Steve Schlanger’s Blog

As I write this latest post, I am flying over the Rocky Mountains. It’s Halloween and already there is significant snowfall visible from here at our comfortable cruising altitude. Makes me wish the neighbors would be handing out lift tickets instead of candy corn later tonight. If that were the case, I’d drag my kids door to door until they keeled over.

That’s where my head is at right now. Easy to drift a little since this is always a strange time on the World Cup schedule. Call it the November lull. After the traditional GS openers in Austria, the circuit takes a few weeks off, resumes with a slalom in Finland then takes another sabbatical before revving into weekly competition mode on Thanksgiving weekend. Of course, it’s not like the racers themselves shut it down by any means during the break. It is actually one of the most vital training blocks of the whole year. Many of the U.S. skiers are gathering in Colorado this weekend for an extended camp on North American snow for the first time in many months. They will be joined by select individuals from other nations for training sessions in what typically are the best conditions anywhere on the planet at this time of the calendar year. Since the southern Hemisphere is phasing into their spring and Europe is always unpredictable in early November, often times the higher elevations of the Rockies prove most reliable. They also provide a more conducive environment for longer gate running such as downhill and Super G.

It just seems odd for any major sport to take breaks from competition like this right off the bat. Can you imagine NASCAR opening its season with the Daytona 500 as it always does, but then going away for a month and a half before they start their engines again? It’s true that in skiing, not every discipline competes on every weekend, even during the middle of the season. But I’m thinking from the fan’s perspective on this one. For those of us who follow the racers and the action, it’s hard to get excited about that first event when you know it’s only short lived. It’s like, “hey, great, the season is here…but…now it’s not.” Hard to get invested when there is no rhythm to the beat. Gotta be somewhat tough on the skiers themselves too. We see some of the techies in Solden, a few new and different faces in Levi three weeks later and then an entirely new list of names two more weeks down the road when the speed folks finally click in. If you ski GS but not slalom, you’re going to get some six weeks between races. Training is all fine and good, but after you start running gates for real, don’t you want to immediately build on your result? Whatever the outcome, good or bad, there is a benefit to getting right back out there because no matter how hard you try, it’s always difficult to duplicate the intensity of a competitive, racing environment in training.

Problem is, there may be no good answer to the dilemma. As I said earlier, snow conditions can be sketchy in most places in the fall and even where they are most reliable like North America, both the U.S. and Canada already hold early season races in Lake Louise, Beaver Creek and Aspen. Given the economic situation in the sport and the logistical challenges of staging races at this level, the continent may not be able to offer much more. Perhaps the skiers could stay on the glaciers in Europe for another week or two? Maybe we start the season in North America and then move on to Europe instead of going back and forth? That might also allow for an earlier finish in March when conditions also can take a turn toward the unfavorable and you never like to see the Finals hampered by weather the way they were last year. However, many stops on the tour are comfortable with their existing dates on the calendar and may not be receptive to change. Crafting the schedule is already enough of a headache for the FIS and the national federations because even when the dates are set, inevitably some get altered if not altogether cancelled as weather develops in-season. Money, logistics and politics…they all play a role. And anytime you combine these three ingredients in any elixir, it’s impossible to please everybody.

But then again, what do I know? I’m stuck in a middle seat at 36,000 feet, paying $2.00 for coffee and trying to avoid a bad Kevin Costner movie. (come to think of it, when was his last good one?) All the while looking out and wondering how I can get to that white stuff that is haunting me below.

Happy Halloween.

As has been the norm in recent memory, the last full weekend in October has brought us the opening salvo in the World Cup alpine season. The annual curtain raiser is the men’s and women’s giant slaloms on the Rettenbach glacier high above the town of Solden Austria and the pre-Halloween tradition continued in 2008. It’s always the biggest unknown of any race because the skiers don’t have much of a gauge of exactly how good their training has been and how fast they are really skiing until they see their competitors firsthand. You may think you’re ripping it up in training runs but you don’t know if the Austrians or the Swiss are going even faster. There are no exhibition games in skiing like we see in basketball or football. No way to get a glimpse of how your primary challengers are coming along in their own preparations. Add that to the fact that early season weather conditions can also be hit and miss, and you seem to go in a little less dialed in.

