World Champs, Baby!

What. A. Week.

Last weekend, I ran into Trace Smith, fellow Burke racer, current member of the Dartmouth Ski Team, card-carrying member of the USSA (for those keeping track), and dual citizen of the USA and Estonia. Trace was leaving the next morning for Alpine World Championships in Schladming, Austria, and mentioned that as the sole representative of his Baltic nation, his national ski federation wasn't sending any support staff his way for the event. He already had Eddie Hauck, Dartmouth assistant coach and ex-pro skier from Back in the Day, who knew the area and many of the people organizing the event, but all the moving parts of such a large event can stretch even the most seasoned coach pretty thin. Trace told me that he could use all the help he could get over there, kicking off a 24-hour am-I-really-going-to-do-this process that involved getting the go-ahead both at work and by the Estonia and WC organizers in time. There was also the issue of lining up a flight to Europe and transport to Schladming on 24-hours notice, but I had more experience in this area than anywhere else. By Tuesday night, I had a flight booked to MUC leaving the next day, and I had a credential waiting for me as a coach for Estonia at World Champs.

As an athlete ranked outside of the top 50 in the world, Trace had to compete in qualifying races the day before the WC GS and SL. He also had to finish in the top 25 if he wasn't ranked in the top 25 in that race. This meant that he would be racing full-on for 4 days in a row, making for an even more hectic schedule.

I originally assumed that the qualification races would be easy course sets on a moderate hill, in order to accommodate all of the 133 countries participating in the event. Not in Austria. The race venue for the qualifying races, held at the neighboring hill the Reiteralm, was fully injected, included a 46 degree pitch, and was in the shade. The course was icier and steeper than the WC race hill; it was an eliminator. My "Marcel Hirscher package" of rental skis and boots, courtesy of United Airlines failing to send my bags all the way to MUC, had little chance of stopping on the pitches during inspection. Unfortunately for some of the competition, they couldn't hold an edge either and slid down the pitches with me.

Trace punched his ticket to both the WC GS and SLs, making for a fast-paced trip. The Men's GS race was an incredible day, living up to its billing as "Ted vs. Hirscher". The course had a ton of terrain and ended with a steep last pitch into the finish, providing an intense final 25 seconds of skiing. Trace went out first run so we all caught the second run from the bottom of the hill, and witnessed the intensity of the crowd when Hirscher came through with a time that people thought might challenge Ted's eventual victory. This much is true: ski racing is alive and well in Austria.  

Trace's skiing and results kept building on themselves, culminating with an impressive performance on the final day at the WC SL. Having qualified the day before by finishing 20th from bib 38 (and snapping a DNF streak that stretched back to 2012), Trace responded to the truly incredible atmosphere on Sunday and placed 36th from bib 74. Any time you can cut your bib in half it's a good day, but to do it at World Championships it's almost unbelievable. Trace heads from this event straight to World Junior Championships, and will hopefully build off the momentum he created and extend his new SL hot streak.

   

 

 

With all 4 Austrians in the top 8 after the first run, the crowd was pretty jacked up...during inspection

Even while everyone on the course was at a stand still, it was nice to see that Hirscher was still able to properly execute the Austrian inspection with classic form

 And speaking of classic, I was able to get a shot of Pranger going over the course at the bottom of inspection. Just too good to pass up!

A big thanks to Tiina Smith and everyone involved with making this experience what it was; a great time at World Champs that produced impressive results. Eddie was a blast to work with and I was honored to join him on the Estonian coaching crew. He let me play to my strengths as a coach and provided me with laser-focused course reports that I'd then relay to Trace at the start. There are so many small stories to explain in one blog post, but I'm sure the pictures will do a better job anyway. Crush WJRs in Quebec, Trace!

Eddie, myself, Mr. Estonia, and his dirty 'stash

  Trace, getting some media love by none other than Christine Feehan from Alpine Press

 

 

What was supposed to be a dinner with the Shiffrins and Leevers turned into a media blitz after Mikaela was victorious in the SL. First stop, ORF!

