During the Olympics in Italy now a days (February 2026), I caught myself staring at the steep alpine slopes and wondering: How fast can a human being really dare to go?
Watching the athletes launch themselves downhill, carving through gravity like it was something to negotiate with, I felt that familiar travel-curiosity ignite. It wasn’t just about medals. It was about the thin line between control and risk - about how far the human body and mind are willing to push the limits.
So I found this video clip and information on Internet:
On 22nd March 2023, in the legendary speed-skiing resort of Vars, Simon Billy from France rewrote history. Vars in Southern French Alps is often called the mecca of speed skiing. The French blasted down the piste at an astonishing 255.500 kph (158.760 mph), setting a new world record and pushing the limits of what’s possible on skis. For me it looked like a controlled free-fall with skis. Watching speed skiing, it that hit me, that this isn’t just a competition - it’s humans testing how far they can flirt with gravity.
Vars is a prominent ski resort located in the Hautes-Alpes region of the Southern French Alps, often described as a "hidden gem" or a "mecca" for speed skiing and forest skiing. Situated at 1,850 meters and reaching up to 2,750 meters, it is known for its high altitude, excellent snow conditions, and its connection with the neighboring resort of Risoul to form the La Forêt Blanche ski area. Would it be new speed records here in the future?
The previous record had stood since 2016, when Italy’s Ivan Origone clocked 254.958 kph (158.424 mph). Speed skiing has long been dominated by the Origone name. Ivan’s brother, Simone Origone, held three world records of his own dating back to 2006. On the women’s side, Valentina Greggio has held the record since 2016 at 247.038 kph (153.502 mph), a speed that’s almost hard to comprehend. But records are meant to be broken.
Simon’s record wasn’t just about one perfect descent. It was the result of years of work, discipline, and resilience. In 2017, he suffered a brutal crash, one that could have ended his career. Instead, he came back stronger. Watching him at the start gate, calm and focused on this video, you could feel that this was more than a race. It was redemption.
FIS World Cup downhill skiing race speed record
Based on information from Wikipedia, the fastest speed achieved at an FIS World Cup downhill skiing race is 161.9 km/h (100.6 mph), achieved by Johan Clarey from France on the Lauberhorn course at the Wengen downhill in Switzerland on 19th January 2013. Johan Clarey (born 8 January 1981) is a French World Cup alpine ski racer. He specializes in the speed events of downhill and super-G.
Clarey became the first skier to break the 100-mph barrier which is approximately 161 kilometres per hour. At 2.7 miles, the Lauberhorn downhill is the longest downhill ski course in the world. Despite achieving his record speed, Clarey went on to finish only fifth in the race (source: Fastest World Cup downhill skiing speed - Guinnes World Records).
Men's downhill on Alpine skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy
The men's downhill competition of the 2026 Winter Olympics was held on Saturday, 7 February, at Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, and was the first medal event of these Olympics. Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland won the event, Italian Giovanni Franzoni won the silver medal, and teammate Dominik Paris took bronze.
According to Wikipedia, Alpine skiing at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Men's downhill:
“The Stelvio course was 3,442 metres (2.14 mi) in length, with a vertical drop of 1,023 m (3,356 ft) from a starting elevation of 2,268 m (7,441 ft) above sea level. Gold medalist von Allmen's time of 111.61 seconds yielded an average speed of 111.022 km/h (69.0 mph) and an average vertical descent rate of 9.166 m/s (30.1 ft/s).”
Why isn’t speed skiing in the Olympics?
It’s the fastest non-motorised sport on earth. Athletes hurtle down a mountain at over 250 kilometres per hour. So why isn’t speed skiing part of the Winter Olympics?
Part of the answer lies in how the International Olympic Committee evaluates sports. Speed skiing is undeniably spectacular in terms of raw numbers, but it’s also extremely dangerous. At these speeds, there’s no room for error. A small mistake can have serious consequences.
There’s also the question of spectacle. Most Olympic snow events are visually dynamic. In downhill skiing, athletes carve powerful turns. In freestyle and snowboard events, they launch off jumps and perform tricks. Viewers can see skill expressed through movement, style, and split-second decisions.
Speed skiing is different. It’s about one thing: going straight, as fast as humanly possible. To the untrained eye, it can look deceptively simple. There are no turns to master, no tricks to land, no dramatic head-to-head battles on screen. The drama is internal and technical, measured in hundredths of a second and aerodynamics rather than flair.
Speed skiing as I consider it, it`s more like a stunt - a stunt against the mountain. It feels less like a sport and more like a dare with gravity. It`s in one way fascinating. That`s because of the extreme speed, but in the other way it`s gambling with humans life, and it`s probably not so entertaining either to just look at a person driving straight down a sloop for a long time.
I really wonder: will it be new speed records in the future? How fast is it possible to go? And bear mind, it`s not without risk?
Stein Morten Lund, 14th February 2026
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