Aspen finals! (with spoilers)

[Eleeski]

Watching the downhill now.

Congratulations to Fill and Stuhec on the downhill globes.

Vonn in second as I type (over spoiler?). Stuhec rocked her run.

Eric

 

[Muleski]

Interesting day. And a good one.

Would not have picked Paris to win this. Bib number one was a big advantage for him, as things really heated up quickly with the sun. His huge size also helps. He can both turn them and glide. Amazing touch for a big guy.

Good for Peter Fill. As Bode said in his commentary I, too,have a hard time getting my arms around the fact that he won the WC DH globe without a win this season. Second globe in a row. Only two career WC wins. Speaks very well to the importance of being consistent. He is always on or close to the podium.

Sorry to see Jansrud not hang on to win the globe. He had a couple of wins and was not as consistent. I am an enormous fan of his, and of the entire Norwegian program. He is a class act. The Head factory service group, who does the tech work for these to athletes did NOT have a good day. Bode noted it, and I think his comments had nothing to do with his feelings toward Head, etc. The skis were not fast today. People in Aspen have sensed some concern over the past few days, but assumed that heck, it's Head, they will have it dialed in on race day. First splits showed otherwise.

Good of both Jansrud and Vonn to not mention the skis....nor Erik Guay, who was also so close. Sounds petty to be knocking the skis, and they all have great relationships with their techs. Still at altitude, with the sun, the temps, etc., the skis make a huge difference. So much so today. Very clear. No other explanation for some of those split times at the top.

Sometimes when you mention it, people look at you cross eyed. The skis matter. LV is still "missing" the DH pair that she trashed in her crash in Cortina. Now they will have the summer to get her fully dialed.

So I love to hear Bode mentioning skis and equipment issues over and over. Did anybody catch his binding comments today? How some of the skiers have not adapted to their new stuff in recent seasons. I think he feels that Kilde should make a change, but he's locked in through 2018.

On the women's side, very appropriate podium and overall result. No surprises. Stuhec has just owned the discipline. Often spoken of, but something that I have not seen written about much is that she has great skis. Kudo's to her mom/tech and the Stockli team. She also is just skiing so well. Vonn is getting better withbever start. Next season could be very interesting. My impression is that LV does not like finishing second. And at least this season, Stuhec has taken over that dominant position.

Bode pretty much implied, to me, that today if Stuhec and Vonn had swapped skis, they would have swapped results. I love watching Sofia Goggia. What energy. I imagine that this will be a very busy summer for her: on the gym, working on fitness, testing her skis, and refining some of hr technique. She can move forward a lot.

A healthy Lara Gut might win that race. Perfect hill for her. A healthy Svindal does, too. However, being honest, they might have had ski issues. So that might be too bold on my part. Hope they both return very healthy, fit and ready in the fall. The speed events miss them.

Congrats to Stuhec,Fill and Paris. And another nice day for Vonn and Goggia.

And fun to see WC debuts for Sam Morse and Alice Merryweather. Big thrill for them both and for their families, friends and fans!

Gold star to Bode and Steve Torino

Looking forward to tomorrow...

 

[graham418]

@Muleski, As always, I enjoy your commentary and insight. It is always a pleasure to read

 

[Pete in Idaho]

Always cool that I can come here and get good WC commentary.

 

[Primoz]

The Head factory service group, who does the tech work for these to athletes did NOT have a good day.

There comes difference with xc. In xc companies and teams (service teams are organized by national teams not by ski manufacturers as it's in alpine skiing) do their own testing and don't bother about info they get from wax manufacturers. In alpine everyone relay on data they get from wax manufacturers on evening before the race. With Toko and Swix not having their service guys in Aspen, and therefore no wax testing by Toko and Swix, you can actually see which service guys know how to do their job without relaying on someone else's tests. I have no info about Briko, Holmenkol, Start etc. if they have their service guys and test teams there, but for Toko and Swix I know for sure.

 

[Swede]

Awesome SG-course!

 

[Swede]

Stuhec smiling on start

 

[Dwight]

Do they do 1 or 2 runs in Super G?

Answered: 1

 

[Dwight]

Ouch!

 

[Muleski]

Day two, the SG. There was a globe on the line for the women, and some great competition. The hill is really a classic, which throws a bit of everything at you. I also like an event like this where you have women and men skiing in the same hill, with just a few course tweaks. Fun stuff.

We're supposed to be there, but had to change plans. Funny with today's instant comunicatiion, including things like face time, It seems like I am there. Have plenty of people filling me in on the on and off hill stuff. And the video coverage has been great. Bode and Porino,in a tiny studio outside of Denver make it seem like they are there. Good stuff.

