Yahoo Autos Watch Former Stig Ben Collins Hurtle Down a Ski Slope in a Range Rover Sport
The people of Mürren, Switzerland started the Inferno Downhill Challenge in 1928. At 9.8 miles, it remains the longest amateur ski race in the world, threatening to break legs at a starting elevation of 9744 feet. Occasional Daniel Craig stunt-double Ben Collins only did 9.25 miles of the legendary course, but driving down a mountain with 75 percent descents is still not something your doctor would recommend.
During the 7119-foot descent, the Range Rover Sport had to find enough grip on snow, ice, loose rock, mud, and gravel. Despite all that, Collins hit a ridiculous 96 mph on wet grass at the bottom, surrounded by fog.
After consulting with Jaguar-Land Rover's PR team, the stunt driver had this to say about the experience:
"This was genuinely one of the hardest tests I've faced in my driving career. The route was insane and certainly the toughest course I've ever completed. It challenged you with every kind of obstacle this side of molten lava and as conditions go, it was about as bad as it gets – torrential weather mixed with cliffs, trees, all kinds of stuff you don't really want to crash into.
The key to the run was precision: being able to maintain speed and carry that speed down the hill in the way the skiers can do, carving through the turns."
Carving through, eh? Got it!
Remember: roll cages and tires with strong enough sidewalls. Never enter a ski course without them!
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