Radamus Top 15 in Bansko
On Saturday’s giant slalom in Bansko, Bulgaria, River Radamus led the way for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team men in 12th place. Teammates Tommy Ford and George Steffey also found the top 30 in 26th and 28th place, respectively.
“Solid team effort all around. It awesome to see George score his first points of the season and three in the second run,” said Radamus.
The conditions were good with sunshine and a hard surface underfoot, allowing the men’s skiers to lay it down on the track. Radamus skied aggressively on his first run to initially land in the eighth spot.
“I am moderately satisfied with my 12th place but I know I have a lot more to give, especially second run, but I will reset for the next one,” said Radamus. “The conditions here are awesome and very similar to what we see in the U.S. - pretty dry and grippy - so it was a good warm up for Palisades.”
Steffey skied fast out of the top 30 seed to punch it into the 23rd position first run, poised to mark his season-best giant slalom finish. Ford skied cleanly to safely land in the top 30.
“Second run it got a little slushy, so to be successful today you had to be adaptable and ski lots of different conditions well,” said Radamus.
"It was a fun race today and it’s always great to be in the second run. I think our team is skiing well right now and hopefully we can build on today going into the domestic races," said Steffey.
On the second run, the men were firing to the finish. Radamus landed a few positions back from his first run status to 12th with Ford and Steffey safely in the top 30.
The winner of the race was Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt who is currently leading the standings in the overall, giant slalom, super-G and downhill. Second place went to the young Norwegian Alexander Steen-Olsen and third place to the current slalom leader, Manuel Feller of Austria.
Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Brian McLaughlin and Isaiah Nelson also raced but did not qualify for a second run.
The team was also pleasantly surprised to see alumnus Ted Ligety in Bansko running as the POV skier before the race began. He was able to say hi to the team and offer words of encouragement.
“It was really cool to see Ted out there doing the POV for the race today as well," said Radamus, who is an unabashed Ligety fan. "It surprised us to see him here and it was cool to see an old friendly face. He gave me some words of inspiration."
The next giant slalom race will bring the U.S. skiers back home for the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup held Feb. 24-25.
RESULTS
Men's giant slalom
