PRO SPREE / THE STORY OF WORLD PRO SKIING

[Music] Hello, I'm Bob Biatti and the men you're watching as some of the finest and most exciting athletes in the world. Professional ski racers. They're a rare breed who travel the world in pursuit of excellence. Their purpose is simple, to be first at the finish line. Man against man, he battles fatigue and fear of failure. His fate is divided among the three disciplines of ski racing. The classic downhill and the head-to-head ski racing of slalom and giant slom. In slalom and giant slalom, each man races his opponent twice, once on the red course, once on the blue. The man who wins the first of the two runs establishes a time differential. After switching courses to equalize any differences, the pressure is on the loser of the first run to overcome his deficit, and the subsequent winner moves on to the next round. With a long, grueling schedule before them, the first event of the season and the richest pro ski race ever brought the best professional ski racers in the world to Aspen, Colorado for the $80,000 Budweiser Pro Spree. For some who have experienced the exhilaration of victory and the money that goes with it, the long season would be a challenge to achieve greater goals. The racers, Andre Arnold. At 23, Andre Arnold is the tall, shy house painter who came out of the Austrian mountains and rocked the skiing world last winter by coming from unknown status to become the world pro skiing champion. This year, he wants to repeat. Arnold is clearly the man to beat. To Vodmat has been one of the great ski racers in the history of the sport. What he desires most in life, however, has been just beyond his grasp during the past four years. The championship. Hank Cashwa, a former world champion, Hank Cashwa starts a season of wonderment. Can he continue his comeback from a serious injury to regain his championship form? Tyler Palmer, believed by many to be the best American racer on the tour. At 28, Tyler Palmer must feel the pressure mount, and for him, it's maybe now or never if he's to reach the pinnacle of his sport. Wernern Bliner, always a consistent money winner on the circuit. Wernern Bliner is in the twilight of a great career. The 7879 season will be his last. He wants to go out a winner. Jim Hunter. Canadian Jim Hunter, affectionately called Jungle Gym, has taken his sport to a science. His incredible power of concentration makes him a strong favorite in this year's quest for the title. Voter Tresh, a downhill specialist, Voter Tresh challenges the course in a style that has resulted in consistently high money-making years on the circuit. But money isn't enough. He wants to be the best. Pro skiing is set up very much like a tennis tournament. There's a ladder where 32 guys qualify and it finally works down eliminations until really there only two guys left and then one the winner. >> The races are decided in literally hundreds of a second. So, the start is extremely important. The racer sets his ski tails against the back of the starting box. As the gates swing open, he lunges forward, pushing off the kickboard and pulling on his poles. His upper body is already on the course and he snaps his lower body through the starting gate. With a couple of powerful skating strides, he reaches the first gate and starts his smooth, rhythmic flight down. The jumps are a unique part of pro racing's format. As if the racer didn't have enough to worry about with a guy skiing right down beside him, then he comes up on the jump and he can't even see where the next gate is. And for the spectator, it's a chance to see which racer is actually ahead. The jumps themselves are four to six feet high. Most racers agree the jumps and the two gates following them are the most critical sections of the course. The object is to minimize time in the air. When the racer is airborne, he drives his hands forward and down to reduce the distance he travels. His legs absorb the takeoff by retracting the lower body to suck up the jump. The two courses of red and blue are set identically parallel to each other about 15 ft apart. For the racer, that means that he can almost always see his opponent going right beside it. But for the spectator, they can see well whether or not the one's ahead, whether one makes a mistake, and exactly what the mistake is and what caused it. With almost every run decided by fractions of a second, desperate attempts to trip the finish timer first are common place. Little technique is practice. It becomes a simple allout effort to break the vertical plane of the timing beam. The Budweiser Pro Spree was quickly in full swing with the early practice and qualifying runs. The first of the three events was the classic downhill. With equipment and apparel specifically designed for high-speed stability and minimum wind resistance, the competitors prepared to attack the difficult course prepared for them at Buttermilk Mountain. 