BEAVER CREEK, COLO. (Aug. 27, 2021) — If ski racing fans are feeling the need for speed, they will get a triple-dose of it when the Xfinity Birds of Prey FIS Ski World Cup returns to Beaver Creek Resort Dec. 3-5, 2021.

The nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation, which hosts the Xfinity Birds of Prey races each year, confirmed the men’s Beaver Creek World Cup schedule as follows:

Friday, Dec. 3: Super-G
Saturday, Dec. 4: Downhill
Sunday, Dec. 5: Super-G

*The men’s World Cup calendar has not yet been fully confirmed. FIS will confirm in September. Beaver Creek race times TBD.

All events will be streamed and broadcast live on the networks of NBC Sports.

The races are part of a return of the North American leg of the FIS Ski World Cup tour, including:

Nov. 27-28: HomeLight Killington Cup, USA, Women’s Slalom and Giant Slalom
Nov. 27-28: Lake Louise, Canada, Men’s Downhill and Super-G
Dec. 3-5: Lake Louise, Canada, Women’s Downhill and Super-G

‘Back at one of the best courses in the world’
Ryan Cochran-Siegle is one of many racers excited to return to the Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek Resort, which is known worldwide for its steep pitch, high speeds, and demanding turns.

“We can’t wait to be back at one of the best courses in the world, here on home soil,” said Cochran-Siegle, who was ranked third overall in the world in downhill before he was sidelined by an injury sustained at the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuehel, Austria, in January for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. “I have this date circled on my calendar. We all love Birds of Prey. It’s everything from the track to the people to the volunteers to the general environment and history of U.S. Ski Team success at Beaver Creek that make this return to home soil something all of us are highly anticipating.”

The weekend of racing marks a major milestone on the way to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games Feb. 4-20, 2022 in Beijing, and serves as a qualifying event for athletes to earn points and placements toward their nomination to the 2022 U.S. Olympic Ski Team.

“We could not be more thrilled to once again welcome the world back to the iconic Birds of Prey course here in Beaver Creek,” said Mike Imhof, President of the Vail Valley Foundation.

Athletes to watch
Among the racers to beat on Saturday’s Downhill will likely be Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR), who was the 2020 World Cup overall downhill champ and was leading in the downhill standings and second in the overall standings this past season before he was injured. He will have to fend off Beat Feuz (SUI), who edged out Matthias Mayer (AUT) and Dominik Paris (ITA) to take the overall World Cup Downhill title in the amended 2020 season.

Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) won the overall Super-G crystal globe and placed fourth overall in Downhill Cup standings and is anticipated to lead the charge on Friday and Sunday’s Super-G. He will likely have to fend off top American racers Cochran-Siegle and Travis Ganong, as well as a host of challengers including Kilde,

“Beaver Creek Resort is proud to host Birds of Prey, and we’re excited to showcase our world-class steep terrain and unrivaled hospitality,” Beaver Creek Resort COO Nadia Guerriero said. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for our resort and community to welcome some of the world’s best athletes on their journey to the 2022 Winter Olympics.”

The Xfinity Birds of Prey – and the entire North American leg of the FIS Ski World Cup tour – was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In years past, the weekend in Beaver Creek has typically featured a giant slalom race on Sunday, but this year’s World Cup calendar is designed to minimize potential exposure to the COVID-19 virus by reducing the participants on site. Therefore, speed and tech event groups are being mixed as little as possible.

“In the nearly two years since the first appearance of the virus, we’ve had time to develop sound procedures and protocols,” Imhof said. “We are working closely with the FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Vail Resorts, Beaver Creek Resort, Eagle County Public Health, and all our other wonderful partners to ensure that we can host these beloved races and that athletics, fans, partners, media, and volunteers can all enjoy and attend the event in as safe and comfortable a manner as possible.”

‘Beers of Prey’ on tap
The Vail Valley Foundation said it is planning music, giveaways, sponsor activations, “Birds of Prey Way” in Beaver Creek Village, and a wide array of celebratory ancillary events, including the highly-popular “Beers of Prey” tasting event, throughout race weekend. Details will be announced this autumn.

