Austria's Hermann Maier trains for his short-lived olympic run. Maier crashed through two protective fences early on in men's downhill competition. (Reuters)

HAKUBA, Japan — Hermann Maier was screaming down the hill in midflight. Nothing unusual there for the world's best downhiller.

Only this time he was upside down.

Thoughts of Olympic gold turned to thoughts of survival today as the Austrian ski ace flew off the downhill course, flipped in the air, and finally tumbled head-over-heels through two protective fences.

Winning races isn't the only thing Maier does in spectacular fashion.

"I was very fast and there was a lot of wind from the back side and I went up into the air and was looking at the sky.,'' Maier said later, reliving the moment. "I looked down at the snow and waited for the crash and tried to be comfortable.''

Maier, whose 10 wins in his first full World Cup season made him a favorite in the downhill, didn't even make it past the sharp left turn just before the first big jump.

On an icy course where caution was the key, Maier attacked in his usual take-no-prisoners style.

As he threw his body toward the course, his skis flew in the opposite direction. He sailed into the air, skis flailing, then landed on his head, tumbled through the two safety nets and over a snowy cliff.

He paid the price, but it could have been worse. A lot worse.

"It was horrifying,'' said Dr. Toni Wicker, the Austrian team doctor. "It was a terrible crash. He was lucky.''

Maier escaped from the crash with relatively minor hip and shoulder injuries and a bad headache. After finally coming to a halt, he struggled to his feet and climbed up the cliff to get off the course.

Wicker said the reason Maier was not more seriously injured was that he was able to stay in a tuck position as he flew off the course and rolled when he hit the snow.

Maier, had to withdraw from the downhill portion of the combined later in the day, but will race Saturday in the Super-G.

"It was a big crash today, I think my first big crash in downhill,'' Maier said. "And it's not so good to do it at the Olympic Games.''

No it's not. Especially when the lasting image of Alpine skiing in these games figures not to be Maier with a handful of medals around his neck, but the video of Maier flying crazily through the air.

"Not Lufthansa, but okay,'' Maier said of his flight.