Speed Skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics

This was the first time that speed skiing was a demonstration sport at the Winter Olympics, although the sport had been popular since the 1960s and records for fastest speed on skis date back to the 19th century. The events were held at Les Arcs, one of the centers of the sport where many of the speed records were set at the time, and continue to be. The event consists of a skiier making a single descent in each segment of the competition over a very steep course. The speed is measured only during the timing zone, which is the central 100 metres of the course, and the results are determined by the recorded speed in the timing zone.

The men’s event at Les Arcs was tragically marred by the death of Swiss skiier Nicolas Bochatay. Bochatay was warming up on the course on the morning of the semi-final round, alongside his teammate Pierre-Yves Jorand. Together they leapt over a small hill and Bochatay crashed into a parked Sno-Cat, which had been hidden by the mogul. He died from internal injuries. The semi-final round was still held, but Jorand and another Swiss teammate, Roger Stump, withdrew. Possibly because of the events at Les Arcs, speed skiing has never again been contested at the Olympics.