Health and safety policies will be in place
With some international travel restrictions still in effect, Beaver Creek and The Vail Valley Foundation continue to work with all appropriate parties ahead of the FIS Ski World Cup. The health and safety of guests, staff, and athletes is a top priority, organizers said, and as the ski racing community returns to hosting international events, heightened health and safety protocols will be in place, as needed, during the Xfinity Birds of Prey FIS Ski World Cup. Event protocols will comply with local health and safety measures, as well as those mandated by FIS, and may be modified based on evolving standards, public health, and governmental directives.

Learn more at bcworldcup.com.

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About the Xfinity Birds of Prey FIS Ski World Cup
Ranked as the number one overall stop by the athletes and coaches who participate, the Xfinity Birds of Prey FIS Ski World Cup at Beaver Creek Resort has become legendary in the ski world.

Beaver Creek Mountain is home to the formidable Birds of Prey racecourse, challenging an international roster of top athletes for one weekend of racing that typically features Men’s Alpine super-G, downhill, and giant slalom competitions. The event is organized by the nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation, in close partnership with the FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Vail Resorts, the Beaver Creek Resort Company, Beaver Creek Resort, Xfinity, and TIAA Bank.

Learn more at www.bcworldcup.com.

About the Vail Valley Foundation
The Vail Valley Foundation is a 501c3 Colorado nonprofit corporation with a mission to enhance the quality of life in the Vail Valley and showcase our community to a global audience through arts, athletics, and education.

The organization’s work in education is through YouthPower365, a 501c3 Colorado nonprofit corporation with a mission to provide year-round extended learning opportunities that empower and educate the youth and families of Eagle County from cradle-to-career readiness. The Vail Valley Foundation also provides the Vail Valley with several of its most treasured annual events, such as the GoPro Mountain Games, the Xfinity Birds of Prey FIS Ski World Cup races, the Vail Dance Festival, and the Hot Summer Nights and ShowDown Town free concert series’. The Vail Valley Foundation also manages and operates two performing arts centers, the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek Village and the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail, providing more than 100 Broadway, dance, comedy, classical, rock, pop, jazz, community and family events per year.

Vail Valley Foundation activities and events are in part made possible by cornerstone partners: the Town of Vail, Vail Resorts, Beaver Creek Resort Company, GMC, and TIAA Bank.

To learn more about the Vail Valley Foundation visit www.vvf.org.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined, and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success, and the value of team.

Learn more at usskiandsnowboard.org.

About Beaver Creek Resort
Renowned for legendary attention to detail, World-Cup mountain pedigree, intimate alpine village, and reputation as one the world’s best luxury family resorts, Beaver Creek Resort represents incomparable elegance and Rocky Mountain leisure which spoils guests for anywhere else with an unparalleled level of world-class service. Just 30 minutes east of Eagle Airport (EGE) and 2.5 hours west of Denver International Airport (DIA), Beaver Creek offers luxury accommodations throughout three villages and ski-in, ski-out luxury lodges and hotels. More than 40 in-resort and slope-side restaurants, elegant village boutiques, cherished daily traditions and activities such as world-class downhill skiing and snowboarding spanning 2082 acres with 3340 vertical feet of descent, snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, and ice skating in the Beaver Creek village.

Visit BeaverCreek.com for additional information and vacation planning. 

Release courtesy of the Vail Valley Foundation.

In the International Ski Federation's (FIS) recent Behind the Scenes feature with Bryce Bennett, the downhiller shares his relationship with ski racing. Bennett grew up in a ski racing family in Squaw Valley, Calif., spending a lot of time on the mountain and "slowly fell in love" with ski racing. 

