Skiing
New world record set in speed skiing
Simone Origone sets new speed skiing world record of 252.4kph – and wants more.
In our new Steep series we present gnarly ski and snowboard feats that all common sense says are impossible – and the insanely talented few that tackle them anyway.
Make no mistake – in any of the achievements we present, the slightest mistake has potentially fatal consequences – don't try this at home.
Speed skiing is synonymous with Simone Origone. The 34-year-old has won everything there is to win, multiple times. On March 31, he set the new world record of 252.4kph in Vars, France, beating his own record from 2006.
“I am thrilled to be the fastest man on earth without a motor,” says the mountain guide, ski instructor and ski patroller from the Aosta Valley in Italy.
The records are what I’ll be remembered for in 100 years.
And he’s already thinking of a new record next season.
“This year, the conditions were decent, but not perfect. It’s possible to ski faster. Since the fast piste in Les Arcs was closed in 2007, records were off the table. I need to make up for the last eight years!”
How fast are you envisioning?
“In good conditions, I am sure it’s possible to ski up to 260-270kph if the course is both long and fast enough.”
A former alpine racer, Simone turned to speed skiing relatively late. Thanks to a great foundation, dedication to hard work and attention to detail, Simone has set a new benchmark in speed skiing. What he loves about the sport is the pure feeling of speed.
“Downhill skiing remains the crown discipline of skiing. But I always knew that when I quit ski racing, I’d try speed skiing. I love speed in general, also when driving. Except that my own car is a van, because I need to get all my gear to the races!”
Simone Origone celebrates his world record
© Olivier Le Blond
Aren’t you scared to speed down at over 200kph?
Fear is a human emotion. It’s normal.
“Sometimes I am scared when laying on the couch or the night before a race but that’s more a fear of failure or of injury, because then I couldn’t work any more. So far I’ve never been scared at the start!”
Simone obviously has no fear of steep slopes. This July, he was invited to be part of a Pakistani-Italian expedition to K2 to mark the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of the world’s second highest and allegedly most difficult summit.
Exceptional weather allowed seven members of the memorial expedition to conquer K2 on July 26. Unfortunately, Simone had to abandon his approach due to stomach problems at about 8,100m.
Simone Origone
© TAM-TAM Photo
“Of course it was bitter for me. Bloody bad luck. But K2 is enormous and always changing, and with no food or drink staying in, I would have risked my life. And who would have saved Muhammad Hassan then?”
In a heroic act, Origone helped the Pakistani colleague who had fallen ill with cerebral oedema, transporting him down to Camp 4.
“It was an ordeal! He sat down every 10 metres and told us to leave him there. But he is doing better now, his mind is clearer and he is celebrating with our colleagues who made the summit.”
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