32 races would emerge from qualifying with the right to compete in the first of two runs during the race. >> The fastest 16 would return to the top for the second and final run. The fastest combined time resulting in victory. After the first run, three races emerged as the strongest contenders. World Pro Skiing's Mike Hunter calls the race. >> Ready to go in the starting gate right now. by the man who finished third after the first run skiing for team Avis Rosenol Nordic and Tyolia 25-year-old jungle Jim Hunter of Calgary Alberta Canada Hunter remember the 1978 world pro skiing downhill champion he's got some time to make up on this run out onto the course he skates now Hunter coming into the waterfall area needs better than a 57.602 on this run to take the lead away from another Canadian rookie Bob Miller who had a 155.021 021 after the combined time of the two runs. It's Hunter right now into the big right hand turn as he come towards the coach's null right now the former bronze medalist in the 1972 Olympics and secondyear pro. Hunter takes that null very well back into his tough didn't get much air there and takes that big left-hand turn now not kicking up much snow at all as he comes towards that all critical compression. Jim Hunter looking good at this point in the race coming into the final rolls now. Here comes Hunter remember he need the 57.602 62 and Hunter looking very quick coming towards the finish line and he gets a 57.366 in Jungle. Jim Hunter has taken over the lead. Jim Hunter, our new leader, as getting ready to go at the top, the man who finished second after the first run. And onto the course comes the 1978 World Pro Skiing Champion from Sold in Austria, Andre Arnold. Arnold off that first jump, gets a lot of air, extends himself quite a lot, and lands on just one ski. He lost a lot of time in that first wall here. But remember, Arnold had a good time after the first run. He had a 57.093. He's going to need on this run just a 57.692, but he's having a lot of trouble in the middle section of the course right now. Arnold kicking up a lot of snow. Gets hard on his edges. And here he comes now over the final roll. He's going to need remember a 57.692. Here comes Arnold towards and across the finish line. His time 58 seconds. Fighting is not going to be good enough. A very disappointing run by the world champion. And now getting ready at the top, the man who finished first after the first run from Switzerland, a silver medal in the 1972 Olympics, skiing for team Avis Rosen, Nordica, and Winter Park, 30-year-old Walter Tresh. Tresh with a good lead after the first run. Now skating onto the course for his second and final run of the day. He's got a great position in the top portion of the course. Over the first jump he comes now and Trish doesn't get much air at all. He takes it very well on that first roll into the waterfall area now. White back on top of things and into a beautiful tuck. He comes now from Bristen Switzerland. Walter Tresh is looking good in the top portion of the course. He had about a 2/10 of a second lead after the first one here. He'll only need a 57.910. And he's right on target here as he comes out of the compression. Gets a little bit of air here, but not much at all. And Trish is right back into his tuck as he comes towards the final rolls of the course. Here comes the Swiss. Walter Tresh well on his way towards the first victory of the season for him here in the Budweiser Cup. As he comes across the finish line, Trish gets the time off. 57.235. Walter Trush has done it. $5,750 for Trish. He has just won the Budweiser Cup downhill. As the action moved on to the Aspen Highlands, an initial field of 52 racers attempt to qualify for the Giant slalom finals. The 32 who finally earned an entry into the event, prepared for another chance at the big money. Arnold was virtually untouchable as he tore through his portion of the elimination ladder to reach the finals. Opposing him in the finals, a determined Joseph Odmat. >> Odmat red, Arnold blue. They're ready to go. And oh, Odmat gets caught up in the starting gate. A terrible start for Onatan. And it's Andre Arnold with a halfgate lead already at the top. And you can't give that away to Andre Arnold. He's already lengthening that lead to a gate now. As it is fighting very hard to try and catch up to Andre Arnold. Arnold very smooth in the middle section of the course. Still is going to maintain about a gate lead as they come off the second jump. Arnold is doing just that. He's got a big lead over Joseph Automat. Automat anticipated. The gates opening and anticipated wrong and he's way behind Andre. Arnold as he fights desperately staying into the ruts trying to catch up to Andre Arnold but Arnold's got almost a fullgate lead now as they come in the last five gates and across the finish line it's going to be a big big victory for