You guys will relate to this one. Back in around 1983, when I covered the race for the first time my Swiss colleagues decided to let the new American guy figure out the race for himself. So, instead of taking the train up and walking to the famous Hundschopf like most everyone I took the lift up and skiied down the course to find a spot to shoot, the normal procedure for covering a race for the first time. What Ruben and Pascal didn’t tell you is that the face of the jump is about vertical, and solid, rock-hard ice, totally unskiable. It doesn’t NEED to be skiable as the racers all fly over it.

No one told me about this of course so when I came over the jump I hit that ice and immediately fell. I then proceeded to slide 100 meters right into all my fellow photographers gathered at the side of the course with gear flying and people falling like dominoes!

When I finally stopped I was well below them and getting cursed out in several European languages. Decision time – do I walk back up to the best spot for a picture and take the abuse OR go further down and take a secondary spot to hide and lick my wounds. I am embarassed to say the ego won out over the picture that day.

Many years later I recall that indident like yesterday – but in the years following I got some great pictures on that race course and still miss the “good old days!”

Glad to hear you guys are still our there fighting the good fight for awesome images – and that Pascal lived to tell about that day!

Bests-

Rick Wilking
Reuters Denver

No one told me about this of course so when I came over the jump I hit that ice and immediately fell. I then proceeded to slide 100 meters right into all my fellow photographers gathered at the side of the course with gear flying and people falling like dominoes!

When I finally stopped I was well below them and getting cursed out in several European languages. Decision time – do I walk back up to the best spot for a picture and take the abuse OR go further down and take a secondary spot to hide and lick my wounds. I am embarassed to say the ego won out over the picture that day.

Many years later I recall that indident like yesterday – but in the years following I got some great pictures on that race course and still miss the “good old days!”

Glad to hear you guys are still our there fighting the good fight for awesome images – and that Pascal lived to tell about that day!

Bests-

Rick Wilking
Reuters Denver