Bennett acknowledges that ski racing is a tough sport, it can feel like a constant struggle. In the video, he shares some tactics he has used to keep improving, like working with veteran teammate Steven Nyman, with whom he shares a serviceman, the legendary Leo Mussi. Bennett added that the need for consistency across multiple tracks throughout the season is a challenge that draws him to the sport further, and says he'll “Just keep chipping away and chipping away and hopefully the day lines up and everything works out.” 

Members of the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team continue their summer prep for the upcoming FIS World Cup and Olympic season with a mix of gym time, trail running, mountain biking, and roller skiing. Toss in a few victories and a course record along the way, and so far the summer has been very rewarding.

Scott Patterson has been dominating trail running events in Alaska this summer, posting victories in both the Crow Pass Crossing - setting a new course record for the 22.5-mile backcountry footrace from Girdwood to Eagle River - and winning the Cirque Series event at Alyeska Resort.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Scott Patterson (@scottgpatterson)

“My summer training has been going quite well,” said Patterson, who has been training with the Alaska Pacific University club program. “I’ve spent the whole spring and summer in Anchorage in order to keep things simple and focused. This approach has paid off in solid progress in training sessions as well as setting several course records at trail running races. After 8 years racing Crow Pass, including seven victories, I finally got the record. This has been a big summer goal for several years.”

At the Cirque Series race in Alyeska, Alaska, Patterson led a host of the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team’s Anchorage-based athletes, including teammate Sophia Laukli, who won the women’s pro division. Ben Ogden also made the trip to Alaska from his home base in Vermont for a few weeks of training, finishing eighth in the pro division. Kendall Kramer and Sydney-Palmer Leger also participated in the women’s Expert division. Laukli also won the Cirque Series race at Snowbird, Utah, on Saturday, Aug. 21.

 

 

 

 

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With almost half of the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team living and training in Anchorage, World Cup Cross Country Coach Matt Whitcomb, and Development Team Coach Kate Johnson made a visit to Anchorage to check in on the summer training progress. “The purpose of the trip was not to organize the camp so much as to check in with every athlete,” Whitcomb said. “Everybody's working hard, enjoying each other's company and there is just great synergy going on, I can't wait to see what comes from it.”

Unfortunately, a summer skiing camp on the Eagle Glacier had to be cancelled due to the rebuilding of the on-site lodge. But, that didn’t deter the athletes from getting together and trying something new.

“Something different this summer was that a big group of guys, both on the U.S. Ski Team, and from other teams, lived and trained together in Anchorage,” said Gus Schumacher. “We had a house that we all stayed in and it ended up being super awesome. It really helped a lot to push each other, and establish a strong frame of teamwork to bring into our next camps and winter racing.”

Following last summer’s Covid-19 travel restrictions, many athletes enjoyed training with their home club programs throughout the prep period. And that has also carried over to this summer as well with many athletes enjoying the comforts of home, and the opportunity to focus on the little things that will make a difference once the season starts. 

“Most of my training this summer has been very similar to last year with a few small alterations,” Patterson said. “I felt last year’s training cycle was quite productive so I wanted to replicate that with a few improvements.”

“Nothing different for me - just a continued emphasis on recovery and training smart while training hard,” added Jessie Diggins, who is training in Vermont with her Stratton Mountain School Elite Team program, alongside teammates Julia Kern and Katherine Ogden, all of whom have been pushing each other this summer. 

 

 

 

 

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“I really value having a group to work with all summer, pushing and learning from one another,” said Kern, who has also mixed mountain biking and gravel riding into her summer training program. “I have mostly been focused on having high quality and smart training, making the most of each session and also prioritizing recovery, listening to what my body needs.”

“I think what people want out of summer training varies based on age,” Whitcomb said. “The older we all get the more home feels just right, and the younger we are the more stimulus we need from our peers. And sometimes that means going to a camp or something, So it’s about finding the right balance.”

That balance also includes getting athletes on snow, which has been a challenge with the Eagle Glacier Camp cancelled. However, many of the athletes have participated in competitive events this summer, including mountain bike and gravel races for both Kern and Katharine Ogden in Vermont. 

