The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It’s ski season. We’ve got the snow, the rain, the fog, and (we hope) the snow again to prove it. It’s also time for me to crank up the keyboard for some ski talk. First (just to prove I’m not a total slacker), here’s the scoop on what I’ve been writing while NOT updating this blog. This year I am totally psyched to be back atcha as a columnist for Ski Racing. Gary Black threw … » read more

In Ted We Trust

To win is wonderful, but to win respect is divine. Hero worship is way overrated. But I make an exception with Ted Ligety. When you have the world’s best skier (today, and on many other days) who also runs a successful business, makes fun a priority, takes a stand on issues for the benefit of fellow athletes, literally shrugs off disappointing runs and takes time to fist-bump his pint-sized fans on the way up to … » read more

Back to Basics

Ode to an old friend, Pianta Su If you go to enough junior ski races this year, there is a good chance you will run in to “skills assessments,” also known, at the national level, as “Skills Quest.” Whatever they are called, these on-hill evaluations attach a value to the fundamental skills upon which all good (and ultimately great) skiing is based. Essentially kids are scored on their ability to execute certain drills that, when … » read more