 

A rare moment of calm during the post-victory tour at the Audi tent with the Shiffrin and Leever family. Taylor and I ended up being bodyguards throughout the night to fend off over enthusiastic, picture-wanting fans.

  The big names of the week on the men's side were Svindal, Ligety, and Hirscher... and Jamaica Mike. Outfitted with an unmistakable uniform, a small army of handlers (the over-under on the total was 10), and a team slogan that read "Mike vs You", Jamaica Mike was a legit star at World Champs.  

 Estonia clearly needed a physio, and who was able to answer the call but medically certified Julian Schreib! Luckily we had no injuries so Jules was not in high demand, and he may even have been able to catch some of the race!

 

 It's not every day the you get time with the most popular coach in ski racing. It was great to see a lot of friends in the coaching world, all in all an unforgettable experience.

Stiiiill Got It!

I planned to spend this week at the Dartmouth Skiway, meeting up with old friends from the racing circuit, speaking with the athletes about what, if anything, they felt needed to be addressed at the USSA Board of Directors meeting in May, and having an all around good time. Instead, Friday travel plans were a total bust, Nemo knocked out the power to the chairlifts at the Skiway, and the races were ultimately cancelled.

This would typically make for a blown weekend. As it turned out, it was anything but: Saturday proved to be a great day for flying into Lebanon, I saw plenty of skiers (just because the races were cancelled didn't mean the surrounding events were), and I got in a truly memorable day of skiing up at Burke under bluebird conditions.

Apart from getting the first opportunity this season to really charge on my GS skis, the USST women's Europa Cup team happened to be training in the morning and the coaches asked me to set the track for their course. This, easily, made my day. I certainly was not planning to jump back into gates on the trip, but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

If I'm being honest, my first run left a lot to be desired. My timing was more than a little off, and before I knew it I was setting a track that definitely should not have been followed. However, I cycled back around, begged forgiveness, and ultimately skied a much better run. And if I'm being REALLY honest I was timing, and maybe did a few fist pumps afterwards when I saw that I didn't get "chicked"...it's a long road back to the top, but you've got to start somewhere!! Thanks a bunch to Seth, Prado, Chief, and the gracious USST ladies for letting me grab a couple turns in their course. My arms are sore as hell from taking on GS gates without any gear, my knee is a little angry at me right now after an entire day of skiing (an anomaly as a ski racer), but I wouldn't have it any other way.

The Granddaddy of Them All

I'm not sure another ski trip is ever going to compare to the slingshot tour I took last spring to race the World Cup in Kranjska Gora, but this journey across the pond was one I'll never forget.

Like most things, it was people that made this trip such a great experience. Even before I left the States, I found myself sitting on the airplane from IAD-MUC next to long-time ski racer badass Resi Stiegler, on her own European trip to race the World Cup in Maribor that weekend. Hearing about her season, sharing ski stories from the past, and watching bad airplane movies (Taken 2 is borderline unwatchable) was a great way to kick things off. Our crew, a three-man team including my brother and a former Williams teammate, Alex Reeves, all shook off the jet lag and first stopped in Salzburg to grab lunch and pay an impromptu visit to my host family from my time abroad at Salzburg College. I didn't tell them I was coming, I simply knocked on the door and scared the hell out of them when I came in for the bear hug (it's been a few years). Nothing like operating on no sleep to make snap decisions! That night, Nicholas got his first taste of ski racing, Austria style, at the night slalom in Westendorf. I think he had more fun than all of us combined.

Baby bro at Westendorf. The USST jacket still gets VIP parking, so shameless and so awesome!

