https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/e4c7f09e-7271-4e9c-87f9-b2d8b455b33d Help us preserve, scan and post more rare and endangered films on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Produced by Rodney Jacobs and Freewheelin' Films (https://freewheelinfilms.net/) for Subaru and K2, "The World Cup at Aspen: A Homecoming" covers the 1981 Aspen Winter National, a major event in the Alpine Skiing World Cup circuit. The World Cup is a season-long competition across three continents, culminating in Switzerland. For the first time, the U.S. Ski Team gets to compete on home snow in Aspen. The event features intense men’s and women’s downhill and giant slalom races, highlighting standout performances from Canadian Steve Podborski, Austrian Harti Weirather, Soviet Valery Tsigankov and American Cindy Nelson. Rising star Tamara McKinney dominates the women’s giant slalom, winning her third World Cup GS race and later the overall title. The event’s climax is a fierce showdown in the men's GS between Sweden’s skiing legend Ingemar Stenmark and American Phil Mahre, who narrowly defeats Stenmark, setting the stage for Mahre to become the first American to win the overall World Cup title. The event captures not only athletic rivalry but also the significance of competing — and winning — on home turf. 0:00 – Introduction to the World Cup ski racing season, a long-term challenge for top skiers, spanning from France to Switzerland. 0:26 – For the U.S. Ski Team, the World Cup is usually an "away game" dominated by Europeans. But Aspen 1981 gave them a home advantage. 1:09 – Hosts George Hamilton and Susan St. James introduce the Aspen Winter National 1981, focusing on World Cup races. 1:24 – A brief history of ski racing in Aspen, including fashion flashbacks and past races like the 1976 downhill won by France Clommer. 1:59 – A major snowstorm before the race. 2:34 – Racers from 13 countries descend on Aspen, ready to compete in Olympic-like fashion. 2:51 – Conditions are ideal for the men’s downhill. Canadian Steve Podborski competes for the title against Austria's Hardy Wierather. 3:48 – The downhill course: 2,600 vertical feet, 60° turns, and 40% drop grades. 4:06 – The course proves difficult, eliminating multiple skiers 4:14 – Austria enters nine strong racers, including Olympic champions Stock and Clommer. 4:49 – Soviet skier Valery Tsyganov wins the race, marking the USSR's first World Cup win. 5:43 – The next day, Podborski must win to take the downhill title, while Wierather aims to defend it. 6:58 – Wierather races last and beats Podborski’s time, winning both the race and the overall downhill title. 8:18 – U.S. skier Pete Patterson vows an aggressive run but crashes. Doug Powell surprises by finishing in the top 10 from 29th position. 9:00 – Cindy Nelson, a U.S. veteran, finishes 3rd in the women’s downhill and 5th in the giant slalom, earning a combined award. 9:50 – American Holly Flanders places 4th, breaking into the European-dominated top 10. 10:06 – Austrian teenager Elisabeth Kirchler wins her first World Cup race, stealing the spotlight. 10:42 – American women’s training pays off at home. They express how returning to U.S. soil boosted morale and performance. 11:25 – The men’s giant slalom is set up as a major showdown between Phil Mahre and Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark. 12:01 – Phil Mahre is just 41 points behind Stenmark and sees this race as a key chance to close the gap. 13:25 – The celebrity race segment adds humor, with Hamilton and St. James poking fun at their skiing skills. 14:00 – In the women's GS, 18-year-old Tamara McKinney rebounds from a near-accident to win, solidifying her place as a future star. 14:54 – The U.S. women have their best international performance ever, ending a long drought. 15:04 – Snowy weather and course difficulty set the stage for the final men’s giant slalom. 15:13 – Phil Mahre seeks redemption and a title win. 16:27 – The GS race is framed as a two-man heavyweight bout: Stenmark vs. Mahre. 17:02 – Stenmark sets a strong first run at 1:35.24. 17:26 – Mahre finishes just behind at 1:35.43, keeping the race incredibly tight. 18:14 – Second run begins; Phil receives radio tips from his twin brother Steve Mahre. 19:42 – Phil finishes the second run with a blazing time of 1:37.33, putting pressure on Stenmark. 20:09 – Stenmark finishes behind Mahre by just a fraction. Mahre wins, handing Stenmark his second GS loss of the season. 20:25 – This race proves pivotal; Phil Mahre goes on to win the 1981 World Cup overall title – the first American to do so. 20:42 – Phil and Steve Mahre reflect on the thrill of racing at home in front of a supportive crowd. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gUkuakPMHw Mirrored from Periscope Film (https://www.youtube.com/@PeriscopeFilm) Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:09:28 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://peertube.dngr.us https://peertube.dngr.us/lazy-static/avatars/41a6fee9-7f57-42d0-a5fc-5db4f1af2e31.png https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/e4c7f09e-7271-4e9c-87f9-b2d8b455b33d All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://peertube.dngr.us/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.