• Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!

    You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!

Lindsey crashes in penultimate race

Domeskier

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 15, 2012
Messages
2,274
Points
63
Location
New York
I believe she also crashed in her propreantepenultimate race, but I might be off by one or two.
 

drjeff

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
19,181
Points
113
Location
Brooklyn, CT
The crash is perfectly indicative of how Lindsey has approached her entire career. Even with a knee that she admits isn't 100%, she was going for it.

Watching it you can see that she was a bit late and/or possibly taking a low line through that section and misjudged things. (This is why I've always felt that Super G is the "toughest" discipline to get "right" on race day, since there's no training runs, and you're often at 50-60 mph or more in some cases, and trying to figure out during the 1 inspection that you get of the course where the speed will have your race line isn't easy). Crash wise, the "worst" part of it for her likely wasn't when she went into the A-netting, but when she first impacted the snow after taking the gate out, since that surface is rock hard, let alone when you go torso/face first into at at probably around 45-50 mph.
 

kingslug

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 30, 2005
Messages
6,990
Points
113
Location
Stamford Ct and Stowe
I've crashed at around 35mph..I did not get up for a while. Ski patrol thought I was dead. Clairs at Hunter got me good..I don't know how some of them get up after 60 mph crashes on solid ice. The Hermanator had one of the best ones at Nagano..lands on his head from 10 feet going who knows how fast..smashes through both gates..and gets up...
 

speden

Active member
Joined
Nov 18, 2008
Messages
913
Points
28
It's interesting that she was wearing a crash air bag to soften the fall. I wonder what triggers those to inflate. Somehow it must sense the attitude of the body to know that you're about to crash.
 

Jully

Active member
Joined
Dec 13, 2014
Messages
2,487
Points
38
Location
Boston, MA
I've crashed at around 35mph..I did not get up for a while. Ski patrol thought I was dead. Clairs at Hunter got me good..I don't know how some of them get up after 60 mph crashes on solid ice. The Hermanator had one of the best ones at Nagano..lands on his head from 10 feet going who knows how fast..smashes through both gates..and gets up...

Crashing at 60 mph but also spinning out at 60 mph and managing to jump back up.

Of course, rescuing yourself like that is also how a lot of racers tear an ACL. Buddy of mine tore both his ACLs (on two separate occasions) trying to stand up/rescue himself while crashing like that.
 

Jully

Active member
Joined
Dec 13, 2014
Messages
2,487
Points
38
Location
Boston, MA
The crash is perfectly indicative of how Lindsey has approached her entire career. Even with a knee that she admits isn't 100%, she was going for it.

Watching it you can see that she was a bit late and/or possibly taking a low line through that section and misjudged things. (This is why I've always felt that Super G is the "toughest" discipline to get "right" on race day, since there's no training runs, and you're often at 50-60 mph or more in some cases, and trying to figure out during the 1 inspection that you get of the course where the speed will have your race line isn't easy). Crash wise, the "worst" part of it for her likely wasn't when she went into the A-netting, but when she first impacted the snow after taking the gate out, since that surface is rock hard, let alone when you go torso/face first into at at probably around 45-50 mph.

Incredibly painful crash, but so much respect to Lindsey for going for it. She raced like she was going to win by > 0.5 or flame out. Guts like that are what I love about ski racing.

Absolutely agree on Super-G too. The course at the Olympics last year I thought was bonkers. One course inspection on a brand new mountain. More than a few high profile and epic crashes.
 

Killingtime

Active member
Joined
Jan 16, 2018
Messages
393
Points
28
Location
Long Island, NY
I've crashed at around 35mph..I did not get up for a while. Ski patrol thought I was dead. Clairs at Hunter got me good..I don't know how some of them get up after 60 mph crashes on solid ice. The Hermanator had one of the best ones at Nagano..lands on his head from 10 feet going who knows how fast..smashes through both gates..and gets up...

Same here. Got up fast, but it took six months for my shoulder to feel normal again.
 

drjeff

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
19,181
Points
113
Location
Brooklyn, CT
It's interesting that she was wearing a crash air bag to soften the fall. I wonder what triggers those to inflate. Somehow it must sense the attitude of the body to know that you're about to crash.

Not sure where you saw that she was wearing a crash air bag. Most of the time all the racers have under their suits, especially in speed events, is a spine protector which is made out of some semi flexible/semi rigid articulated material is worn in back pack style manor, and maybe a spandex top with pads along the arms. Other than that and maybe some built in padding in the suit itself in likely gate impact areas, the only real padding racers have are in their gloves and often plastic or at the world cup level, carbon fiber forearm guards over their base layer as the only "protection" from the iced down race course.

