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During the first Streif descent from Kitzbühel, TV viewers are provided with spectacular drone footage. But opinions on this are very different.
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On the first descent in Kitzbühel, a drone provides spectacular TV pictures.
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According to SRF commentator Stefan Hofmann, not all viewers like it.
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In the past, a drone caused a shock moment in the Ski World Cup.
One or two TV viewers must have rubbed their eyes in amazement on Friday followingnoon when Max Franz with start number 1 threw himself down the legendary Streif in Kitzbühel. Shortly before the edge of the Hausberg, the Austrian is suddenly followed by a camera drone for a few seconds.
However, not all ski fans seem to like the spectacular TV footage, which is also repeatedly captured during the subsequent races. “Some viewers complained that they almost got sick,” reports SRF commentator Stefan Hofmann while driving the German Andreas Sander. “Sure, you have to get used to it,” Hofmann continued. “But it looks spectacular.”
Many viewers also see it that way, in the social media there is at least one podium place for the TV productions. “Wow! Kitzbühel’s broadcasters use a drone as a live signal,” writes a Twitter user. “It really gives you a feel for the pace,” writes another.
No comparison to the Hirscher drone
Drones don’t actually have the best reputation in the Ski World Cup. In 2015, Marcel Hirscher was almost hit by a crashing drone while driving in the night slalom of Madonna di Campiglio. This crashed onto the slope just a few meters behind the Austrian.
However, the TV drones used in Kitzbühel pose no danger to the drivers. According to the French Eurosport commentator François-Xavier Rallet, these specimens only weigh around 600 grams, while the 2015 drone weighed around eleven kilos.
Actually, the use of drones would have been allowed by the FIS even following the incident in Madonna, but since then no organizer has dared to do so. The conditions according to the rally: no fixed TV cameras and no spectators in the corresponding section of the route. Drones are also to be used at the World Ski Flying Championships in Vikersund, Norway, in March.
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