In less than a tenth of a second, safety in ski racing took a huge leap forward on Saturday.

That was the time it took for a radical air bag system to inflate and prevent Olympic champion Matthias Mayer from serious injury during a nasty crash at the classic Val Gardena World Cup downhill.

The Austrian lost control on the Saslong course and spun around, flying down the hill backward in midair. Before he landed on his right side, the air bag vest under his race suit inflated and softened his landing.