I was recently up in Squaw Valley, California with Slytech user Julia Mancuso At her pre-Olympic training on home turf.

The race department at Squaw was amazing, turning on the Exhibition Hill's flood lights at 6am so that the team could setup gates for Julia. 4 event alpine ski racer and men's US Ski Team member Travis Ganong was on hand to provide Jules a race partner. Sporting his nervous arm guards in Super G, he kept a really tight line and slapped the gates as he flew by. He's freaking fast!

Travis has a lot of career ahead of him and we wish him all the best!

Interesting to see how the girls tend to give themselves a little more room around the gates of a Super G, versus the men take a tighter line, making an arm guard almost essential. Not sure hitting a gate at 70mph is a fun experience!

Were you able to check out the TRUTH IN MOTION broadcast on NBC yesterday? If not, you really missed something quite worthwhile.

Good news is, you can catch it again at the following times:

Universal Sports: Sunday January 31, 10-11pm
Monday February 8, 8-9pm
Thursday February 11, 9-10pm

While a lot of the story is about Ted Ligety's road to Vancouver as he fights for top spot on the squad and his 2006 Torino Olympic Gold, the heart of the story really centers around the Slytech crazy man Jake Zamansky.

It's Jake's dedication to even just make the US Olympic Squad and qualifying or else be faced with imminent retirement that helps make this documentary compelling. Stunning visuals (thanks to funding by Audi) and the directorial work of Brett Morgan, make this a must-see for any ski racing fan. Check it out!

 

 

 

Are you a ski speed freak? Then you have to see this teaser to the upcoming release of Truth In Motion: The U.S. Ski Team's road to Vancouver a documentary film to hit TV in the USA on January 30th.

It's scheduled to air on Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. on NBC, followed by an encore showing on USA Network on Feb. 6, the film chronicles the trials of select members of the U.S. Ski Team as they prepare for Vancouver in 2010.

If the visuals are anything like the teaser suggests, then this should be a MUST-SEE for any ski buff.

Check it...

Author of Story: Doug Haney

PARK CITY, UT (Oct. 15) – It's been a busy late summer for the women's U.S. Alpine Ski Team. Following a speed camp in Portillo, Chile the focus moved a few Andean valleys over for a technical camp in Valle Nevado. The name of the game: repetition.

"We eat, ski, sleep, eat, ski, hydrate, sleep, then do it again the next day," said Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY). "We had an awesome camp. The main focus was to get lots of runs under our belt, test out our endurance and just ski. No matter how hard you work all summer strengthening, there is nothing like skiing."

Joining Stiegler for the Valle Nevado camp was Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA), who was also in Portillo for the speed camp, Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO), Megan McJames (Park City, UT), Hailey Duke (Boise, ID), Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN), Jessica Kelley (Starksboro, VT), Sterling Grant (Amery, WI) and Laurenne Ross (Klamath Falls, OR).

I was just watching TV and I saw this video on AC360 on CNN. I know, I know, you're probably asking why I'm wasting my time watching CNN (or any other American news channel), but when I saw this video, I had to go and look for it online.

Sure enough, there it was on You Tube (big surprise! I mean, they serve up 1 billion vids a day!)...

It seems to be produced by AvaLung, a company that makes outdoor products including some kind of rebreather for avalanche safety.

Most of us don't venture out in high risk avalanche terrain, but for those who do, it makes sense to use safety gear like this in addition to a helmet and back protector.

Now, without further delay, the sick helmet cam avalanche video...

Author of Story: Doug Haney

Olympic Preview Set for Aspen

ASPEN/SNOWMASS, CO (Aug. 4) - World champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Olympic gold medalist Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) will headline ski racing action in Aspen over Thanksgiving weekend, as the Audi FIS World Cup comes to one of the tour's most legendary classic stops in Aspen. It will mark the sixth straight season the women have highlighted the Aspen Winternational and the only American stop for the U.S. Ski Team women before the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Ski racing action opens on Saturday, November 28 with giant slalom followed by slalom on Sunday, but festivities will be planned throughout the week beginning on Thanksgiving Day.

"We are really pleased with the long term partnership we have with Aspen," said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Vice President Events Calum Clark. "It is a massive undertaking to prepare a World Cup slope for Thanksgiving weekend, but Aspen has always produced incredible snow conditions for what truly is a world class event."

Aspen has long been a classic stop on the World Cup with the town being among the most popular on the circuit.