“That is where we find our edge,” Whitcomb said of the head-to-head competition. “We can get 95, 96, 97, 98% there, no problem (through hard summer training), but to get 99 and 100% there, that takes going head-to-head and feeling some fight, some discomfort, and some vulnerability.”

Kevin Bolger has also been jumping into some racing this summer. Bolger is training in Sweden alongside his girlfriend Maja Dahlqvist and the Swedish National Team this summer, going head-to-head in roller ski races. 

 

 

 

 

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As for a mid-summer snow session, Diggins, Kern, Ogden, and their Stratton Mountain School teammates are heading over to Germany in late August for some snow time at the Oberhof Ski Tunnel. The final camp of the prep period is a high-altitude camp scheduled for October 4-18 in Park City, then it’s off to Scandinavia for the opening World Cup events in Ruka, Finland Thanksgiving Weekend. 

Moguls skier on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team Jesse Andringa returned to snow last month after rehabbing through an ankle injury he sustained at the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International. Andringa tore three ligaments in his ankle and dislocated his peroneal tendons in a crash that sent him over the bottom air on one foot. 

Following a successful surgery, Andringa quickly focused his attention on his recovery. His first priority was getting his range of motion back, keeping things pretty mellow, and lifting once he was able to do so. “Lifting is so stable,” he explained, “it doesn’t require a lot of foot movement. So I was able to lift heavy weights before I was able to walk normally.”

 

 

 

 

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Four months in, Andringa was cleared to train on the water ramp, and got 23 ramping days in before taking his ankle to snow at Timberline Lodge & Ski Area last month during moguls’ last domestic on-snow prep camp. 

“I was cleared to do everything at Timberline,” he said. “I still didn’t have the mobility that I would have liked to have had. I started off just skiing flats, but that made my ankle really sore, and was very discouraging.”

Not one to be discouraged, Andringa pressed on, finding jumping felt better. “Jumping on snow felt good, I got used to jumping in water so that motion was becoming easier for me.” By the end of camp, Andringa was training his full trick package. 

Even more surprising to Andringa was how many moguls he skied. “I really did not think I would be able to ski moguls. I tried it, and the first runs every day would really hurt. I would only ski about four to begin with. But by run two or three I was up to 10 or 15 in a row. I was up to a full mogul section usually by run four.”

 

 

 

 

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“It was really awesome [to be back on snow]. As I got back to it more and more, it became easier and easier. It was really encouraging to see all of my work and rehab pay off.”

The camp also marked the first time both Andringa brothers were back on snow training as part of the U.S. Ski Team together since 2019. After almost two full years sidelined by surgeries, injuries and rehabs, Casey Andringa returned to snow just before Jesse in June. “It was very fun to be back on snow with Casey. Both of us are going through emotional times. We have highs, like doing tricks on snow, and lows, like having to take afternoons or days off because of our pain levels. But being together was helpful and encouraging.”

This was just the boost Andringa needed heading into the later half of the summer prep season. He’ll be working towards skiing 100% the next time the team finds snow and plans to keep pushing to dial in his full range of motion. 

Reflecting back on his injury, Andringa says he learned he needed to better believe in himself. “I pushed myself at Deer Valley because I was lacking confidence. Confidence and knowing that I’m good enough, that’s what I’m taking out of this.”

Andringa would like to thank all of his physical therapists, Doctor Thomas Haytmanek, Hans Gardner, U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff and everyone else who has helped him through this injury. 

Follow Jesse Andringa’s story on his Instagram @jesse_bare 

A U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership is required for athletes, coaches, officials, and club volunteers who want to compete or participate in events sanctioned by U.S. Ski & Snowboard for the 2021-22 season.

Click HERE to renew your U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership for the 2021-22 season!

As the summer athletes of Team USA finally got their chance to compete at the highly-anticipated postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the mogul skiers of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team wrapped their second and final on-snow domestic training camp at Official Training Site Timberline Lodge and Ski Area last month. 

