Mikaela Shiffrin

[h.harb]

http://harbskisysems.blogspot.com/2013/12/mikaela-shiffrin-has-picked-up-her-game.html
Click here to find out if she will win the Overall World Cup. This is a thing of beauty, it's a toss up (for me at least) between her and Fenninger as to who is the more beautiful skier in GS.

[jclayton]

Harald ,
You mention Tina Mase but as though she will not be in the running this year . I always thought she had great GS technique . Do you see faults in her technique ?

[Max_501]

Harald ,
You mention Tina Mase but as though she will not be in the running this year . I always thought she had great GS technique . Do you see faults in her technique ?

From last year:

She is solid, nothing spectacular like Schild in slalom or Vonn in speed, but solid. You have to remember a few years ago Maze had to content with Schild in Slalom, Vonn in speed and Worely in GS. Now they are out or not at their peak.

[jbotti]

Something happens to racers when they add speed events to their season. Svindal was a brilliant GS skier before he started winning downhills (it was also before his accident so maybe he's a bad example). It does seem that when they really start to focus on speed events they lose their ultra crisp technical skiing. Maze also bulked up big time going into last season and that combined with a greater focus on speed she never looked like a great GS skier last year even if she was winning. Svindal in my opinion looks horrible in GS but he's always fast (always top ten, mostly top 5 and an occasional podium up against Ted, Pinterault, Hirscher etc). Not sure you can be great/brilliant in all events. I guess the Hermanator was a great GS skier even when he was dominating Super G but that is pretty rare and it was also on 21m skis versus 35m today.

[Gene P]

Hi Harald. Nice comments on Mikaela Shiffrin and thanks for the reminder on the importance of inside footwork.
Keep an eye also on Tina Weirather – having had some terrible ACL injuries a few years back she seems to be gaining momentum recently, except of course for some misfortune at Lake Louise yesterday where she was disqualified for apparently having arm protectors with specifications outside limits. Local media in Liechtenstein report that she was understandably quite upset at this as she used the same protectors as last season. A rule change this year was not apparently well highlighted – no excuses though. Today’s downhill (Saturday, Dec 7) was a great mental test……as I write she is in second place. Of course she comes from good skiing stock: daughter of Harti Weirather and Hanni Wenzel. And of course; a member of my local ski club! All the best, Gene

[h.harb]

Thanks, I have been watching Tina, I like her skiing. Is she related to Harti?

Max said in my copied comments what I beleive about Mase's skiing, and I still have the same thoughts. She will not beat the top slalom skiers. Her GS is a speed skier's technique, not a true GS skier. Feet too wide, butt too low. Shiff is going to kill her in technical events.

I think that Ligety entering Dh events is stupid. Watch his GS weaken and his SL totally dissolve, which it already has.

You don't see Hirscher even working on Super G. They know it kills your timing in GS and slalom. It makes you stiff on the outside leg, because you have to brace and hold a turn and edge for such a long time in those events. When the racer has lost confidence in his ability to improve in technical events and the coaches has lost faith in them to improve, and the coaches don't know what to do to make it better, you turn to speed. History has proven this time and time again.

The photo of Shiff that I started this post with: This is a thing of beauty, it's a toss up (for me at least) between her and Fenninger as to who is the more beautiful skier in GS.

[h.harb]

Update, Sorry, Hirscher did race the Super G today, but it's still stupid.

[Max_501]

Shiffrin's 2nd place GS vid: