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We caught up with Britain's top downhiller Finlay Mickel to get his top tips on speed...
Lengthen your skis
This is the most obvious way to add some speed. For speed skiing and downhill you have very specific skis (215cm-217cm) but in the case of most people I would just suggest getting slighter longer skis than normal - maybe 10 or 15 cm longer. It will be harder to turn at slow speeds, so you'll have to let them run a bit more, but they'll be much more stable than short skis at high speed.
Wax your skis
On the downhill circuit you'd never, ever win a race no matter how good you were if you didn't wax your skis properly. Even at a basic level it's important, so make sure they're waxed after every five or six days' use. When you start racing, try and wax them every night if you can be bothered or certainly every couple of days.
Turn properly
Lots of people bang in turns aggressively, almost jumping up before digging the edge into the snow. But you want to almost just roll onto your edges. It's almost like roller blading - a progressive turn where you never lose contact with the ground. You're just gradually applying pressure. This way you keep as much speed as possible.
Master the tuck
This is one of the most important things in racing. Lots of people get it wrong and bend their back forward too much. Instead get your chest as near to your knees as is comfortable and put your hands forward as far as possible. This will stop your back bending too much and make you as streamlined as possible, causing the least possible wind resistance.
Know the piste
On the downhill circuit the quickest racers all have years of experience and have raced all the major courses before. It's no different in normal skiing and to get fast you need to know the slope. Practise it as much as possible and get to know the best line. You MUST also make sure the slopes are clear. Skiers often stop in funny places and with things like blind rises make sure they're totally clear. If not there is a real danger you'll hurt yourself and other people.
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