FIS’s new interim graphics – here’s what’s most striking

For the new season, the FIS is also showing a new variant of temporary graphics on the right edge of the screen. Now it's less distracting and more accurate.

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The start of the Ski World Cup season in Sölden is very exciting because there are a lot of questions and a lot of innovation. With Marco Odermatt out and Lara Gut Behrami and Loic Mailard having to miss out on starts, is there reason for Switzerland to panic? How are the comebacks of Lucas Pinheiro Braathen and Marcel Hirscher going? What innovations has the World Ski Federation FIS considered?

The first question can be answered clearly: of course not. Odermatt showed in his brief appearance that he's still fast. During retraction, Meillard developed a tear in the disc cap between the L5 and S1 vertebrae. Team doctors expect him to return to Levy within three weeks. Gut-Behrami now has a month to regain the confidence she lost after a hiatus from training so she can fight for victory again in Killington.

The answer to the second question is less clear: Lucas Pinheiro Brasson's comeback was a success. The new Brazilian (despite the starting number 41!) showed with his fourth place finish that he can once again be at the top, at least in the technical field. However, without a few serious retirements, Herschel would have missed the second round. It remains doubtful whether the new Dutchman will be a podium candidate again.

What about FIS? They've only introduced a few innovations this season, but they're pretty core. For one thing, airbags will be mandatory for all downhill and super-G riders starting this season. On the other hand, the temporary graphics have been modified.

Since the 2023 World Cup, the FIS has been showing provisional running charts for giant slalom events. Previously, it had the shape of the corresponding route and indicated in green or red whether the driver was traveling faster or slower than the leader on the route. While the chart provides interesting insights, it looks clunky and distracting, and doesn't always end up matching the actual measured fraction of time.

Old temporary graphics: The direction of the route is always fully visible.Image: screenshot srf

In Sölden, FIS now presents a simplified version of this graphic. The shape of the route is only shown during the intermediate times of the physical measurements, otherwise the graphics are more subtle and unobtrusive in straight lines.

New split time graphics: A line replaces the route alignment and only displays briefly during fixed split times.Image: screenshot srf

Overall, the graphics work pretty much the same as the old version, although they look a little more precise. Chips in athletes' shoes can compare the timing of each change of direction. If the rider on the slope is as fast as the leader at the finish, the graph is yellow. If it's faster, it turns green; if it's slower, it turns red. For every difference of 0.25 thousandths, the color will become one level darker.

River Radamus lost 0.27 seconds between gates 22 and 25 in the first round in Sölden.Image: screenshot srf

Specific comparisons can now also be made outside the transition period. If a driver makes a big mistake, the control team can show how much time he lost from door X to door Y. This makes analyzing the journey much easier, even for the layperson in front of the TV.

In its slightly simplified version, temporary graphics can actually be an added value rather than just a distraction. Maybe the FIS will adopt it in some form in other disciplines soon.