So Tina Wierather skied a great run. Stuhec skied well, but not as clean and precise as Tina. They go 1, 2 and Tina wins the SG globe by a scant 5 points. LV crashes while she was starting to build some serious speed through Aztec Bowl. She was clearly after it. That might have been a winning run. Would not have changed things for Tina. Friends on the hill said it was her best SG skiing since the post arm comeback. Goggia was wild and fast and out.

One of my take always is that the surface player a huge factor in both the men and women's races. It's high elevation, the surface has a different feel and texture and it's really grippy. LV mentioned it in an interview; her ski kid not release from the turn as expected. She was not alone.

I bet these past two days were really big challenges for the techs. Not just in terms of wax. So kudo's to those whose athletes did really well!

The men were a bit more anticlimactic. Jansrud has the globe already locked down. Of course a win by him would have tied the season record at four. Reichelt sure is comfortable racing speed in North America. He showed it again today. A lot of good skiing.

Tough day for the American guys. Not sure why. Lots of varying ideas. That could have been a really good hill and surface for Ganong, but he just does not quite have the extra gear in SG that he has in DH. I think that a softer and agressive surface is not ideal for AW. Bode mentioned that. He puts SO much force into his ski. That kind of surface does not pay it back.

I had not heard a word about AW skiing on a cap construction ski until Bode mentioned that. That one surprised me.

Going to be a pretty weak showing for the home team, other than MS. No men in either tech event. It will be a lot of fun to watch MS, and would bd great fun to see her win the big globe. The SL is done. She can only win the GS if Tessa Worley has a disasterous day, which would be a shame.

Fun stuff. Nice to watch in the sun, too. I am hearing that there is a lot of energy forming around trying to make Aspen a regular stop on the tour, which is a heck of a lot harder than it sounds. I think the fact is that the athletes, coaches, etc. love it. The FIS hierarchy? Who knows? Kinda of Euro-centric.

I think some of the big news is LV stating that she is absolutely going to ski AT LEAST one old year after next to chase the Stenmark record. I guess that last night she was saying that she will keep at it "as long as it takes."

That is sort of unexpected, and I think it's great. In a lot of ways. Seems to be enjoying this, missed it when out, and is going to work hard at it. Stuhec's rise may have re-lit a fire in LV. I don't know anybody who thought she would continue past 2018.

Now.....will Hirscher? I have no clue or insight on that one. {And I was way off base on LV!}l

 

[4ster]

Hup, hup Tina !

 

[4ster]

Oh, & Bode's killing it again too!

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Does anyone know how Breezy Johnson is after that wreck she had? Sure looked awkward.

 

[Muleski]

Does anyone know how Breezy Johnson is after that wreck she had? Sure looked awkward.

Have been wondering the same. Skiracing is saying a tibial plateau fracture, and that there had initially been concern of more. Tough crash! Tough kid.

 

[SBrown]

http://www.skiracing.com/stories/johnson-injured-in-final-world-cup-downhill-of-season

 

[Eleeski]

I'm off the TV grid so I can't watch the races. Following on my phone, Mikaela is rocking this season. Even if Ilka Stuhec hadn't withdrawn from the slalom, Mikaela would have won the overall handily. Except the second place might be a letdown for her.

Incredible skiing with a great future. Hope she stays healthy. Looking forward to having her entertain us for years.

Eric

 

[Swede]

Ask me, I think MS is the one to break Stenmarks 86, not Vonn.

 

[Muleski]

Ask me, I think MS is the one to break Stenmarks 86, not Vonn.

Just watched a bit on my phone at lunch.
Stenmark's record is pretty amazing, to say the least. He also did not keep at it late into his years to try to add to it. If LV is geared up for two more seasons, and can get the ten wins to beat it, that will be tremendous. As we have discussed, it will take a mixofbeing fast and healthy.

Five years ago, remember that it was almost a forgone conclusion that LV would retire at the end of 2018 with 100+ wins. Back then in her twenties, it seemed like ever single speed event was hers to lose. Well, things have changed. It's going to be really interesting to see. If the late twenties version of herself can come back, I'll be on 87.

MS? Yeah, a week past her 22nd birthday, who knows how long she will be at this. She started her WC career earlier than LV, and also started piling up wins at a younger age. It, too will be interesting to watch. "It all depends."
It depends on her health and skiing, and it depends on the field. Two years ago, when she had the 2.2 second average winning margin, every single woman was skiing for second in SL. That's changed about. She is still dominant. For sure. Her GS...darn good, great at times!

So I would assume that depending on how long she wants to keep at it, she should blow that mark, and wherever LV ends up, away.
Hard to know if she will still be in the game and going hard when she approaches 30. I would bet on her skiing through 2022. And maybe 2026. Wow, that's a lot of years.

