The Men's Speed Team Heads to Lake Louise
While the ladies take on Aspen this weekend, the men head to Lake Louise to tackle their first speed series of the season. They’ll kick it off with the opening Audi FIS Ski World Cup downhill on Saturday, November 29 followed by the super G on Sunday, November 30.
The men took the first downhill training run at Lake Louise on Wednesday, with Steve Nyman leading the charge for the U.S. starters, finishing 15th. After a mediocre 2014 season, Nyman has been skiing lightning fast in training, with times consistently ahead of the pack. On top of that, he’s feeling great from a strength and conditioning standpoint. To say he’s excited for the season to start would be an understatement.
“Lake Louise is always exciting,” Nyman says. “You are always anxious to see where you stack up. You can crush training all summer, but it is rare to train on a World Cup surface, so you never know. It is also the first real track of the season. Some years it is a highway; others it is icy and bumpy. I’m excited to see what it has to offer this season. I’m feeling healthy and ready to go!”
Jared Goldberg also weighed in on the course. "The track is in pretty good shape and the course is set differently this year," Goldberg said. "There are more double gates and it feels more like a classic downhill because you're in your tuck more. I finally get to ski a course similar to the ones I grew up watching guys ski."
The second two downhill training runs were cancelled due to the weather, but Saturday's forecast looks great. U.S. starters this weekend include Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY), Steve Nyman (Sundance, UT), Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA), Wiley Maple (Aspen, CO), Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, CA), Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA), Jared Goldberg (Holladay, UT), Tanner Farrow (Ketchum, ID), and Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, NY).
Both Ted Ligety and Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) will be noticeably missing at Lake Louise. Ligety is taking the weekend to recover from wrist surgery last week, and plans on being back for Birds of Prey. Miller underwent outpatient back surgery on November 17, but also plans on returning this season. “The procedure went smoothly and I am going to be doing everything I can to be back on snow in January with an eye on World Champs in Colorado,” he vowed earlier this week.