I will also admit that I didn't mind too much when earlier today I got an e-mail saying that the Super G camp my 14 yr old son was signed up for this Friday was being cancelled because of likely weather issues! As a ski racer parent, you always kind of hold your breathe a bit from when your kid kicks out the starting gate until they're safely through the finish. That anxiety level you as spectating parent get, definitely goes up when your kid is competing in a speed event for sure!! Crazy sport! Awesome sport though as well!!
 

Domeskier

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 15, 2012
Messages
2,274
Points
63
Location
New York
Not sure where you saw that she was wearing a crash air bag.

It was mentioned in the NY Post article linked-to at the top: "Vonn was wearing an inflatable safety air bag under her racing suit."
 

speden

Active member
Joined
Nov 18, 2008
Messages
913
Points
28
I looked at the Dainese website about the ski air bag system, and it looks like it protects the chest, probably to prevent internal injuries in a crash. But it doesn't have a lot of details on how the inflation is triggered. Apparently a number of pro racers wear them.
 

drjeff

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
19,181
Points
113
Location
Brooklyn, CT
I looked at the Dainese website about the ski air bag system, and it looks like it protects the chest, probably to prevent internal injuries in a crash. But it doesn't have a lot of details on how the inflation is triggered. Apparently a number of pro racers wear them.

Great! Another thing my 2 racer kids will be asking for now! :-o:lol::roll:
 

ERJ-145CA

Active member
Joined
May 6, 2007
Messages
2,012
Points
38
Location
Northwestern, NJ
I watched a segment about it on the Olympic channel. It has sensors that sense when you're falling and inflates instantly.
It's interesting that she was wearing a crash air bag to soften the fall. I wonder what triggers those to inflate. Somehow it must sense the attitude of the body to know that you're about to crash.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using AlpineZone mobile app
 

the_awesome

New member
Joined
Sep 17, 2015
Messages
22
Points
3
Location
Rye in the Live Free or Die
https://www.digitaltrends.com/outdoors/d-air-ski-airbag-tested-2018-olympics/

The D-air Ski is integrated in a back plate that is placed underneath a skier’s suit. It uses three accelerometers and three gyroscopes in order to communicate with GPS an impressive 1,000 times per second in order to determine if a crash may be on the radar. In case of danger, the D-air inflates the airbag, hopefully lessening the resulting impact.

Dainese Executive Vice President Roberto Sadowsky claims that the company’s algorithm “has proven to work pretty much 100 percent.”
 

machski

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
3,702
Points
113
Location
Northwood, NH (Sunday River, ME)
Scary spectacular crash. Story with vid:
https://nypost.com/2019/02/05/lindsey-vonn-crashes-in-super-g-event-after-retirement-announcement/

Her last race will be downhill on Sunday. For such a great athlete and great career, I'm disappointed she isn't getting more attention. Best of luck, Lindsey!
Watched it live, crazy crash and was happy she was able to ski down on her own power, great roar from the crowd for her and nice embrace between her and Mikaela in the finish corral.

I think Lindsey is getting a good amount of press. Unfortunately a lot is focused on her crashing out today. I am very disappointed Mikaela is not getting more press. What she is doing this year is absolutely amazing and dominant. But this weekend will be all about Lindsey (Mikaela skipping the combined and DH to focus on tech next week).

Sent from my Pixel 3 using AlpineZone mobile app
 

deadheadskier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
27,921
Points
113
Location
Southeast NH
I watched a segment about it on the Olympic channel. It has sensors that sense when you're falling and inflates instantly.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using AlpineZone mobile app
Similar technology as what is in a cell phone. Accelerometer sensors. I've sold medical equipment with the technology. It didn't deploy an airbag, but alerted the nurses that the patient had fallen.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app
 

BenedictGomez

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 26, 2011
Messages
12,119
Points
113
Location
Wasatch Back
Not sure where you saw that she was wearing a crash air bag. Most of the time all the racers have under their suits, especially in speed events, is a spine protector which is made out of some semi flexible/semi rigid articulated material is worn in back pack style manor, and maybe a spandex top with pads along the arms.

Not so, these "airbags" are becoming quite common. I watched the downhill at Wengen a few weeks ago and there were a bunch of crashes, and several of the guys were wearing them. Granted IIRC that's one of the fastest FIS tracks on the planet, so maybe there's more of an incentive to wear them there, but I think they're becoming pretty common. I saw the 10 minute'ish special on one of the companies that makes them on Olympic Channel, and the tech is amazing.
 
Top