It slices, it dices: It’s an Alpine ski

For a moment on Wednesday night, USA Network’s broadcast of Alpine skiing looked more like a cooking segment than a sporting event.

Steve Porino, an NBC Sports analyst and a former downhill skier, armed with Alpine skis like those used by such stars as Matthias Mayer, explained how the apparatus was as much a weapon as just a piece of sports equipment. (It was a slow sports day in Beijing: Alpine skiing, curling and hockey.)

To prove his point, USA showed video of Bode Miller, the Olympic gold medalist, crashing during a 2015 race. The edge of one of his skis tore through his suit, cutting into his hamstring and a tendon.

That was when Porino strapped on safety goggles, took aim at a papaya on a table in front of him and whacked the edge of a ski through the fruit.

Next came a watermelon: a clean slice and a splash of seeds and liquid. Finally, he made his way through a pineapple, yelling, “Aha!” as he knocked half of it off the table.

At the end of the segment, Ted Ligety, a two-time gold medalist, joined Porino as he alluded to how athletes often celebrate with champagne. Ligety twice took aim at the cork of a champagne bottle, succeeding in sabering it open on the second try.

As he took a sip, he murmured about “sweet victory.”