The organization of the contest in Andorra is always excellent, says the winner of the Crystal globe for the Speed Skiing World Cup 2017 competition, Bastien Montes

Crystal globe for the Speed Skiing World Cup 2017 Bastien MontesBastien Montes (France), a thirty one year old athlete and winner of the Crystal globe for the Speed Skiing World Cup 2017 competition told all-andorra.com about his impressions of the contest in Andorra:

“My parents are professional skiers. I started skiing when I was two years old, almost after I started walking. Since I was six years old I have been participating in contests for speed skiing. Among my other favourite sports are: freestyle skiing, gymnastics and rugby.

During the World Championship 2017 in Andorra (Pyrenees) I was lucky enough to come up to the podium 4 times out of 6 races. My speed record of this season is 251.397 km/h. However, I didn’t get it in Andorra – here the technical characteristics of the slope don’t allow skiers to reach such a speed.

The starting point is at 2,538 m, the finish line – 2,338 m. The maximum tilt angle is 74 %, the length is 900 m. My record was set during the Speed Masters event in Vars (France), where the goal was to try to beat the world record. As for Andorra, this year the record was set by Swiss skier Philippe May last Friday, April 7th, with a speed of 199.56 km/h during the first stage of the World Championship 2017, beating the previous record of 186 km/h.

It is not my first time competing in Andorra (though last year I missed the competition because of a knee injury). And I can say that the organization of the competition here is always excellent. The organizers are very disciplined and friendly. And the slope this year also was very well prepared.

Of course, high speeds are always dangerous. I won’t lie: every time before the start I am a little nervous. Besides, today’s final descent was not as it normally is, as extra towers have been installed at the top of the slope, adding 10 metres in height and creating a ramp length of 18 metres.

Only being fully concentrated helps to cope with the nerves. And to dream about winning!

Mina Wenmaster

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