She could, sadly, miss a year with an injury and blow the record away. Or, there may be another MS or two in the wings who may keep her off the top step as much as she has been.

How many wins would Vonn have added this season with no Stuhec emerging. Or without the arm break? I hear numbers around 8.

But.....she has been injured again. She has the nerve damage. She has Stuhec, Goggia and she will have Gut back next year. Plus..she will turn 33 this fall.

LV getting 86 or 87 is, IMO, not going to be easy.

And yeah, MS looks like a pretty good bet! Unless she accomplishes everything else a few times, and decides to hang It up. Don't see that plan on the horizon!

 

[Frankly]

MS looks exhausted so IDK, she's lucky to escape injury when she's not 100% and her (and her Mom) are smart to rest her as much as possible especially late in the season when more injuries seem to occur.

My bet is that next year MS concentrates on perfecting her GS and doing what Hirscher has been doing. She can pretty much repeat the same plan she did this season over and over again, enter select speed events to blow the cobwebs out but otherwise be the best tech skier ever.

Her fitness at the end of the season will only get better ~ like Hirscher did as he grew up.

Hope she finds a bad boyfriend with a motorcycle and cuts loose for a weekend... flips everybody the bird and rebels a bit... she's wound too tight.

 

[Muleski]

MS looks exhausted so IDK, she's lucky to escape injury when she's not 100% and her (and her Mom) are smart to rest her as much as possible especially late in the season when more injuries seem to occur.

My bet is that next year MS concentrates on perfecting her GS and doing what Hirscher has been doing. She can put speed off until her late 20s after she crushes the Olympics, tech globes and overalls.

Hope she finds a bad boyfriend with a motorcycle and cuts loose for a weekend... wound too tight.

All good points. Agree on much. We'll see. One thing is pretty clear to me. A lot more planning and athlete management goes into this stuff than ever before.

The chatter that I hear is that MS {and Eileen} have pushed an incredible amount of training "volume" almost year round. SG is almost impossible to train mid season. Once the tour begins, really limited opportunity. But.....she has grown up with more training, more drills than anybody. Not a lot of down days.

She also is known to need and cherish her down hours and nap time. With Mom. Kind of introverted.

I think you're right on the money. Keep a firm grip on the SL globe. Get the GS globe either in her hands or close. That GS part will take a lot of work. And I think, maybe a few SG's and most Super Combineds. That would put her in great shape for more overalls. And....for maybe three golds in 2018.

The return of a healthy LV splits some of Stuhec and Goggia's points. And to me the X factor is Gut. The rumor is that her surgery and recovery should be really smooth. Not like Anna Veith. So I hope she is able to fully come
back quickly. LG is a threat to win in every race in three events. Goggia could be,too, before long. People keep mentioning that this might be a year to get her real serious about the summer and the gym. So the race for the overall could be real tight once again.

MS needs to be healthy, and I hope that she will be. Also hope "they" don't try to over control that. I am still looking forward to MS enjoying a few deep powder days, rather than doing drills. Injuries happen.

The bad boyfriend? I would bet ZERO chance. None. A boyfriend might be really good. I think the plan might be that there will be time for guys later on. Get my theme on the planning?

Knowing a number of people who have known the family since MS was about 8, or younger, I watch people shake their heads about the fact that they have not tried to give her as close to a "normal" teen and young adult experience as possible. She is now 22. And yeah, she is wrapped real tight, I am afraid. That showed this week.

My daughter was pretty "close" to the action in Aspen today. We had to cancel plans to be there. When MS was presented the overall, I was watching on NBCSports. Just as Porino was mentioning her emotion, our daughter texted that "I have never seen M cry...." So maybe that is a good thing. Let it out.

When LV was her age, she had been with Thomas Vonn for 4-5 years, depending on what you believe for a starting date. She no doubt has her own issues, though. Just pointing out a difference.

More than one coach thinks a guy or two in the picture, etc. would be good. Would drive her mother nuts, probably.

I also have heard that there are a lot of sides to her that are being observed this week. The one in the public eye is always great and appealing. Shocker. Pretty pouty and moody off camera.

On the flip side, have heard from people spending time with Bode that he is just awesome. Fun, relaxed, etc. All genuine smiles. So maybe it's the heat of the battle!

So I guess MS can sleep for a week, then get back to work. Think she skips US Nationals at Sugarloaf? Or will she make the trip? I have heard all about the intense training coming up.

Meanwhile he coach is best. Mike could use a rest. I bet he has been away from home abdhis family since mid-December. He's done a great job, as exhausting as it is.

Two great podiums today. Forza Azzura on the women's side! Love be to see a real sense of team in this sport!

Going to be very sad when Hirscher calls it quits. I love to watch the guy ski. What a competitor!