Westendorf

Basing out of Kirchberg, a racing and training hotspot located about 4 minutes from Kitzbuhel, turned out to be a great idea. On top of the apartment being a fantastic deal, it allowed us to escape from the madness of Kitzbuhel when we wanted to, and also meant we could meet with Kieffer and other racers outside of a pure competition environment. Our housing location got even better when I got a call from a good great Austrian friend, Julian Schrieb. He housed Adam Cole and myself more than a couple of times during our trips over to Europe, and I was planning to meet up with him sometime during the weekend to say hi and thanks for his generosity over the years.

As it turns out, Jules now works with Red Bull and was helping with one of the many pre-Hahnenkamm functions that surrounds the event. This one happened to be a dune buggy snow race, featuring various Red Bull athletes like 3-time Hahnenkamm champion Luc Alphand, Daron Rhalves, Mr. Stratos Felix Baumgartner, and a whole bunch of rally car champions. Daron was actually forerunning the downhill the next day, and confided that he only decided to jump back on the race skis a week ago. He casually mentioned that he hadn't touched his downhill skis since retiring 7 years ago. Considering that the Hahnenkamm is one of the most dangerous races in the world, this is quite unbelievable; Daron is not only crazy, he really is the man. Nicholas is a complete motorhead so he was in heaven, and I couldn't stop thinking about the completely ridiculous situation that we were in for no good reason. It was only appropriate that I was once again in debt to Julian.

I really, really wanted to ride in one of these

Mr. Stratos

A Patrick Willis jersey for Julian as a small thank you, and just in time for the Super Bowl!!

The day of the Hahnenkamm Downhill had bluebird weather, and made for great viewing. Kitzbuhel is rare in that it's a big-time event which actually lives up to its billing. Scotty Veenis, another former racer, hilarious friend, and now a USST coach, got us credentials to watch the course from a great spot. Along with 70,000 other fans, Nicholas, Alex, former Burkie Kerstin Graham, and I watched about a half-dozen racers came off the Hausberg jump and onto the famous final traverse within a one-tenth of a second of the lead, making it all the more dramatic when a 23-year old Italian pulled the upset to take the W. The day was capped off with a fantastic dinner with Kipp Nelson, a USSA Board of Directors Trustee, where I got the chance to learn more about my new USSA position and what to expect as Athlete Rep. It was nice of Kipp to take time from his own vacation to reach out to speak with me, and I found it very helpful to hear what he had to say. I hope to work with him in the future on various projects.

 A great day

The trip was a success, and it was all because of the generosity and close-knit culture that the ski community provides. I didn't sleep very much, but that was to be expected. Nicholas called me today and asked me if there were any other big ski races this year that maybe we should go to. I couldn't help but laugh, he's totally hooked!

Road Trip!

January for American ski racers means heading to Europe, and just because I haven't filled out any FIS Intent to Compete forms lately doesn't mean that I will be denied my annual pilgrimage over to Euroland. This time, however, I'll be heading over with my older brother, Nicholas. He's never seen a European ski race in-person. I simply can't stay away.

While the trip will be short on days, only 4, we plan to go in with an assassin's mentality: go in, execute, get out. After landing Thursday morning, and shaking off jet lag, the night will be spent watching the baby bro, Kieffer, compete in the the biggest and best prepared FIS race in the world, the Westendorf Nacht Slalom. Located right next to Kitzbuhel, and scheduled the night before the World Cup SG, thousands of fans flock to this tiny little hill to get their ski racing fix early. The details for Friday are hazy, but Saturday has a strict schedule of watching the vaunted Hahnenkamm, taking an afternoon nap, frequenting the Londoner Pub to watch the day's athletes tend bar, and making it to the 11:40am flight out of MUC the following morning. That last part should be a lot of fun.

In true European-ski-trip fashion, no housing plans have been finalized, as the perfect solution has yet to show itself. This is making Nicholas rather concerned, which he is slowly realizing is already an experience he'll take away from the trip. Any other groups heading over, let me know!

Finally, super big shout out to Robby Kelley and Dave Chodounsky for both having career days this weekend at the World Cup GS and SL in Adelboden. The skiing was only slightly more impressive than the double fist pumps both showed in the finish area after their respective runs, Ray Lewis would have appreciated the intensity. Nice work boys!

