Radamus Q&A Featured on FIS

Two-time Junior World Champion River Radamus was recently featured in the FIS' Q&A series, where he talks about everything from performing under pressure to skiing alongside Ted Ligety and beyond. 

Though he grew up in a ski racing family in Edwards, Colo., River really turned heads when he became the first skier to win three individual gold medals at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer. He has shown a steady progression since, grabbing his first FIS Junior World Ski Championships medal (silver) in super-G in 2018, the 2018 NorAM overall title, and three Junior Worlds medals (gold in super-G and giant slalom, and silver in the team event) as well as scoring his first World Cup points during the 2019 season at Alta Badia, Italy, when he finished 24th.

Who is the most inspiring athlete to you and why?
As an American skier, there’s no bigger inspiration than Bode. I think our team kind of prides itself on doing things a little different from other nations. We have different advantages and disadvantages than other national teams so we have to be a bit unorthodox to succeed in this sport. There was no one more unorthodox than Bode. He always did things his own way and was completely unapologetic about it. And of course the results speak for themselves.  

Ted Ligety has had an important influence on your skiing style, and now you have the opportunity to train with him and discover his secrets. What are the most important lessons you have learned from him?
Haha if I told you his secrets, then they wouldn’t be secrets…

Seriously though, Ted leads by example. When Ted steps on the hill there’s an aura of professionalism that you can feel. He takes his business dead serious in a way that makes you feel guilty if you take it less so. Him being there raises the game of everyone around. 

How important is your team to you?
Team is crucial to me. My team is the reason I am where I am today. Our crew is really tight-knit. We push ourselves and each other extremely hard. We hold each other to a really high standard on and off the hill, and hold each other accountable when we fall short. I think when our standard of excellence is really high, it puts all of us in a position to succeed. We’re working hard right now to cultivate this culture, and make sure it’s sustainable beyond just our group, so that it lives as an understood legacy for years to come.

River will find himself full time on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit this year, so keep an eye on him when World Cup action kicks off in Soelden, Austria later this month.  

Read the full article on FIS-ski.com.

Want to learn more about River?
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