"Aspen has a great history of World Cup racing going back to the origins of the series," said Clark. "The athletes love coming here and experiencing the great enthusiasm of this historic community."

While this winter will mark the sixth consecutive year of World Cup racing at Aspen, the town's storied World Cup history began in 1968 when the former mining town hosted its first World Cup race in only the second season of the tour. However, its roots in ski racing date back to 1939 when the mountain held the earliest sanctioned races. Later, thanks to the efforts of local skiing legend Dick Durrance, Aspen hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 1950.

"Aspen Winternational is a true backbone event for our community," said John Rigney, Aspen Skiing Company VP Sales and Events. "The tremendous community support we receive is vital to the success of the World Cup. The races and surrounding events, in turn, are vital to the overall success of our season. Nearly 10 million fans watch Aspen Winternational live in Europe. There is no better message to these potential visitors and the rest of the world that Aspen/Snowmass has snow and is open for skiing. Plus, it’s just a fun kick off to our season."

Not only do the people of Aspen embrace the World Cup, but the athletes love Aspen. The relaxed setting provides a perfect venue for U.S. Ski Team athletes to spend the holiday with their families. International racers love it too as it gives them a great opportunity to work on some pre Christmas shopping.

"Aspen is such an incredible venue for racing," said Vonn, who became the most successful female skier in U.S. history last season. "The crowd there is always so supportive of all racers. I love seeing all the young racers with posters. We get such a boost racing in front of a hometown crowd. I'm hoping Vancouver feels just like Aspen."

Last season, Vonn was fourth in both slalom and giant slalom at Aspen while racing with a knee injury. The reigning World Champion in downhill and super G has World Cup wins in all disciplines except giant slalom.

"I was really hoping to get a podium at Aspen last winter and hopefully I can make it happen this year," said Vonn. "I feel like my slalom is really good after last season and I'm going to do some more giant slalom training this summer with the goal of scratching a GS podium off my 'to do' list before the Olympics."

World Cup racing begins October 24 with the annual giant slalom in Soelden, Austria followed by a slalom race in Levi, Finland before swinging to North America with the Aspen Winternational.

Olympic Gold Medalist ski racer and Slytech Rider Ted Ligety busted his knee at the end of this past season at Nationals in Alaska. So, rather than do all the fun stuff that athletes love to do in the summer time (tennis, lift weights, surf, etc... just check out what Slytech Wearer Julia Mancuso loves to do in the summer http://JuliaMancuso.com), he's at the gym rehabbing his partially torn knee ligaments...

Looking at this YouTube video, I realize -- besides the fact that the audio is out of synch with the video (thanks Salt Lake Tribune!) -- that he's the only guy at that gym (the new US Ski Team Center of Excellence in Park City Utah). Poor dude, just rehabbing all by his lonesome while everybody else is outside playing! That sucks.

I guess, the good news is that Ted's back protector saved his back and the injury was not more severe than it could have been.

ARE, Sweden (March 11) – An Olympic or World Championship gold means you were best on one given day. But a World Cup crystal globe symbolizes excellence over six grueling months chasing ski racing's white circus around the world from mountain to mountain. The U.S. Ski Team's Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) put herself into the record books with an unprecedented second straight women's Audi FIS World Cup overall crown Wednesday, clinching at the World Cup Finals in Sweden with a win in the downhill.

Her triumph further establishes her legacy, following in the footsteps of 1998 Olympic champion Picabo Street, 1983 World Cup titlist Tamara McKinney and the legendary Andrea Mead-Lawrence, who won two gold at the 1952 Olympics.

"I didn't know if I could do it this year," she said. "To win the overall is so difficult – there are so many aspects involved and you have to be really strong from the start of the season to the end. I'm just really happy and thankful I was able to do it again.

"In any professional sport – the toughest thing to do is to repeat," said U.S. Ski Team Women's Head Coach Jim Tracy. "A lot of it has to do with confidence – the confidence in her decision to be the best. It's evident to win the overall and downhill title last year was a huge accomplishment. But to back it up and do it again the next year is tough."

Vonn did it in convincing style, taking the globe with three races remaining in the season. She clinched her second straight World Cup downhill title in February. Thursday, she has an opportunity to add another title in the super G. And she's accomplished all this while still brandishing a splint on the thumb she cut a month ago at the World Championships, where she won two gold.

