2nd in Kitzbuhel last season was his podium. Reading that I was just about to say "you can't really compare him to HK though" considering his background it's hard to compare him to any of the alpine/scandic/american skiers etc but on second thought, it's actually pretty phenomenal that you can compare him to HK, MH and all the best slalom skiers in the world!
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Levi World Cup
I think Ryding has the capacity to take one step up. His breakthrogh was last season when he went from a sometimes 2nd run to a steady top ten. Goal this season must be a steady top five and first win. Very even field.
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Are we all pretty much in agreement on Dave Ryding, and on the mens SL field? Sounds that way. All good points.
Hope they all fine tune things before the next start, December 10th, Val D'Isere.
Field is very strong and deep. Should be a great season for Dave and the rest.
I don't want this to become an "Epic" discussion if you follow me.
Keep it up, if you'd like. Nothing more for me to add. Out on this one.
Maybe we should start a Val D'Isere thread and make podium predictions? Ryding gets one of mine. With this field predicting even top five or top ten is interesting. Good stuff.
Hope they all fine tune things before the next start, December 10th, Val D'Isere.
Field is very strong and deep. Should be a great season for Dave and the rest.
I don't want this to become an "Epic" discussion if you follow me.
Keep it up, if you'd like. Nothing more for me to add. Out on this one.
Maybe we should start a Val D'Isere thread and make podium predictions? Ryding gets one of mine. With this field predicting even top five or top ten is interesting. Good stuff.
Results are what will be remembered historically but I am as interested in exceptional performance, & Ryding showed that at Levi right up till it went wrong.
SL & GS are refered to as the “tech” events & for me I am intrigued by the subtle differences in technique, tactics & execution. After watching this weekend, I am excited to see the adjustments guys like Hirscher, Gross & others make after what for them must’ve been a disappointing race. Lots to watch on the men’s side in SL with really only 1 or 2 on the women’s side in SL.
On to Val D’Isere where hopefully the new GS skis will allow for some exceptional technical performances on a course that has been a real grinder in recent years.
Lake Louise also just received the go ahead for the speed events, to me a less than exciting venue which may after yesterday’s tragedy be a somber event
BTW, I mentioned Val D'Isere as it's the next men's Slalom on the calendar. Was not thinking of a thing but this SL group, and SL discussion.
Interesting to think about all of the guys who JUST ski SL, those who ski SL and GS, those who also dabble a bit in GS, and the rare few who will also start a SG. The Sl specialists have a almost a month to be at work. Will some of the tech guys, on the dabbling side of GS blow off heading to Beaver Creek for the BOP GS? Dunno.
I won't get into the rest. yet.
Agree on LL. It will be sad. Huge loss yesterday. A real tragedy.
SL will be fun this year, for sure!
Interesting to think about all of the guys who JUST ski SL, those who ski SL and GS, those who also dabble a bit in GS, and the rare few who will also start a SG. The Sl specialists have a almost a month to be at work. Will some of the tech guys, on the dabbling side of GS blow off heading to Beaver Creek for the BOP GS? Dunno.
I won't get into the rest. yet.
Agree on LL. It will be sad. Huge loss yesterday. A real tragedy.
SL will be fun this year, for sure!
We (square heads) have Myhrer; Frida and Sara Hector skiing both SL and GS (Mph too, but injured). It’s a pretty tough schedule. I’m thinking of Ms Shifrin that is sort of looking at speed (SG). If she focus on SL — and ski GS for fun — this and next season, she will be the 86 contender. Not LV. Once of a generation.
If she focus on SL — and ski GS for fun — this and next season, she will be the 86 contender. Not LV. Once of a generation.[/QUOTE
& she will have done it (86) mostly in tech just like Mr. Stenmark.
Yeah I agree, my armchair amateur coaching advice is that MS should concentrate on SL and pick and choose convenient GS courses that favor her.
She can always switch to speed after knee surgeries.
She can always switch to speed after knee surgeries.
I think there is likely a lot of discussion about "the plan", in her camp. As many here know, her mother has very much been the one in charge, at least through last season. There has been chatter than she is perhaps stepping back, but I have a hard time believing it. They are incredibly close.
We also hear, all the time, that Mikaela is the hardest worker on the WC, skis and trains more volume, etc. That has really surprised me, as her "roots" are with Kirk Dwyer who is the number one proponent of "periodization" in the sport. MS grew up with big blocks of rest, focused but limited training, and few race starts. Granted that was when she was younger. She still loves to nap, get her sleep, etc.
When you add SG to the plan for a SL skier, it is NOT easy. The training is different, at different hills. The schedule aligns with DH, so the travel from SL and SL/GS venues to race SG is very hard, and exhausting. Many veteran coaches would say almost impossible these days.
I have not been close enough to her program to know what she's been training since she resumed skiing in August. What I did see at Levi is that her SL did not look great. Yes, it looked good relative to the rest of the field, but it didn't look like her. She "normally" would put time on the field on every single direction change on the pitch, and rip through the flat. Levi is a hill where with her A SL game, she could win by a second each run. There is also a lot of other "stuff' that needs to be fully sorted out early season, and if you are skiing three events, it's three times the work. For example, dialing in boots, skis, and the whole binding/plate setup. I think she has a setup problem with her SL boots, at least on one side. I assume that she is racing in different boots for GS, and there was a lot of spraying and chattering at Soelden. Just a guess.
