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Downhill Racer

Downhill Racer is a 1969 American sports drama film starring Robert Redford, Gene Hackman and Camilla Sparv, and was the directorial debut of Michael Ritchie. Written by James Salter, based on the 1963 novel The Downhill Racers by Oakley Hall, the film is about a talented downhill skier who joins the United States Ski Team in Europe to compete in international skiing competitions.

Plot

American downhill skier David Chappellet arrives in Wengen, Switzerland to join the U.S. ski team along with fellow newcomer D. K. Bryan. Both men were summoned by team coach Eugene Claire to replace Tommy Herb, one of his top skiers, who was recently injured during an FIS competition. Raised in the small town of Idaho Springs, Colorado, Chappellet is a loner focused only on becoming a skiing champion, and shows little interest in being a team player. After refusing to race at the Lauberhorn because of a late starting position, he makes his European skiing debut at the Arlberg-Kandahar in Austria, where he finishes in an impressive fourth position. In the final race of the season at the Hahnenkamm-Rennen in Kitzbühel, Austria, he crashes.