Given the variables, most racers shoot for a solid performance and hope for the best as the standings fall into place. A podium is great, but avoiding a major setback is more important. Getting a your racing legs under you, a competitive rhythm and a handle on your opposition’s condition is a good weekend. Solden is really about laying the foundation for the season ahead. It’s about creating confidence and establishing a base of performance from which to build upon.

So with those modest goals in mind, it was a safe and solid start for the Americans. The highest placed skier, as expected, was Ted Ligety who did indeed wind up on the podium as he began defense of his giant slalom title. Bode Miller, who has won twice here previously, opened up defense of his overall globe with a 10th place while Tim Jitloff scored his first World Cup points. Jitloff may be the most noteworthy of these stories given that his confidence should be soaring heading to the first slaloms in Finland.

On the women’s side, last year’s overall winner Lindsay Vonn garnered a top 10 which is a good result as she begins a season for the first time with the broad tactical perspective of defending an overall crown. She led three American women into the points along with Megan McJames and Julia Mancuso.

Beyond the numbers, it was also good to see Sarah Schleper back on snow following a two year hiatus to deal with injuries and start a family. With two kids of my own, I am not only jealous of the time on the hill, but marvel at how she has regained the competitive shape when I’m still trying to find a missing Dora the Explorer backpack.

The U.S. Team also has high hopes for veteran Erik Schlopy and Jimmy Cochran, each of whom failed to qualify for a second run. Schlopes is reportedly in better form than he has been in through recent seasons and Jimmy is at that point where his results should finally be a manifestation of his obvious talent.

Bottom line – the nerves should be out of the way. The first real runs of the season are in the books and we are now keeping score. The Americans are a marked nation this year after some historic results a year ago and have to be ready to rock each time they slide into the start house. The opening weekend was neither a rousing success nor a troubling disappointment. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s just fine. What counts, is what happens next.

With the 2008/’09 World Cup Alpine season now just days away, it is a good time to reflect on the enormous accomplishments of U.S. racers last season that have created a heightened anticipation for the coming year and elevated expectations to an all time high. Any way you slice it, the preceeding campaign was outstanding. The scope of the success was so vast that you still can still feel the extraordinary effects some seven months later. American skiers captured 5 of 12 World Cup titles. Bode Miller and Linsay Vonn each won overall crystal globes on the men’s and women’s sides respectively with Bode also taking a globe in super combined and Vonn in the downhill. Ted Ligety came away with the giant slalom crystal as well, which is always a competitive race. But the American highlights didn’t stop there. Let’s run the numbers:

-The USA had 15 World Cup wins and 37 podiums.

-First World Cup win by Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA), who finished in downhill.

-12 Europa Cup podiums, up from two a year earlier, and five wins.

-U.S. athletes captured nine of 12 titles at the NorAm level, which punctuated a season in which athletes were winning at every level.

-Development athletes, ages 11 to 14 competing at the Whistler Cup had five wins, 12 podiums, and 33 top 10s.

It has been decades since we have seen so many noteworthy accomplishments all in one season. In a sport that is so often dominated by Europeans, in particular the Austrians, the Americans stole the show. Even better, we’re not talking about a few isolated wins on pedestrian courses by one superstar skier. The U.S. showed it’s depth and versatility last year scoring across many disciplines and in both genders. And in a sport that can be so individual much of the time, the Americans seemed to really inspire and feed off one another. There is a true camaraderie with this group and that is not always the case with some nations on tour. (see Austrian National Team).

What’s even better, you can’t write this off to a fluke season with the Americans hitting all the high notes when everyone else was uncharacteristically down. There is genuine talent in the U.S. ranks. The key, however, comes down to psychology. American skiers are not intimidated by anyone. They know they have the talent to matchup with the best in the world and they do not shrink from the moment. They are calmly and confidently embracing the spotlight and staking their claim to the biggest stages in the sport.

