Skiing's Anti-Hero 'Hotdog Hans' Battles Lance Armstrong In Golf

Hotdog Hans is an elusive figure in the skiing community. He's old, but he skis like he's young, throwing tricks befit of a halfpipe skiing champion with a foul mouth to match. Over the years, he's appeared in a multi-part, now beloved video series.

Hans' latest excursion involved a trip to the golf course, wherein he battles for supremacy over the green with another legendary yet controversial athlete, Lance Armstrong.

At this point, I don't think I'm spoiling anything by revealing the truth about Hans: he's played by halfpipe skier and Olympic silver medalist Alex Ferreira. That explains why Hans is suspiciously good at sports for his age, including golf. With Hotdog Hans, Ferreira plays a character for laughs.

But that doesn't address this video's central question: How did the filmmakers behind the Hotdog Hans series get Lance Armstrong to agree to this one?

In case you missed it, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour De France titles in 2012 and banned from future cycling competitions after an investigation revealed that he had used performance-enhancing drugs while competing on the Tour. Armstrong later confirmed the veracity of these allegations during a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey.

That's the distinction between Hotdog Hans and Armstrong: Hans is controversial by design because he's a walking comedy sketch, and Armstrong, in contrast, is controversial because of what he actually did.

Perhaps this distinction is why Armstrong agreed to a golf match with Hans.

At this point, the once-respected cyclist probably doesn't have much to lose when it comes to his public perception: he was already dragged through the mud. Could palling around with the likes of Hotdog Hans really make things worse?

Probably not.

And say what you want about Armstrong, but his appearance was pretty hilarious in this video. It'll be a long time before I forget the following exchange between Hans and Armstrong.

Armstrong, referring to a whiffed golf shot: "I'll get away with it, though."

Hans, in response: "We've heard that before, Lancey."

Retorts like that are par for the course when you're hanging out with Hotdog Hans.

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