Drone Nearly Crashes Into Skier Marcel Hirscher During Slalom

An attempt to get the best possible camera angle almost ended in disaster as a drone nearly struck Austrian skier Marcel Hirscher during a slalom run in Italy. In response, the International Ski Federation is banning drones from future World Cups for safety reasons.

Shortly after starting his run, Hirscher realized something had happened behind him; luckily he was unhurt and continued down the slope. “I didn’t know what it was, but I felt something,” he said. “I thought it was a course worker behind me, or a gate.”

“I am very relieved that nothing happened,” Hirscher continued. “You don’t want to think about what could have happened when 10 kilograms are coming down 20 meters. That would have been a very serious, bad injury. There are a lot of cool things nowadays. But you have to guarantee the safety — and that was just insane.”

According to event officials, the drone was never supposed to fly directly over the track. The pilot, however, appears to have disregarded instructions to remain at a safe distance from the skiers.

“He did not follow our instructions,” race director Markus Waldner said. “He had to fly outside of the race track and follow the racer from a 15-meter (50-foot) distance. Then there would have been a margin and nothing could have happened.”

After his close call, Hirscher was in good enough spirits to joke about it on Instagram.

 

Photo: Skier Marcel Hirscher by rom@nski photo, via Wikimedia Commons