Benja Hedley Speeds to 9th Place in Salla
Due to commitments elsewhere, only Benja Hedley made the World Cup double-header in Salla, Finland last week. Located far north in the Arctic tundra of Lapland, just 5km from the border with Russia, Salla is one of the most remote ski resorts in Europe. With temperatures of -25 during the day, it's easy to feel a little exposed in just 5mm of lycra catsuit.
An icy and bumpy track meant competitors had to keep their wits about them, and Benja achieved a creditable 9th in both races. He had hoped for more in the second race, sitting in 7th position in the semi-final, but a poor final run dropped him down the table.
Benja said: "I was slightly disappointed with the results when it felt a much higher position was within my grasp. I should add massive a thank you to Chemmy Alcott for the new catsuit, and, and to Roger Walker for his old downhill skis - they proved nice and fast in their first outing in over 15 years!"
The next stop for the GBR Speed Ski team was going to be a world record attempt in Vars, France on the 10/11th April, but a massive avalanche on the track has led to the cancellation of that race. Instead the tour moves to the World Championships in Verbier from the 18th April, where a 3 tonne steel ramp is being hung from the Mont Fort cable car station to allow racers to get even higher speeds in the track. It's around 20 metres long, 2 metres wide, and by the time the competitors launch into the couloir, they should already be doing 120 km/h.
It should be quite some event to watch.