Coming into the 2008-09 season, Vonn knew she would be a target. And she knew something would need to change. She was already the strongest speed skier in the world. And she knew that if she wanted to win the overall again, she would need to improve in slalom her worst event. That she did, picking up two wins and actually challenging for the World Cup globe.

"I was really surprised to have a slalom win and was excited about that," said Vonn. "My super G has also been surprising. And I'm I the hunt for the super G title tomorrow and hopefully I can get the 15 points I need. I was quite surprised but really happy with the season."

With three events remaining this week, Vonn now has 21 career World Cup wins – including seven this season. And she owns four crystal globes, with a shot at one more Thursday in Sweden.

Vonn is a textbook example of the athletic development principle of winning at every level. Growing up in the Twin Cities area (Burnsville, MN), she was on skis at two before moving into Erich Sailer's renowned U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) club program at the tiny Buck Hill Ski Area. Before she was 10, the rising U.S. Ski Team star Picabo Street became her hero.  And when Street won the 1995 World Cup downhill title, the 10-year-old vowed she would do the same one day. They met that summer at a ski shop autograph session and became lifelong friends.

At age 11, she medaled in the 1996 USSA Junior Olympics. A year later, she was a Whistler Cup champion. In 1999, at 14, she became the only American to win at the prestigious Trofeo Topolino children's race in Italy. As a 15-year-old, she won silver in the downhill at her first U.S. Alpine Championships. She continued to progress through the NorAm Cup, World Junior Championships and the 2002 Olympics, where she had the best U.S. women's result. She was on her first World Cup podium in 2003-04 and a winner one year later.

"Success like Lindsey's doesn't happen overnight," said USSA Alpine Director Jesse Hunt. "It takes time and people – her family, her club coaches, the hundreds of volunteers who have supported her in races since she was 10 years old. It takes great clubs programs like Buck Hill and Vail to provide the opportunity for talented young skiers like her.

"Lindsey's success is the result of those opportunities she was provided and the hard work she has put in all along the way."

Today's hard work for Vonn has been the six to eight hours a day she put in at the U.S. Ski Team's training facility in Park City all summer and fall to prepare for the season. On the snow, Tracy and his staff, including Downhill Coach Alex Hoedelmoser and Technical Coach Trevor Wagner working with her on tactics and strategies to win races.

"It's been a long process," said Tracy. "To achieve these things [at national team level] it started five or six years ago with Team staff that were hired 12-15 years ago. The accolades need to go to Alex' [speed coach Alex Hoedelmoser] crew – Alex, Chip [White] and Frankie [Kelble]. These guys have gone about their business race after race and doing whatever it takes to help Lindsey be confident and be where she needs to be. There's a commitment from them every day to find the best training, to do the best video, the best of everything."

From Vonn's side, it's hard work but no secret. "I just set goals," she said. "Each year in the summer I set new goals for myself that's what keeps me motivated. For me, I just look to the next goal – to try to defend the overall and downhill title, the World Championships, and next year will be the Olympics. For me, there's always something to keep me motivated. I'm only looking to improve myself and find more speed. I'm going to work even harder this summer. "

Vonn is thrilled to celebrate her success with a second straight title. But she's also quick to remember that 2009-10 is a new season. And that gold in Vancouver will not be a test of who is best over six months – but who is best on one given day. And while others are extolling her success, Vonn remains humble.

"Every athlete wants to create a special place in the record books in their career," said Vonn. "Right now I'm just trying to ski the best I can every day, win as many races as I can, and hopefully, at the end of my career, people will look at me as a great racer. But I'm a long way from being finished and I'm looking forward to the next few years of racing and hopefully I'll make some mark on skiing."