It is also true that the U.S. has benefited from a culture shift that seems to be taking place on the World Cup circuit these days. In years past, many skiers from one nation would not associate with those from another, but these days there are congradulatory handshakes, warm smiles and an all around comfortable rappour that competitors from various nations have with one another. Heck, there are even genuine friendships that have been forged out there. It makes it much more difficult to impose an authentic sense of intimidation when you have an existing relationship with someone. Let’s face it, it’s kinda hard to stare somebody into submission when you’re about to spend the holidays over at their house (yes, this does happen)

After a relaxing off-season and strong pre-season of training, the Americans seem poised to build off these terrific feats from a year ago. All the major players are back for the encore and you can even argue that they could be better than last year with the confidence that last season provides and the focus that a World Championships season ahead will afford. It’s always a challenge to back up a great year, but the U.S. seems hungry as they head to the traditional opener on the glacier in Soelden. So everything is in place as the curtain gets set to be raised. The encore is about to begin. In Broadway parlance, what happens next will determine if this was a one off performance or could be a long running production.

Maybe you heard, but it is dumping in parts of the northwest this weekend. The snow is coming in waves via the first big storms of the season. Good news. At the end of one of the worst financial weeks any of us have ever lived through, it is at least nice to finally see something falling faster than my 401K.

Here we are, only midway through October and we’re already measuring the fluff in feet. What’s more, the World Cup Alpine season is only two weeks away and the U.S. Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Nationals are already underway in Lake Placid, NY. Given the circumstances, who among us isn’t itching to scamper up the Rockies right now and make that first run on the fresh snow? Who can wait to break out the gear and get it dialed in? Who is not thinking of life on a 20% pitch of untracked powder?

Me, that’s who.

But allow me to explain.

You see, fall is my favorite time of year. Crisp air, magnificent foliage, pumpkin patches, Halloween parties, even haunted houses - gimmicky as they are - represent the most enjoyable part of the calendar for me. This is the best and most distinct of the seasonal shifts for me. Going from winter to spring is a bummer because with the snowmelt and early showers you get a muddy mess in most places. Spring to summer is barely discernable in some places as you simply go from green to greener and from hot to humid. But in autumn, the moment you feel that first snap of cold air that breaks the stranglehold of a suffocating summer, you feel it in your senses and in your soul. You realize you have turned a corner.

And then it hits you.

While you are pulling that fleece over your shoulders for the first time of the season, it dawns on you that the ski season is rapidly approaching as well. It is this revelation that may symbolize THE BIGGEST REASON I love fall the most: the intersection of what is, and what will be. Getting some down time to soak up all of the great traditions of autumn while steadily building the anticipation for the winter that lies ahead. Standing around a bonfire on a chilly October night, sipping a cold beer all the while knowing that the first runs are just weeks away is a tough combination to beat. Sure, a powder day in mid-January is quite tasty in and of itself, but it’s the process of looking forward to that day that gets me jacked. Think about your favorite moments. Isn’t it the aniticipation that really makes them so exciting? Often times, the moments themselves are fleeting. A big football game goes by in a few hours, but the hype leading up to it goes on for a week. Christmas is a single day, but the holiday season starts the build up a month beforehand. Just the same, the time between that first chair in November and the final time you click out of the bindings each spring seems to fly by more quickly each year. Before you know it, your season becomes a blur of black diamonds, bowls, powder runs, groomers, tree time, rollers, jumps. It’s that nerve jangling speed when you dare hold your tuck a little longer than the run before. It’s also awkward transitions, lost edges, face plants and apres ski festivities to laugh it all off and dull the pain. And yes, it looks like a lot of mountain time in the rearview mirror, but it somehow feels as if the time between Thanksgiving and Easter gets shorter every year.

That’s why it’s this lull in the calendar that offers so much for me. Dreaming of the winter’s possibilities has no time limit. A bluebird day has no end. The day’s first chair and the afternoon’s final run can be as early or late as you want them to be. Those magical runs where you are ripping turns as if slicing through butter don’t stop at the base of the slope . They go on forever within your imagination. In the aniticipation of the season, every jump is landed perfectly and every lift line is short. Every trail is always open and every apres ski is open bar. (okay, so this last one crosses the line from dream to fantasy, I know)

The point is, looking forward to the sum total of a new ski season is almost as satisfying as the skiing itself. Don’t get me wrong, I too can’t wait for the reality of the first runs, but I also relish both the preamble and the process. Absorbing the qualities that make this moment as well as the next so wonderful. Autumns brilliant hues, Halloween’s cultural quirks, news of the first snows touching down somewhere and thinking ahead to a winter of mountain towns and microbrews…this is my time.

