Italian skier sets new world record with 252.4 kmph speed

An Italian skier has reportedly broken his own speed skiing world record by reaching 252.4 kilometers per hour in the French Alps.

Simone Origone broke his own speed skiing world record on the Chabrieres slopes in the French Alps, which is not for the faint-hearted with a 1,220 metre-slope that has a maximum gradient of 98 percent and an average of 52.5 percent.

According to CNN, Origone, who took up speed skiing in 2003 after giving up downhill skiing in 1999, was equipped with just an aerodynamic helmet to increase streamlining and a ski suit made from air-tight latex to reduce wind resistance, along with a back protector in case of a crash as he threw himself down the one kilometer track.

The ski instructor, mountain guide and rescuer has been the fastest speed skier on the globe since April 2006, having set a then-new world record of 251.4 km/h at Les Arcs, although Frenchman Bastien Montes was Origone's closest challenger with his new personal best of 248.105 km/h, the report added.