Alana Nichols on Downhill podium Photo: Erik Leirfallom / US Ski Team

A few months ago, Shred Optics covered Paralympic skiers in their blog. As the winter season has wound down, athletes find themselves all over the world. Ted Ligety in Monaco, Julia Mancuso on Maui, Romain de Marchi in BC. Here's what Alana Nichols' summer is looking like...

There's no holding back for some athletes. No matter the season, no matter the sport, some athletes cannot subdue the desire to compete. That insatiable craving to win is usually reflected in the amount of awards and trophies an athlete has collected over a career. Paralympian skier Alana Nichols (Farmington, NM) is one of those rare athletes. Her athletic career is a textbook example of an athlete's undying ability to overcome the odds and excel while doing just that. Just check out what she has stashed in her purse.
You had a very successful 2009-10 season, winning four Paralympic medals and three podium finishes at the World Cup in Italy – did any of it come as a surprise?
All of the surprises actually, came in Italy. When we arrived at the speed events, I found my niche again and began skiing very strong and fast. My first win over there was super surprising but at the same time felt like that's what I should have been doing all along at the World Cup. That win made it very exciting for the whole team because none of us had been skiing very well, so hearing the national anthem for the first time really motivated us.

What did you do with all the awards?
I have been traveling with my medals from Vancouver, so they haven't really left my purse. There have been one or two occasions when little kids ran off with them, but luckily have been able to track them down.

You must have an enormous purse to fit your globes in as well, right?
I sent the globes back with my head coach. He has them in his office at the National Sports Center for the Disabled. One of these days I need to go pick them up.

Summer is usually training season, but what are your plans to unwind this summer?
I'm finally home now. I haven't been "home home" since before the Paralympics. None of my family have seen my medals yet so I'm really excited about showing them to everyone. After things settle down, four of my close friends and I head off to Hawaii. I'm so excited for that trip.

Is this your first time to the islands?
It is. I can't even wait. It's going to be epic.

Rumor has it that no one should mess with you on the basketball court. Do you still play?
I play on my community team up in Denver, but I took this past season off for the Winter Paralympics. People think that I quit playing because I took the season off, but that's not true. I want to play. I support my teammates even though I was focusing on skiing this past year.

Do you think that you will be playing in London for the 2010 summer games?
I hope so. I will cross that bridge when I come to it, but it's definitely something I'd like to do.

You're a gold medalist so most people wait in line for your autograph, but what basketball player would you wait in line for?
Good question. I'd want Sue Bird's autograph, she is one of my heroes. She's a phenomenal all around athlete. On the men's side, Steve Nash is one of my absolute favorite players in the world. I would wait for days to get an autograph from that guy.

Besides skiing and basketball, what are your other interests?
I'm big into yoga. As a ski racer it helps me maintain my flexibility, but that makes it less of a hobby and more maintenance for me. I love the outdoors, especially kayaking and camping. Jeeping up in the canyons is fun here in northern New Mexico. I just love doing anything with family and friends because I'm always traveling.

Are you the first Olympian from Farmington?
I believe so. That's kinda cool now that I think about it.

You are the first American woman to win a gold medal in both the winter and summer games, would you say that's your greatest achievement?
It's really hard to put into words, but it's weird to think that I made history partly due to just lucky timing. But, it's also due to the fact that I have had opportunities to do the sports that I want to do and reach my full potential. If it weren't for the Paralympian programs it wouldn't have been possible.

Alana Nichols Photo: Erik Leirfallom/US Ski Team

Priska Loving Her Slalom Jacket

Slytech believer and Swiss ski racer from Alpnach, Priska Nufer is just 18 years old, yet she's showing results in Europa Cup that will fling her into the big leagues soon enough.

She's the 2009 Swiss Junior Champion in Giant Slalom and got 5 top 10 finishes this past season in Europa Cup. Even though she's got that GS title to her name and shows promise in all disciplines, her best of late has become the Super G, in which she finished 2nd this past Thursday, March 11, 2010 in Tarvisio, Italy.

She's chosen the Slytech 2nd Skin Slalom Jacket to protect not only her forearms, elbow, upper arm and shoulder, but also her back. Usually you will see racers rock the forearm guards or pads for Giant Slalom, and while it seems as though the girls have taken Super G gates with plenty of arch these days on World Cup, there will always be a few like Priska who take gates tight, slapping them on the way down as they search for the tightest line possible.

You never know how the prospects of a World Cup start look for Priska. The Swiss Ladies have been riddled with injuries late this 09/10 season and self-admittedly had a very disappointing Olympics at Whistler.

Priska Nufer throwing down some World Cup starts next year along side her Slytech sista Lara Gut??? Not out of the realm of possibility!

Congratulations, Priska, on your successful season! Here's to many more...

Swiss Slytech 2nd Skin Ski Racer's 09/10 Europa Cup Season

Andrew Weibrecht and Bode Miller after finishing bronze and silver in the super G (Doug Haney/U.S. Ski Team)

Andrew Weibrecht is usually a speed skier, putting his best foot forward at the most opportune time. Andrew smoked most of the competition, winning a bronze medal at the Vancouver Olympic Games in Super G.

Born February 10th, 1986 in Lake Placid, "War Horse" as many call him, has been on the World Cup tour for several years and every year has gained consistently better results.  In 07, you would have seen him hovering around 30th or even 40th position, then in 08/09 around 20, and in this current season, he's been in and around the top 10, making him a serious threat on any given day.

