donned a pair of skis, the Italian this week reached a new speed skiing world record. The Local speaks to him about living an adrenaline-filled life in the mountains.

Published: 4 April 2014 15:37 CEST
The world's fastest man on skis
Simone Origone reached 252.4km/h in the French Alps earlier this week. Photo: Gerard Julien/AFP

Who is Simone Origone?

Simone Origone is the world’s fastest speed skier. Earlier this week the 34-year-old broke his own record by reaching 252.4km/h in the French Alps.

READ MORE: Italian breaks speed skiing world record

That sounds fast!

More than twice as quick as a cheetah, to be precise.

Speed skiing is thought to be the fastest non-motorized land sport and involves a steep drop to pick up speed.

When Origone set the new world record this week, he fell nearly 500m in altitude within a few seconds.

Does he get scared?

Remarkably, no. The only thing Origone is scared of is doing a bad job, he told The Local.

“You are concentrating so much on what you have to do technically,” leaving no room for fear, he said.

His family are described as being “relaxed” about his chosen sport, while Origone said his friends “are happy that I’m doing something I like”.

What’s the point in speed skiing?

“To break the record,” according to Origone, who says the sport is not as dangerous as some imagine. Due to the risks associated with travelling at such speeds, however, speed skiing is not an Olympic sport.

How did Origone get into the sport?

Origone is from the Ayas area in the Aosta Valley, nestled in the Alps close to the French border. As a result he was virtually born on skis.

“I started when I was very young, at about three years old, like everyone who lives here,” he told The Local.

After his parents strapped him into his first pair of skis, he joined the other local children at ski school and went on from there.

He didn’t try out adrenalin-filled speed skiing until the age of 23, however, in the French Alps.

What does he do when he’s not racing down a mountain?

Travel slightly less fast down a mountain.

Origone is a skiing instructor in the Aosta Valley, working with children and adults from both home and abroad.

After the sun goes down he can be found “at the gym or at home”, presumably moving at a normal human pace.

Where would he recommend for a skiing holiday in Italy?

“It’s difficult to say where the best place to ski is,” Origone said, pausing before declaring “where I live!”

For the skiing champion, “the most beautiful places in the world are in the Alps.”

SEE ALSO: Top ten: Italy's best ski resorts

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SKIING

Snow report: What’s the latest outlook for French ski resorts this winter?

Good news for skiers in France, as a mild December has given way to a cold blast in early January that's bringing some much-needed snow.

Published: 5 January 2024 14:50 CET
Snow report: What's the latest outlook for French ski resorts this winter?

After a mostly dry and mild December, snow returned to the the Pyrenees on Friday.

Meanwhile most resorts in the Alps have been able to stay open after a promising early start to the ski season, thanks to fresh snowfalls, with more on the way this weekend.

Pyrenees

Snow has returned in the Pyrenees. Some 5cm fell overnight into Friday, January 5th in eastern parts of the mountain range, with forecasts predicting a further 15cm to 20cm to be on the ground 24 hours later. The region had not seen any snow since December 2nd.

In Angles, 20cm of snow had fallen at higher altitudes by mid-morning on Friday.

Further west, numerous resorts in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département remained closed this week after early December snow had melted in mild conditions that have dominated France in recent weeks, but significant snowfall is expected over the weekend into Monday, and resorts are hoping that they will see enough to open.

One resort, Artouste, has been unable to offer skiing since the start of the season on December 23rd due to a lack of snow. A scenic rail service – usually reserved for warmer months – has kept the resort going. It is set to stop running on Friday, amid expectations of enough snow to finally open the slopes.

READ ALSO Climate crisis: ’90 percent’ of Europe’s ski resorts face critical snow shortages

Alps 

Many ski resorts opened on time, or even a little earlier than scheduled last month, after significant early snow fall, and have enjoyed deposits in the first days of 2024. But, even here, resort managers welcomed the promise of more significant snow this weekend.

Some resorts weren’t so fortunate. Ski areas in Gérardmer, in the Vosges, were still closed in the week leading up to Christmas because of poor snow conditions, but they are hoping for enough snow to finally get started this weekend, while La Bresse-Honeck was using ‘stocked snow’ made by using snow that fell earlier in the winter months to stay open as recently as December 30th.

In the Northern Alps, resorts such as Alpe d’Huez benefited from fresh snowfall on December 22nd, while Val d’Isère had new snow on December 29th. In the Southern Alps, Les Orres’ last pre-New Year snow was on December 8th.

And the French Alps have enjoyed more snow since the start of the year. There’s at least 50cm of fresh snow on the higher slopes of Les Gets and Morzine, for example, a significant improvement on the same time last year, when the resorts were among several that had very little snow to speak of.

In Chamonix, meanwhile, snow has fallen on eight of the last 14 days, with more expected every day between Friday and Monday.

Massif Central

As the post on X / Twitter shows, the Massif Central has not had the best of winters for snow so far. But between 30cm and 50cm is expected in Le Lioran by Monday. 

READ ALSO ‘So many barriers since Brexit’: The French ski businesses no longer willing to hire Brits

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