Andre Arnold 618 for Andre Arnold it's going to be Joseph Odmat on the blue Andre Arnold on the red out they come and it is Odmat who gets off to the better start he's got his work cut out for him however he lost the first one by 618 that's the margin he needs to beat Andre Arnold by in this one and it is Odmat who has a half gear lead off the first jump. Automat lost to Andre Arnold six out of eight times in the finals last year. Nothing more that Odmat would like right now than to beat Andre Arnold in this one by more than 618 and take the win in the Budweiser Cup Giants as they come into the last 10 gates. It is Automat with a commanding lead. He's got a full gate lead over Andre Arnold. Remember though, he's got to win by more than 618. Can he do it? Here they come around the last two gates across the finish line. Matt wins it, but it's not going to be by enough has won the Budweiser Cup Giants long $6,750 and he takes the lead in the World Pro game standing. Joseph Omat number two today once again with number two on his bid. He's been number two in the final standings three years in a row, six times out of eight last year. >> The races simultaneously practice and qualify for all three events. And with the downhill and giant slom now behind them, the scene moved back to Buttermilk's lower slope for slomn. The conditions and the weather were excellent. The racers began the allimportant ritual of metal preparation. The elimination rounds proceeded. Experienced veterans would be upset by young rookies. Expected winners often fall victim to their own split-second mistakes. Races were often won at the start by correct anticipation and lost as the momentary leader misjudged a takeoff or landing. Hank Casua put on a brilliant performance of discipline and concentration on his way to the finals. Opposing him, the awesome Andre Arnold. >> Hank Cashwa ready to face off now in the final runs of the Budweiser Cup. Slaughter against Andre Arnold. Out they come and Cashw gets off to one of his great starts again. He's got the early lead. It's a battle of the champions. the American 1975 world champion Hank Cash of Steamboat Colorado against the 1978 world champion 23-year-old Andre Arnold of Austria and it is an even battle in the middle section of the course now. They've got six gates into the second jump and Arnold is taking over the lead. He's got about a two ski length lead right now as they come into that second jump and off of it is going to be Andre Arnold in command of this race right now as Caswell gets an arm back. That'll cost him a little bit of time and it is about a half gate lead now for Andre Arnold who is really skating hard pushing off each ski as he goes and very quick in the bottom section of the course is Arnold. He's got a gate lead and it's going to be a big win for Andre Arnold across the finish line to beat catch by.568. This time in the second and final run of the finals of the wise cups slam. It'll be Andre Arnold on the blue and Cashew on the red. Out they come and it is Cashew who gets off to another great start and he's got the early lead again in the first four five games. Now Arnold's caught him again at the six gate. It is Andre Arnold taking over the lead once more. Remember though that Arnold won the first one by.568. Cash has got to win by more than that margin on this next run here. But it is all Andre Arnold in the middle section of the course. Arnold leading by about a ski lash trying desperately to close the gap, but Arnold giving away nothing here as he comes three gates into the final jump right now. It is Andre. Arnold the Austrian with a commanding lead off that final bump. Now Cash will close the gap a little bit. No, he gets an arm back. It'll cause him a lot of precious. Time has all very smooth on the blue course. has the lead all the way down. Four gates, three gates to go to the finish line. It's going to be horrible. He'll win the Budweiser Cup Slam. 6,750 for the victory. And he's won the combined. He wins the slalom. The giant slum fifth in the downhill. Andre Arnold takes a commanding lead in the big retained World Pro Skiing Championship crown, the Austrian Andre Arnold. World Pro skiing started in 1970 with three races and prize money was about $10,000 a race. It's grown to the Budweiser Pro Spree with $80,000 in one particular event. And there used to be about 25 to 30 competitors back in the early days, but now all over the country with the regional circuit, some of them to be exact. All building really with the same format towards World Pro skiing, there are about 1,200 young men racing as pros. Well, the challenge of the pros, the dual starting gates, the dual courses, the jumps, and then of course the fight for the finish line is really a tough one, but the rewards are great. Racers have a chance to really make a great living. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music]