How fast downhill skiers

And I'm not joking about the possible injury and death thing, either. Just a few months ago, French skier David Poisson, a top performer at the World Cup for years and the bronze medalist in downhill skiing at the world championships, died after he stumbled during a training run and hit a tree, according to The New York Times. So how do professional skiers deal with the possibility of severe injury or death in the course of making their way down the hill at lightning speeds?

Simple — they just don't really talk about it. Several athletes told the publication Poisson's death shook them, but they got back out there and they just kept competing anyway. So if you find yourself watching downhill skiing during the Winter Olympics, just keep in mind how fast these athletes are really going while you sit and watch from the comfort of your couch.

It's truly remarkable what these skiers can do, at speeds the rest of us have rarely, if ever, experienced. November See All Trying Birth After. Raising Kids. When it comes to Lindsey Vonn's best event at these Winter Olympics, there's one obvious question: Just how fast are those athletes actually moving?

The answers vary, but the general consensus seems to be that Olympic skiers tend to fall in the 80 miles-per-hour range, with some exceeding even 95 miles per hour on the fastest sections of the course. Recreational downhill skiers often average a speed somewhere between miles per hour, as National Public Radio documented around the time of the Turin Winter Games, and sometimes Olympic-winning speeds fall in that category.

Otherwise, though, most publications, including Trails. NPR cited former downhill skier David Currier, a Winter Olympics veteran, in reporting that peak speeds often exceed 85 miles per hour, as Currier said "there is one stretch on almost every course where racers reach 85 miles per hour or more. That doesn't mean skiers are constantly and consistently traveling at that speed, but rather that, at some point during their descent, they have accomplished that.

The league could reportedly release its findings from the investigation in the future. The running back's son's advice was spot on following Peterson's first game with Titans. It's that scoreline again. James's timetable to return to the court remains day-to-day. Home Olympics. Downhill skiers are the daredevils of the snow. SI Recommends. By AP News.