I have decided to retire from international competitive ski racing. This decision was not taken lightly. Ski racing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and it has been my life since I was a teenager. It has taken me around the world and given me some amazing experiences. There are many aspects of the sport that I will miss terribly. The speed and danger are things I crave, but the consequences and the hospital trips will not be missed. A friend of mine, Libby Ludlow, who retired last year, said that I will continue to discover things that I won’t miss about the sport. I will not forget the team atmosphere and competitive environment of the US Ski Team. These experiences and lessons will stay with me for my whole life.
I would like to thank all of you for the encouragement and support over the last few years. As I embark on a new part of my life I will continue to appreciate your support, but I will no longer be looking for donations. Instead I might be looking for a letter of recommendation, or a JOB! If you would like to read more about my retirement, there is a good article on ski racing, just copy the link into your browser.
http://www.skiracing.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7436&Itemid=2

After another top 30 training run, I have been unable to capitalize on the races so far. First DH I made a small timing error and skied out of the course after only 5 gates. Then today they moved the start down due to fog and I just got banged around by bad light and bumps. Still it was not my best skiing. One more race before heading home and I’m excited to race some World Cup SG again after two months without a start in that event. The WC calendar doesn’t have a lot of races for a SG skier.

Norway is cool. It was sunny in Oslo when we got here and Nyman says it is never sunny in Oslo. But then it started snowing that night and hasn’t stopped. We have only skied 2 days of soft GS and freeskied on SG skis. Oh well. The elevation here is really low and it is damp all the time so the cold chills to the bones. We are really close to Lillehammer and we are training at Hafjell which is where the tech events were at the Olympics in ‘94. There is a clearcut across the valley in the shape of a runner with the olympic torch. Kvitfjell was where the speed events were held at the olympics where Tommy won gold and Daron won 2 worldcups in a row. Americans have done well here which is pretty cool. It is supposed to get sunny later in the week. We only have 1 training run then 2 dh races and a SG.

Sadly the DH in Garmisch was cancelled due to fog on race day. It was fun being there for the week because of such a strong american presence in town. There is a US Army base in Garmisch and the women were racing there that week too. They were staying at the same hotel with us and it was fun to see them since we almost never race at the same place during the winter. We had an opportunity to spend some time on the base and, along with the girls, we held an autograph signing for the soldiers and their families. Many of the soldiers were on leave for 2 weeks from Iraq and their families were there to see them. It was a special experience.

The training runs went fairly well with the fog lifting in time for the run each day but on race day, the fog was stubborn and stayed on the ground all day. We waited around until 2:15 before they finally cancelled. All the athletes were waiting in the lodge at the top of the course when we got the word. To our surprise the organizers were actually encouraging us to ski down the race course with our clothes and backpacks, so several of us organized a “Chinese Downhill.” I am happy to say I made a good pass of one of the Canadians near the middle of the course and was able to maintain my lead all the way down!

The race in Kitz needs no introductions. It is the most notorious DH in the world and known for its fast, icey and bumpy conditions with big turns and a long rough fall away traverse near the bottom. I was able to inspect the course today but the training run was cancelled due to bad weather. It was dumping snow and so foggy we couldn’t see the next gate at the Mousefalle (the famous jump just after the start). Maybe it will be better tomorrow. Marco says that only 10 people a year actually attack this course because it’s really intimidating, so I can do well, if I am one of them!

We just arrived in Kitzbuhel after a good week in Wengen. It was my first time running the Lauberhorn DH in Wengen. It is famous because it is so long, running 2min 32sec for the winnners and just a little longer for me. For a first try I did pretty well. I was 25th after the DH portion of the super combined and got to start 6th in the SL! I have only trained 2 runs of SL in the last 9 months and I skied on my SL skis for the first time the day before the race. I was starting with some of the best SL skiers in the world. Needless to say I lost a little time in the SL leg but still ended up 35th in the race. Then the next day I raced DH and ended up 35th in that race as well. It was a tough day because the sun was hot and really softened the snow making it slower for the later numbers. I was happy with the result but now feel I can do much better. It was a break through week for me because now I know I can ski with the best in the world and I’m excited to try a new course this week in Kitzbuhel.

This is a cool section of Wengen. The Hundschaft is the famous jump through the rocks and is about 45 seconds into the course. The next turns are called Canadian Corner because a Canadian crashed there and went through the fence to land on the train tracks below. It is a tough, long, bumpy, fall away turn that takes you down onto the road where everything narrows up to one groomer width you gotta make the S turns. This video is from the training run.