Industry News
Norwegian professional skier, Anders Backe, has set the world record for the fastest speed skiing backwards at an incredible speed of 82.92 mph (133.46 km/h).
Twelve years ago, he had set the same world record when he registered 79.97 mph (128.6 km/h). That record was later surpassed in 2017 by Switzerland’s Elias Ambüehl who recorded 81.54 mph (131.23 km/h). Now Backe has taken back the crown.
See the video below.
The record took place at Vickersund Hill, which is a purpose-built ski flying hill in Modum, Norway. It is one of the two largest in the world. Backe started at the very top of the hill to gain speed and began by skiing forwards down the in-run. At the jump point he performed a 180° rotation to land switch (backwards) and continue down the slope.
Setting the record required meticulous training and focus, especially maintaining balance while traveling so fast and being able to stomp the landing on the 180°. There wasn’t any time to worry about crashing or the g-forces he would experience at the bottom. He also had to adjust his ski suit to fit as tightly as possible to reduce drag as well as experiment with the optimal wax to maximize speed.
Backe started skiing at the age of eight and got comfortable being in the air by ski jumping as a teenager and became a pro skier at the age of 19. He has spent his career traveling the world and taking part in contests and film projects while competing at the X Games twice. Now married with a daughter, he wants to take care of his family in the best way possible while also pushing the sport. He certainly did that with the recent world record. Congratulations Anders!
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