Lindsey Vonn Career Highlights

2009    Second World Cup overall and downhill titles (24 years old)

2009    World Championship DH, SG gold (24 years old)

2008    World Cup overall and downhill champion (23 years old)

2007    World Championship DH, SG silver (22 years old)

2006    Olympic Spirit Award after crashing in DH training then finishing seventh (21 years old)

2005    First World Cup win; five podiums (20 years old)

2004    First U.S. Championships titles, Alyeska, 1st SG, SL (19 years old)

2004    World Junior Championships, 2nd DH, 3rd SG, 3rd GS, 4th SG, 4th CO (19 years old)

2004    First World Cup podium, Cortina DH (19 years old)

2003    World Junior Championships, 2nd DH (18 years old)

2002    World Junior Championships, 6th SG (17 years old)

2002    Olympic Team; best U.S. women's result, sixth in combined (17 years old)

2001    World Junior Championships, 5th SL (16 years old)

2000    First World Cup, Park City (16 years old)

2000    First NorAm Cup win (16 years old)

2000    Named to U.S. Ski Team (15 years old)

2000    First FIS race wins (15 years old)

2000    First World Junior Championship Team, 14th DH (15 years old)

2000    First U.S. Championships, Jackson, 2nd DH (15 years old)

1999    USSA team, Trofeo Topolino SL champion (14 years old)

1998    USSA Junior Olympics J3 SG/GS/CO champion (13 years old)

1998    USSA team, Trofeo Topolino GS silver (13 years old)

1997    USSA team, Whistler Cup GS champion (12 years old)

1997    USSA Junior Olympic J3 SG/CO silver, GS bronze (12 years old)

1996    First USSA Junior Olympics J3 SL silver (11 years old)

1995    Watches as Picabo Street wins the World Cup DH (10 years old)

 

 

PS: check out the men's overall standings! This should be a super tight, down-to-the-wire finish... who do you think will pull it off? There are 100 points still up for grabs in the last event! Here the standings...

SVINDAL Aksel Lund NOR 1 with 1009 points
RAICH Benjamin AUT 2nd with 1007
CUCHE Didier SUI 3rd with 919

WOOOOO MAMA!

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (Feb. 28) - Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) came from third place after the first run to win a World Cup giant slalom Saturday in Slovenia. Ligety out-skied Switzerland's Didier Cuche and Massimiliano Blardone of Italy, who were second and third, for the win.

The win makes it a back-to-back situation for Ligety, who also won in Kranjska Gora last year. In fact, the hill marks the place where Ligety truly burst into the racing elite. Longtime fans recall his Europa Cup slalom win on the Pokoren in 2004 following a pair of World Cups.

"This year has been tough, and to come to Kranjska Gora is always an awesome experience. It's been such a good hill for me for so long," Ligety said. "My coach set the second run and it was just how I like it. You know, I like those big sweeping turns. I had a couple of bobbles along the way, but I'm really happy."

For Ligety, who is coming off a World Championship bronze medal, it's the fourth win of his career and 15th time he's been on a World Cup podium. Though the win keeps Ligety in third for the season's discipline standings, Ligety said overcoming Cuche, who is 73 points ahead after Saturday's race would be a tall order.

"I'm still a long way off. It's going to be hard to make up so many points on Cuche. I'm happy with the day, but I'm not really figuring the red bib anymore," Ligety said.

Austrian Benjamin Raich sits in second in the giant slalom standings, just 21 points behind Cuche, making the race even tighter.

"In Sestriere, at that point when I went out in the second, I knew the crystal globe chances were gone. It was pretty disappointing. Then I let that go. We had a couple of race to go. At least I wanted to come away happy," Ligety said.

"After last week's performance, to step up and win a race is amazing," Men's Alpine Head Coach Sasha Rearick said. "Cuche is skiing really hot, so to go out and catch him took a lot of effort and a lot of risk."

Rearick said American coaches took the opportunity to set a course for Ligety that would give him the best shot at a win.

"We set the second run set really turny to try to give Ted an opportunity to shine at his skill, and he skied super."

Crazy Days out in Val d'Isere, France at the World Championships of Alpine Skiing...

Check out this audio of Ted's reaction after the race: Part 1 Part 2

First, a dark horse immerged from the back of the pack. Naoki Yuasa started 75th and as he came down, the bousterous French announcers were blaring his name out, firing up the crowd that was going crazy as the Japanese racer came down and qualified for the 2nd run. "Yuuuaaaasssaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" the people yelled! Just goes to show, people LOOOOVE the underdog. Way to go Yuasa. Konichiwa for a killer run! Ohhh yeah, and good choice in using Slytech Nervous Shin Guards.

Then Bode Miller, the no-holds-barred American -- always a crowd favorite -- skied with his usual reckless abandon depsirately looking for a medal and promptly skied out 2nd run.

But the biggest stoke moment came when Slytech/ Shred rider TED LIGETY came in 3rd place and collected the bronze! He had a so-so first run, but surprised everyone with a sweet second run that catapulted him to the podium. Congratulations TED! Way to sport those Shred Omnibot 80's Papaya Goggle.