STARTHOUSE
Just how fast are the digital software world and the Internet getting involved in our
sport? The answer is swiftly, and with stunning impact. Yes, sophisticated software
has been used heavily at the upper echelons of ski competition for the last five years.
One only has to wander into the sports science department at the Center of Excellence to see what computers and software have contributed to both athlete prowess
and injury recovery. What happens there is astonishing.
Facebook and Twitter bring all of us closer to the elite team members whose pages
Tech and Speed
athletes, is drawing raves. “This software does in a few minutes what we used to do
in hours,” Hubner says. The New England Nordic Association is about to debut a new
iTouch and iPod app that will track individuals in races, says Steve Fuller, a trustee of
the group. And Nordica is using Brandlive software video technology to demonstrate
its new boots and answer questions.
As for Ski Racing, we have been in the forefront of technology for several years now.
Not everybody likes digital publications, but technology has allowed us to do so much
more than during the old black-and-white-newsprint days, even though some
old-timers (like this author) miss getting ink on their fingers. If you have not tried
our app, take a look. It’s free and, though still work in progress, gives you most
of what you need to know for following the sport.
This issue chronicles ski competition over the holiday period. Despite a broken streak at Adelboden, Ted Ligety is skiing the best of his career and has
positioned himself as the one to beat for this year’s giant slalom title. On the
women’s alpine circuit, Lindsey Vonn and Maria Reisch are in a fierce struggle
for the overall title. But don’t rule out Switzerland’s Lara Gut or Austria’s Elizabeth Goergl. Goergl may be behind but still has a solid chance should the leaders falter. Gut, who is coming off a major injury, is most likely too far behind to
be in the hunt, but the Altenmarkt-Zauchensee super G proved that the pretty
and talented Swiss could be a spoiler for the leaders. Eric Williams and Hank
McKee cover the races while the gallery pictures bring you the color of racing
in the alpine cradle of the sport.
The FIS had every discipline going over the holidays, but in the nordic realm,
it was the highly successful FIS Tour de Ski that ushered in the New Year and
where USA’s Kikkan Randall and Kris Freeman skied to some impressive results. Tim Reynolds reports on this grueling event.
Kelley McMillan examines the background of the Hahnenkamm while Eric
Weinberger recounts what it was like to be immersed in Kitzbuehel back in the day.
The editors also bring you junior results from around the country. While you can get
them from the Internet, you won’t find a compilation like Ski Racing’s anywhere else.
To stay up to speed, keep going to web page and keep using your Ski Racing smart-phone app. There are new additions to the website to give you more options and more
information. Take a look as the editors will keep you up to date with what is going on
daily.
We are in the heart of the season, and so far it is a doozy. — G.B. Jr.
SALES/MARKETING
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
NANCY MERRILL
SALES AND MARKETING
COORDINATOR
AMY DOXEY
ART
ART DIRECTOR
RAND PAUL
PHOTOGRAPHERS
JONATHAN SELKOWITZ
JULIE SHIPMAN
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SARAH TUFF
SENIOR EDITOR
HANK MCKEE
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
ERIC WILLIAMS
CONTRIBUTORS
CLAIRE ABBE
EMILY COOK
PETER Q. GRAVES
BRYCE HUBNER
BILL MCCOLLOM
DAVE PESZEK
Lindsey Vonn at Flachau
on Jan. 11
SKI RACING
INTERNATIONAL, LLC
CHAIRMAN/CEO
GARY BLACK JR.
CONTROLLER
KRISTIN FARRELL
and blogs provide a different insight and perspective into their world on the various
World Cup circuits. Racers’ posts and comments bring out their character and give the
reader a darn good picture of who the athletes are and why they are where they are.
Today’s world brings technology once available only to the top level of the sport to
almost everyone. Bryce Hubner, a former Burke Mountain Academy coach and current Ski Racing contributor, takes a look at several innovations, including Ski Racing’s
iPhone and Android smart phone app. In his story, he looks at incredible game-chang-ers that are also incredibly affordable. SkiClubZ, a simple method to get videos to
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