Crash draws shock, but glitzy Kitz show must go on (News Feature)

By Albert Otti Jan 21, 2011, 14:02 GMT

Vienna/Kitzbuehel, Austria - Discussions about the safety of alpine ski racing erupted Friday following Hans Grugger's dramatic crash during training in Kitzbuehel, one of the World Cup's most prestigious venues.

But athletes pointed out that risk would always be part of this sport, and there was no indication that the Saturday downhill and the glitzy VIP events surrounding it would be cancelled.

The Austrian racer landed on the back of his head and lost consciousness after crashing at the notorious Mausefalle jump, a name that translates as mouse trap.

The 29-year-old was in an induced coma Friday, following emergency surgery for his serious head injuries sustained on the Streif slope.

'Accidents are part of competitive sport, of driving your car, of life. But what we are seeing on the Streif is too much, too much for this business,' the daily Der Standard wrote.

Active and retired skiers expressed shock after the accident.

'Luckily I didn't see the crash. But all skiers are shocked. It could always be one of us,' said Croatia's Ivica Kostelic after winning Friday's super-g on the lower part of the Streif below the Mausefalle section.

'I had to look away really, really quickly, because I saw right away that something serious must have happened,' former Austrian racer Matthias Lanzinger told broadcaster ORF.

Lanzinger's lower leg was amputated following a crash in a World Cup super-g in Norway. Compatriots Gernot Reinstadler and Ulrike Maier lost their lives in downhill in the 1990s.

But commentators also stressed that risk is part of the race, despite the safety nets, helmets and back protectors.

'Alpine skiing, and downhill in particular, are the Formula One of winter - we just don't have a box around us like the car drivers,' retired German racer Markus Wasmeier told German broadcaster ARD.

Austrian downhill legend Franz Klammer suggested that the problem was not the steep, 85-degree jump itself, but the mistake that Grugger made.

'His body was not properly above his skis, he was too passive while in the air,' the four-time Kitzbuehel downhill winner told the tabloid Oesterreich.

Race director Guenter Hujara said on Thursday he would not make changes to the jump, and organizers said the race would be held as scheduled.

The Kitzbuehel events are considered the highlight of every World Cup season in every aspect from sports to celebrities.

'If you want to impress the American public you win at the Olympics but if you want to impress your peers you win in Kitzbuehel,' American skier Tommy Moe once said.

Moe has an Olympic gold from 1994 but never won the Kitzbuehel race in front of large numbers of celebrity guests who pour into town from Austria, Germany and other countries.

Oesterreich published a guide to Kitzbuehel's VIP parties and guests, including Formula One legend Niki Lauda and venues such as a resort owned by Russian billionaire Jelena Baturina.

A look into the past shows that celebrities would have had to cut short most of their Kitzbuehel race weekends if every serious crash had resulted in a cancellation.

At least 10 athletes sustained serious injuries there in the past decade, and several had to end their careers.

Switzerland's Daniel Albrecht returned to racing only last month, after his 2009 crash on the Streif slope.

But fans, VIP guests and TV viewers are set to follow Saturday's downhill nonetheless.

'Crashes arouse interest - shocking situations like Hans Grugger's in particular,' Wasmeier said.

Read more about AlpineSki WorldCup

Read more about Austria

Read more about Grugger