Return to Snow

It's good to be back! Last week I got back on snow for the first time since injuring my knee in March. I am used to a return-to-snow program that begins with multiple drill sets before gradually progressing to more dynamic turns and eventually gates, and while I was careful to make sure I had my feet underneath me, I had no choice but to partake in the 97 inches that fell on the mountain during my time at Alyeska. This meant getting my balance back by dropping chutes and searching for powder stashes tucked away in the trees. I had a great time skiing with friends and family, and I can't wait to get back out on snow; maybe next time in a more controlled environment.

During my visit home Kieffer, my little brother, and I were asked to speak with the Alyeska Ski Club junior program. The athletes were gearing up for the annual year-end USSA race, The Coca-Cola Classic, so we shared a few tips about preparing for race day and dealing with success/failure. It's great to see the future of Alaska ski racing up close, and it was even better to watch them rip some slalom the next day during the races.

One of my favorite parts about growing up racing in AK was having so many great ski racers that I could lay claim to: Tommy Moe, Hilary Lindh, Megan Gerety, Mike Makar, Kjersti Bjorn-Roli, Andre and Suki Horton. I was pretty sure that since we came from the same place, I basically destined to be equally as accomplished (my first Junior Olympics proved to be an serious wakeup call). While Kieffer and I don't pretend to be in the same company as an Olympic or World Championship gold medalist, we wanted to make sure the kids knew that even though AK can sometimes seem like a far off and distant land, in the end it's just a matter of getting from point 'a' to point 'b', and that the fastest person can come from anywhere.

Here are some shots from our talk, it was a fun group of kids. Happy New Year!

Alpine Athlete Rep Election-Success!

Today I was informed that I was elected the Alpine Althlete Rep to the USSA Board of Directors. I am humbled that the athletes chose me as their voice in the board room, and I look forward to listening, learning, and communicating to the BoD the areas most in need of change in U.S. skiing.

The process was more drawn out and draining than I thought it would be, but the support that I got from fellow racers, other skiers, family, and friends was unbelievable and I would do again in a second given the opportunity. One of the best shout outs I got throughout the process came from fellow ITA athlete, teenage girl heartthrob, and nordic badass Sylvan Ellefson who texted me from Finland (i.e. he spent money to call me, and it was a long ass text) to tell me how pumped he was that I was choosing to run for the Alpine Rep position. Sylvan and I have very similar career path getting to the World Cup circuit, and it was really cool to have my phone buzz and see that he fully supported the ideas that I was running on.

The cross-sport cheerleading that goes on within ITA is authentic and it means a lot. The ITA roster is not just a list of accomplished athletes, it's a group of athletes who care about the community they are a part of and genuinely want the best for each other. The pursuit of excellence in sports can be a pretty lonely road, and if you're not going to the ESPY's or at the OTC, it's pretty unlikely that connections like this will be made. Add it to the list why this is the coolest non-profit to work with. I mean, who doesn't want to get a text message from McDreamy?

A First

Yesterday was a first for American ski racing: I was able to watch the Beaver Creek World Cup live on television. Not online through some shady website pulling in a live feed of Eurosport, not through universalsports.com's season pass access, but on an actual television on an actual channel when it was actually happening, all in the USA.

This is a big deal. One of the most common questions I get when I am working with kids on an ITA project is how people can watch me. Specifically, what channel. It can be a bit hard to explain the significance of the sport to someone who is used to every other relevant sport being available at any time on almost every channel. Directing someone to a pay-per-view or a European gambling site doesn't exactly grow a viewer base, so just the ability to know that someone might actually stumble upon ski racing yesterday is comforting. I would have done just about anything to have been on the other side of the lens yesterday, but standing and screaming at the television made me feel a  lot closer to the sport than I have in the last couple of months. Let's hope this type of thing continues.