The U.S. Men’s Alpine Team spent some time recently in a wind tunnel before jetting off to another preseason training camp. Back in the day, it used to be that guys would strap on the boards, carve a few turns and declare themselves ready for a new season. Not anymore. The competition is so deep and intense on the World Cup circuit that guys are looking for every slice of an advantage possible. And who could blame them? Afterall, this is a sport where winning and losing is decided by hundredths of seconds. Advances in ski related technology in just the last few decades is remarkable when you stop to think about it. Just the evolution in the shapes and composition of skis themselves was enough to revolutionize the sport for professionals and weekend warriors alike.

But for the true rippers, the guys that take home crystal hardware around the globe each winter, they can now take it even a step further. By going into a wind tunnel, you can accummulate a large amount of information in a short amount of time about how to go faster. Instead of spending hours on the slope and chairlift for what may amount to only a few minutes worth of actual, valuable ski testing time as you’re flying down the hill, you can go into the wind tunnel in full gear and delineate a mountain of more useful info in a fraction of the time. And I do mean FULL gear. The boys suit up, skis on, goggles afixed, helmet strapped, just the way they would approach an actual run, and jump into the tunnel to test the aerodynamic possibilities. With the wind in their face and bent into the tuck position, they barely move. For guys used to careening over blind traverses at 80 mph, this has got to be funky to say the least. The whole point, though, is to try and replicate your actual on hill position and see how it could be tighter, to ultimately make you faster. Furthermore, the tunnel is a much more controlled environment, allowing coaches and technicians to observe and study the calculus of speed in each of their skiers as opposed to having to pore over video in a hotel room and trying to make educated guesses. Here, you walk away with real numbers to support whatever changes that might need to be made in someone’s style, equipment and aero positioning.

Wind tunnels are also used quite frequently by NASCAR drivers and professional cyclists like Lance Armstrong. So it makes perfect sense for a skier to be included in this group since these are all sports that require a physical object to move through space while trying to produce the least resistance possible to the wind. As a skier it is your body and the skis that are attached to it and these sessions allow scientific experts the chance to take measurements and analyze data that could make an already smoking fast downhiller, pick up that extra half second across a flat that might make the difference between the top step of the podium and missing out altogether.

The ultimate trick is for the skiers to then remember what they did in the tunnel and transfer it out onto the hill. Easier said than done, especially when charging down the icy Streif in Kitz and praying your bindings hold, while 40,00 screaming Austrians are going nuts all around you. As far as I know, there is no tunnel that can help you with that!

The World Cup season for the U.S. Alpine Ski Team is fast approaching. Although the mercury still tops 90 degrees in some sections of the country, believe it or not, we are almost one month away from the first skier diving out of the start house and ripping turns high up on a glacier in Austria.

The annual giant slalom in Soelden marks the traditional start of the alpine season for both men and women and it happens before the rest of us have even picked out our halloween costumes. Of course, we might not be thinking snow yet, but the teams themselves have already been working towards this moment for the last several weeks.

The guys and gals have split time between camps in New Zealand and South America where the southern hemisphere has been enjoying a bountiful winter season during our dog days of summer. Most of the preseason prep for the tech skiers takes place in the land of the Kiwi while the speed teams refine their touch in places like Portillo, Chile.

Though most of us won’t get our first tracks until mid November at the earliest, the U.S. Team cannot afford to be off snow for too long with such an early start to the season. When they push through that wand in Soelden, they need to feel like they are well into the season as opposed to just starting it. Preseason routines are just as important in skiing as they are in any other sport. Basketball players need to take jump shots, baseball players need batting practice and skiers need to run gates in mid winter conditions. Hence, long plane trips in August and September to search out the white stuff.

So while the pools are still draining in many locations, the ski team members are working on their tans at 10,000 feet instead of a nearby beach. All things considered, we should all be so lucky!