Each evening following training the team would convene for dinner and watch their fellow Americans compete on the world’s biggest sport stage.

“Seeing the Olympics on TV was extremely motivating,” said Landon Wender. “Watching every athlete push themselves to the limit to represent their country was very inspiring. Having opportunities to train on snow in the times we live in means a lot. I am very thankful that we have had training environments where my teammates and I can push ourselves and each other to achieve our goals.”

 

 

 

 

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“We really enjoyed watching, and found we could really relate to the gymnastics events,” said Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. “The athletes see [Team USA athletes] going out and landing these tricks and seeing how the smallest hop can make a difference. We brought that mentality to training.” Moguls is a judged discipline and so the smallest bobble may mean the difference between the podium or not. “We trained on the things that can make the littlest difference. Feet tight, square to the hill, making sure we’re prepared to make the first turn out of a jump. These are things we can do on snow, not on water.”

In the run-up to the Olympic season, time on snow is precious and a commodity not to be taken for granted, especially when COVID-19 continues to impact the availability of training options. Unfortunately due to an unseasonably early heat wave, the last few days of camp became a ski focus. “Timberline did a good job at giving us a quality venue with what Mother Nature allowed,” explained Gnoza. “It’s been an exceptionally hot summer and the snow field took a beating. But we made the most of it while we could.” 

“The Timberline camp went very well for me with the tricks I’m working to perfect,” added Wendler. “I was mainly working on my cork 10 and everything started to click a lot more this last camp. I am very happy with the progress I have made with that trick this summer. I’m also working on my cork 7 truck driver grab and back full. I felt that I also made lots of progress with my skiing, being able to take a step back and slow it down.”

Gnoza reports that overall the entire team was very focused, locking in on what they need to do in order to be prepared. “In mogul competition format, whether World Cup or Olympic, it’s never good enough to just have the trick once, you have to make it repeatable,” he said. “We’re looking for consistency and repeated high-execution rates. That gives the athlete the best chance to climb the results sheet and get on the podium.” As such, athletes and coaches are working through deliberate and calculated training plans. “We’re training with a ton of intentionality.”

“This past camp in Hood was one of the best camps I’ve attended in my career,” said 2018 Olympian Tess Johnson. “I’ve been working really hard on getting my cork 7 competition ready and perfecting my back venom. Training is paying off, and words can’t describe how much it means to be able to train on snow in a pandemic ridden, climate changing world.”

 

 

 

 

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“Our team spent a lot of quality time together off the hill juggling the soccer ball, playing games, and watching the Summer Olympics which had me feeling extra motivated, nervous, and inspired all at the same time. Things are ramping up with every passing day, and I’m really happy with where I’m at right now.”

With the Summer Games serving as a backdrop to training for what many athletes will hope to be their opportunity in Beijing in 2022, the relationship between the grind and the glory is ever more apparent. “There’s all of this work behind the scenes people only glimpse at every four years,” noted Gnoza. “The time in between, when you’re struggling to stay focused, when the world is very much not watching, that’s what all of these athletes can relate to.” 

Moguls returns to their summer home at Utah Olympic Park for another water ramp session this August before hopefully finding snow again in September. 

To support the U.S. Freestyle Mogul Ski Team, please click here for more information.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced its partnership with R-Zero, the first biosafety technology company dedicated to reducing the spread of infectious diseases. 

Ahead of a critical Olympic season, U.S. Ski & Snowboard has incorporated R-Zero’s IoT-enabled, whole-room UV disinfection system, Arc, into its daily health and safety protocols at its Park City, Utah training facility, the USANA Center of Excellence. Arc’s hospital-grade, sustainable UV disinfection allows U.S. Ski & Snowboard to safely eliminate pathogenic risk on surfaces and air without the use of harmful chemicals. The addition of R-Zero’s biosafety technology is part of the organization’s innovative approach to ensuring U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team athletes are able to continue performing at their highest while training for and competing in Beijing in 2022. 

“Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been taking a multifaceted approach to ensure our athletes are protected from health risks across the board, and R-Zero’s partnership is a big added step in the right direction,” said Gillian Bower, Director of High Performance at U.S. Ski & Snowboard and a 15-year veteran of the organization. “Health and performance are a priority—not just for our athletes but for our staff. R-Zero’s Arc adds a safe, highly effective and sustainable way we can ensure we’re reducing risks in all spaces and for all parts of the organization.”

Currently, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is using four Arc units in the USANA Center of Excellence to disinfect spaces such as the weight room, physical therapy facilities, performance lab and their aerial practice area, which includes ramps, trampolines and foam landing pits. To optimize athlete health and performance, the team runs R-Zero’s UV-C systems daily in these high-traffic training locations. Later this month, the team will also ship two Arc units to Beijing for use in the upcoming Games. 

“COVID-19 illuminated the need for increased health and performance conditions for professional athletes across the world,” said Grant Morgan, co-founder and CEO of R-Zero. “As the Delta variant continues to surge globally, ensuring the health security of team staff and athletes will continue to remain critical. We are proud to support the entire U.S. Ski & Snowboard organization in creating safer indoor athletic training environments, both here in Utah and internationally.”
 

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About R-Zero
R-Zero is the first biosafety technology company dedicated to making the indoor spaces we share, safer and clinically clean. Founded to help organizations protect the health of people they serve, R-Zero is dedicated to developing the most effective and innovative disinfection technologies, to reduce the spread of all infectious diseases. R-Zero’s first product, Arc [an IoT-enabled, whole-room UV disinfection device] is currently enabling a higher level of health safety for hundreds of thousands of people, across both public and private sector organizations, without the use of chemicals. Today, R-Zero is pioneering the first continuous, automated disinfection ecosystem, enabling every organization to measure and manage indoor health risk with the same level of sophistication and technology that’s become standard across virtually every other industry. Informed by data science, built with AI, ML, and IoT connected hardware, R-Zero’s intelligent disinfection platform provides greater visibility, automation and even smarter risk reduction within the indoor spaces where humans spend their time. R-Zero is backed by leading venture capital firms, as well as thought-leaders from the health, hospitality, sports, commercial real estate, impact, and other industries. For more information, visit www.rzero.com. 
 

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard 
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success, and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

Creative Assets:
Photo assets of the R-Zero Arc system installed in the USANA Center of Excellence are linked here for use. 
 

Davis U.S. Cross Country Team athlete Logan Hanneman and U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Luke Winters just finished up a hard training block as they prepare for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, so they made the annual aviation pilgrimage to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for the EAA AirVenture Show as guests of Textron Aviation.

Hanneman and Winters learned to fly in a Cessna 172 and each was excited to share their love of aviation, and their respective sports, on Day 3 Live With Textron Aviation, hosted by Mindy Lindheim. In addition to meeting dozens of pilots and aviation enthusiasts from across the U.S., they also enjoyed a ride on the Goodyear Blimp!

This was the first trip to Oshkosh, which hosts the annual show - the largest aviation gathering in the world - but certainly will not be their last as they both continue to pursue additional pilot ratings with a goal of flying into Wittman Field and landing on the famed red, green, orange, white, pink or yellow dots!

The Oregonian recently published an article highlighting the unique relationship between Timberline Resort and U.S. Ski & Snowboard's Olympic hopefuls. 

"So much of the global skiing community is connected to Mount Hood, a place where lifelong friendships have been formed and Olympic dreams have been fostered. Every summer, domestic and international ski teams, videographers and coaches travel to the peak. It’s one of the only slopes open for training during the warm months thanks to the Palmer Glacier, which is on the south part of the mountain. Many Olympians and X Games champions have passed through this snowy destination at some point in their careers."

- Tyler Tachman, The Oregonian -

Check out the Full Article at OregonianLive.com

After almost two full years plagued by surgeries, injuries and rehabs, mogul skier for the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team Casey Andringa finally achieved liftoff at Timberline Lodge & Ski Area June 17, 2021.

