Continued from Page 8
Harland said. "It took a lot of
guts, but it needed to be said. It
took a lot of pressure off of the
other competitors. We’ve
always known that we can drop
out. but that always implied
that we couldn't take it. When
Weber dropped out, it opened
the door for the rest of us to
make that same decision if we
had any doubts."
Does Harland have any
doubts?
“No. not really," he respond
ed. "Everyone thinks of falling,
but I don't worry about it.
There's just too much more go
ing on during a run to worry
about biting it."
What goes through a speed
skier's mind at 120 mph? Does
he talk to himself about main
taining form and control?
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"It's not so much talking to
myself to stay in control, but
rather my brain telling my body
what to do.” Harland explain
ed, "My body reacts to what my
brain is saying. At speed, it
doesn’t take much movement to
make adjustments."
Sometimes all it takes is just a
slight movement of the head to
make the necessary corrections,
he said.
Training for speed skiing is
limited. Harland runs and lifts
weights to stay strong enough to
take the pounding he must en
dure while speeding down the
course. He does stretching exer
cises to develop flexibility and
practices his skiing at
Willamette Pass, where he’s a
ski instructor.
"But you just can’t train for
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what the wind will do to you at
120 mph,’’ he said.
To get some idea of what it’s
like to ski at that speed, imagine
walking on level ground during
a windstorm. With the wind at
40 mph, you have to lean for
ward to make any headway. At
50 mph. you have to lean for
ward just to hold your ground.
At 60 mph and above, you have
to hold onto something to keep
from blowing away. Now con
sider the wind turbulence a
speed skier encounters at 120
mph. And that doesn’t even
take into account the chattering
skis the speed skier must try to
keep on the snow.
Some speed skiers train in
wind tunnels if they have the
opportunity. But this is expen
sive at $100 an hour, and again
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gives no feel for the instability
of the skis on the snow.
"The skier can just sit in his
boots." Harland said. “They
end up perfecting an
aerodynamic posture that
would be impossible to main
tain at speed."
Speed skiers have also been
known to ride on top of cars,
with their skis secured to the
roof rack.
"It’s common for the Euro
peans to do that," Harland said.
"But I’m reluctant to do it — it's
pretty risky."
Before the World Cup tour
starts again next April, Harland
is concentrating on building up
his strength and flexibility.
When Willamette Pass gets
enough snow to open for the
winter, he’ll go back to work as
a ski instructor and use his free
time to hone his skiing skills.
The ultimate goal for speed
skiers is to go as fast as they
possibly can. The one barrier
that most often prevents them
from going as fast as is physical
ly possible is a mental barrier.
"All skiers have a speed
threshold.” Harland said.
"Once they reach it. they don't
want to go that fast again."
For all the training they go
through, and all the specially
designed equipment and
courses they use. the sport of
speed skiing isn't man against
man or man against the moun
tain or environment.
It's man against himself and
his self-imposed barriers.
rl ncf t'°n,'nue^ ^r°m **a8e 9
"Some friends who were wat
ching were sure I was going to
fall. But I knew that I was not
going to fall.” he says con
fidently. A wistful look comes
into his eye. “If only I’d had a
clean run."
By the time he'd recovered
and was back into his tuck.
Harland was already past the
steepest part of the course. All
he could do was sit back and
hope for the best. He still logged
a fast speed. 115 mph, but he
had done 116 mph the day
before, starting lower on the
mountain. Until he betters that
mark, he’ll always wonder how
fast he could have gone with a
clean run, he says.
Harland will have a chance to
see how fast he can go next spr
ing. when he heads to Europe
for the 1987 World Cup lour.
His goals are to move up in the
rankings, from 67th fastest in
the world and 14th in overall
World Cup points. Somewhere
down the line he'd like to set a
world record.
"I know I can do it,” he says.
"I just have to stay at it and wait
for it to happen.”
Harland has other short-range
goals. He wants to get a spon
sor. Last spring's experience on
the European tour was another
low-budget affair.
"I had to manage 240 pounds
of equipment and luggage on
the European railroads by
myself." he says in an ex
asperated tone. “The top speed
skiers have sponsors that pay
airfare and lodging as well as
provide support crews for the
skiers.”
Having a sponsor takes a lot
of pressure off the competitors
so they can concentrate on ski
ing. Harland says.
“The guys are spoiled. So
meone carries their luggage, so
meone pays for the hotel, so
meone drives him around town,
someone carries their skis,” he
says.
Another short-range goal
Harland has is to make speed
skiing popular in the United
States. The problem is that
speed has a bad reputation here.
‘‘When you mention speed
skiing to resorts, it’s like talking
to a brick wall," he explains.
"Reckless skiers and inflated
insurance costs are killing the
sport of recreational skiing.
In Europe they approach the
sport differently, Harland says.
“I was skiing with some
locals, and they just went bomb
ing down this cat-track (a nar
row, winding ski trail) whoop
ing and hollering All the begin
ners on the trail just pulled off
to the side and stopped as we
zoomed by. They were in the
way of superior skiers, so they
just moved over." he says.
On slopes in the United
.States, it’s up to the advanced
skiers to avoid the novices.
They also settle accidents dif
ferently in Europe, he says.
“If you cause an accident or
make someone fall, it gets settl
ed right there on the mountain.
You may have to buy them din
ner or.” he says with a laugh.
you may end up gening a
punch in the nose. But in the
United States, it’s assault and
you get slapped with a
lawsuit.”
To get speed skiing going
locally, Harland envisions an
Oregon tour.
Harland admits it will take a
major change in ski resorts’ im
age of speed skiing before an
Oregon tour can take place.
"We've got to convince them
that the emphasis is on safe
speed, and not reckless, out-of
control mayhem.”
If anyone can do it. Harland
can. Making speed skiing
popular in the United States is
Harland's ultimate goal.
What about becoming a
legend, like Prefontaine or
Decker, or like Kalevi Hakkinen
of Finland, who still speed skis
at age 53? (There’s a statue of
him in his hometown.)
"No. nothing like that," says
Harland. "I’d like a world
record someday, and 1 want the
sport to take off in the U.S., but
no statues."
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