When he came through early in the Olympic Super G and waited through the long laundry list of racers to come after him, he probably would not have imagined that his time would stick. Only Bode and Aksel bested him by .03 and .31 respectively, basically a blink of an eye.

This is definitely someone to keep an eye in the future and if you happen to catch him in a tech event, you will see him wearing his Slytech Nervous Guards.

Congratulations Andrew!

Reduced Drag Destroyer Shin Guards

Today's Men's Alpine Ski Slalom is lining up to be a stacked field of competitors.  With tough tight technical turns, each requiring the athlete to slap the gate out of the way with the pole guard and shin guard, aerodynamics and reduced friction of the guard on the pole is of utmost importance.

Slytech's 3 raised fin concept does exactly that... it keeps the contact surface of the shin and arm guards to a minimum on the gate, thereby reducing drag.

Also important is the back protector. Often times, racers will catch an edge and literally get launched into the air several feet and slammed down hard on their back (that happened to Lindsey Vonn in the Women's GS a few days ago). Skiing is a dangerous sport and protective gear is an absolute must if you want ski another day.

Amongst today's Shredders who use or have used Slytech (either the guards or the back protector) are:

• Ted Ligety(USA)
• Jimmy Cochran (USA)
• Marc Gini (SUI)
• Reinfried Herbst (AUT)
• Marcel Hirscher (AUT)
• Nolan Kasper (USA)
• Sandro Viletta (SUI)
• and many more...

The first run starts at 10AM PST, so make sure to tune in to your country's TV coverage to see the drama and glory unfold!

If you checked out the alpine ski action at the Olympics, then you would have seen a whole lot of racers dawning Slytech Protective Gear.

Here's just a brief rundown:

1. Bode Miller used Slytech Nervous Arm Guards in his silver medal performance in the Super G.
2. Silvan Zurbriggen was on Slytech Nervous Shin Guards in his bronze medal super combined performance.
3. Ted Ligety rocked the Nervous Arm and Shin Guards in his 5th place Super Combined finish.
4. Julia Mancuso and most of the US Ski Team hittin' it with Slytech Nervous Shin Guards and Arm Guards. Julia got ANOTHER SILVER!

Racers on the start list for tomorrow's Giant Slalom who have worn Slytech in the past and are likely to use us again include:

• Ted Ligety (USA)
• Tommy Ford (USA)
• Jake Zemansky (USA)
• Bode Miller (USA)
• Silvan Zurbriggen (SUI)
• Marc Berthod (SUI)
• Didier Defago (SUI and winner of the Olympic Downhill Gold)
• Andre Myhrer (NOR)
• Sandro Viletta (SUI)
• And several more...

Keep an eye out for our boys tomorrow at 10:30 Pacific Time from Whistler Creekside. Giant Slalom, baby!

No explanation why Julia Mancuso decided to start using the Slytech 2nd Skin Back Protector she's been lugging around for a year or so now, but she did. An amazing game-day competitor, Julia is, and now she can be called...

"The Most Decorated Female American Olympic Alpine Skier with 3 Medals!"

And what back protector has she worn for the past 2 silver medal performances?

SLYTECH, BABY!

Check out this little video of the crowd going nuts as she crossed the finish line to take over the top spot at the Vancouver Olympic Super Combined.

Julia Straps on Slytech 2nd Skin

We're going to be seeing a lot of Slytech at the Vancouver Olympic Games in both the men's and women's GS & slalom races in form of arm guards and shin guards. You ask the athletes about why they use the Destroyer Guards, they'll tell you that they love the off-white look of the pre-preg fiberglass and because of the reduced surface area of the 3 gills, they are the fastest off the gate, bar-none.

What you won't see is what's under the athlete's ski suits. Back protection is absolutely essential in the world of ski racing. Injected hills (super hard and icey so that the later racers are not as much at a disadvantage) and super fast speeds (70, 80, 90 mph!) make for very dangerous conditions.

Without safety standard approved back protection the athletes would put themselves even more in to harm's way.

Racers need to go with equipment they trust. When you look around the ski huts where the skiers hang before a race, you'll see that a great number of racers trust Slytech.

Watch the Girl's Downhill race TODAY, Tuesday February 16th at 11AM PST! Olympic Fever is all over Whistler, so catch a glimpse wherever you are! It's lining up to be a nail-bighter. Will it be the favorite Lindsey Vonn with the busted shin (or so they say), or will it be the Victoria Secrets Vixen Julia Mancuso? Or will it be any one of the other powerhouses from Austrians to Germans to the hometown Canadians? You'll just have to tune it!

Slytech Nervous Arm Guards for Super G

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!

Custom Lights Arranged at Squaw

A Racer's Dream | Your Own Training Setup

Coaches Setting Up

Kicking out of the make-shift start gate

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!

Jake Zamansky Audi Birds of Prey in Beaver Creek Photo © Eric Schramm

Zurbriggen Killin' Schaldming

In case you missed last night's spectacle from the Schladming night slalom in Austria, Slytech Nervous Shin Guard shredder Silvan Zurbriggen reigned in 2nd place. He consistently brings home the bacon in the top 10 and wears his Slytech Nervous Shin guards with a Leki sticker on it (I think the Swiss have an agreement with them)...

With 50,000 rabid spectators and some serious prize money to go around, Silvan leaves Austria with some killer cash and great momentum for the Vancouver Olympics 2010.

Another worthy mention, Naoki Yuasa of Japan had a couple sick runs, setting the pace for most racers to come after him.

Yoooooshaaaaa Yuasa!