The 2018 Olympian was sidelined for the past two World Cup seasons and hadn’t attempted an aerial maneuver since March 2019. His first back X at the jump site in June felt as worthy an accomplishment of making the Games three years ago. “There was a point in time where I thought I would never be doing this (training to compete in mogul skiing),” said Andringa. “I didn’t want to give myself hope in case I couldn’t get back to it. If my body had said ‘no,’ it would have been that much harder to handle.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Casey Andringa (@butteredt0ast)

Andringa underwent surgery in 2019 to correct an old knee injury with the intention of returning to training in summer 2020. However, a COVID-19 positive test and a period of quarantine meant he returned later than hoped. And then five days into water ramping Andringa crashed his mountain bike, dislocating and shattering his wrist and hand, and his hopes of competing the 2020-21 World Cup season. 

It took five surgeries over the course of eight months to put his hand and wrist back together and over the past year Andringa seriously considered calling it quits. “In October I was retired in my head. I had decided that I had been in so much pain for so long and I was thinking about how taxing competing in mogul skiing is on the body. I didn’t think I had any more space in my life left for more physical damage.”

 

 

 

 

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Trying to get excited about what was next, Andringa realized if he left the sport, he would be leaving with an unanswered question. “If I had ended my career last October then I would have ended while I was in a headspace where I was always going to feel like my body was fragile and that I was kind of broken. It really messes with your head when you go from being able to do any activity, where you can trust your body because you’re strong and healthy and your body just does these things, to feeling like anything could mess you up. It’s almost a self-fulfilling prophecy because the more you feel that way, the harder it is to stop feeling that way, so you kind of will [the hurt] upon yourself.”

Andringa recognized the parallel in trying to make PyeongChang 2018. During the last Olympic qualification process Andringa approached the season with a clear objective, and despite the odds, had been fired up to make it happen. “The realization of how far away I was from not even skiing at the 2022 Olympics, but just to get back to cork 7s and ski moguls, even that felt so far away. It just turned itself into a tangible goal, a goal I could pursue.” 

Putting feet to boots and skis in the air marked a huge milestone for Andringa’s pursuit of another Olympic run. “I meant to jump in May at Snowbird, but my knee hurt so bad, I couldn’t even picture myself going off of the kicker, let alone doing a trick. To be able to go to Timberline and do a backflip was just…I was so scared, even though I’ve been doing them since I was 12, I’ve probably done thousands. My first cork 7 I was super nervous too, but I did it and got down to the side of the run and started crying a little bit. It just was a thing I didn’t let myself expect to get back to.”

It will be a day-by-day process for Andringa to make it in less than 200 days to Opening Ceremonies of the 2022 Games. Pushing through pain and figuring out what his body can, cannot and should not do are all part of his plan. “There’s still a chance there are things my body says no to. I’m scared I’ll show up at Zermatt and it will hurt too bad to ski. So I’m working hard when I feel good and taking each day for what it is, trying not to get too upset when things do hurt.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Casey Andringa (@butteredt0ast)

While the Olympic Games provide an objective goal, what's most important to Andringa is knowing his body isn’t broken and to trust in its ability to perform. “I’m still working on that trust a lot. Every day.”

“It feels like I have had so much time to reflect and figure things out, but I think the only thing I feel like I actually learned was to just keep moving forward.”

With sights on Beijing (and the chance to represent the U.S. with his brother and teammate Jesse) Andringa also looks forward to surmounting at least one more challenge – the Road to Arcylon trail in Park City, Utah. “Yes, I still bike, it feels good to get back on the horse. And I do plan on getting revenge on the drop that took me out. I can’t let a little tiny mountain bike drop win. But I’m waiting until after ski season.”

Andringa would like to thank his parents, family and girlfriend Roma, who nursed him back to health (and is now in nursing school), as well as the countless physios and Dr. Randy Viola. Follow Casey’s journey on Instagram.