When she is fully dialed in, and has been training well, her basic move is a lighting quick switch and a very early smooth roll onto the edge. Not a hint of a harsh jam. No chattering, almost no spray.
I just think she has some work to do. I think she can clearly be in a position to just dominate in SL, soon. We may see it look better at Killington. I also think she can be an every day podium threat in GS. I would bet that each hour spent on SG compromises those two. No question she can ski SG. She could ski DH. Nobody can ski four events well these days. Impossible. I think there is some plan that at some point she could. I would hate to see it. But, I'm a fan, not involved in it.
She is without question the best SL skier of this generation. Probably this lifetime and all-time. Why mess with that? I would not be surprised if she could become right at/near the top of the GS field. It will be tougher as she is just not incredibly athletic. But nobody will out think her, out prepare her, or out work her. The SG? Yeah, she can win the combined in Korea. Yeah, maybe if everything fell perfectly, she might even snag a bronze in the SG. I think think there is ZERO shot at four medals, and I would be delighted to hear that talk stop.
For the equipment and set up geeks on here, I hope they get it right for this year. I would not be surprised one bit to see her testing at the end of the season, when I believe her contract is up. She's in a position to get a record sized deal, and I suspect that a few companies will be in on it. I'm not convinced that she couldn't be even faster on different material....despite the huge resources that Atomic pours into her.
Dropping the SG would not disappoint me one bit. I would like to see her skip Lake Louise.
Of course somebody is likely doing all the math to try to maximize her overall chances. It's not that easy, IMO to plan to out.
Best of luck to her!
We also hear, all the time, that Mikaela is the hardest worker on the WC, skis and trains more volume, etc. That has really surprised me, as her "roots" are with Kirk Dwyer who is the number one proponent of "periodization" in the sport. MS grew up with big blocks of rest, focused but limited training, and few race starts. Granted that was when she was younger. She still loves to nap, get her sleep, etc.
When you add SG to the plan for a SL skier, it is NOT easy. The training is different, at different hills. The schedule aligns with DH, so the travel from SL and SL/GS venues to race SG is very hard, and exhausting. Many veteran coaches would say almost impossible these days.
I have not been close enough to her program to know what she's been training since she resumed skiing in August. What I did see at Levi is that her SL did not look great. Yes, it looked good relative to the rest of the field, but it didn't look like her. She "normally" would put time on the field on every single direction change on the pitch, and rip through the flat. Levi is a hill where with her A SL game, she could win by a second each run. There is also a lot of other "stuff' that needs to be fully sorted out early season, and if you are skiing three events, it's three times the work. For example, dialing in boots, skis, and the whole binding/plate setup. I think she has a setup problem with her SL boots, at least on one side. I assume that she is racing in different boots for GS, and there was a lot of spraying and chattering at Soelden. Just a guess.
When she is fully dialed in, and has been training well, her basic move is a lighting quick switch and a very early smooth roll onto the edge. Not a hint of a harsh jam. No chattering, almost no spray.
I just think she has some work to do. I think she can clearly be in a position to just dominate in SL, soon. We may see it look better at Killington. I also think she can be an every day podium threat in GS. I would bet that each hour spent on SG compromises those two. No question she can ski SG. She could ski DH. Nobody can ski four events well these days. Impossible. I think there is some plan that at some point she could. I would hate to see it. But, I'm a fan, not involved in it.
She is without question the best SL skier of this generation. Probably this lifetime and all-time. Why mess with that? I would not be surprised if she could become right at/near the top of the GS field. It will be tougher as she is just not incredibly athletic. But nobody will out think her, out prepare her, or out work her. The SG? Yeah, she can win the combined in Korea. Yeah, maybe if everything fell perfectly, she might even snag a bronze in the SG. I think think there is ZERO shot at four medals, and I would be delighted to hear that talk stop.
For the equipment and set up geeks on here, I hope they get it right for this year. I would not be surprised one bit to see her testing at the end of the season, when I believe her contract is up. She's in a position to get a record sized deal, and I suspect that a few companies will be in on it. I'm not convinced that she couldn't be even faster on different material....despite the huge resources that Atomic pours into her.
Dropping the SG would not disappoint me one bit. I would like to see her skip Lake Louise.
Of course somebody is likely doing all the math to try to maximize her overall chances. It's not that easy, IMO to plan to out.
Best of luck to her!
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I'd love to see what she can do when not on Atomic. I think we'll see that next year.
I'd love to at least get word that she is going to test some other stuff. We won't know that until the season ends. I have a hunch that a couple of other companies' boots and skis might make her faster, which is a scary thought. Just a hunch, at the very best. Think it also depends on the plan...which events, etc.
Dunno, they have had to mess with her boots for years. I don't know what to say about the skis. When she was winning runs by a second plus on a regular basis, the issue may not have been as acute. They were building her skis that she dominated on. Maybe the athletes have caught up a bit, and perhaps they are on "better" skis.
Her contract does end at the close of this season, and normally that would mean testing and then negotiating. No doubt every company will want her. Frankly, I wonder how many can afford her without cutting {actually not resigning} some others {which I am sure they would}.
We'll see.
Got to observe her testing GS skis last Spring at Squaw, she was all business but still took a moment out for a picture with a fan.
^Thanks for that. Got to see Loic Meillard’s 2nd run, super smooth in the top flats, doing just eneugh & creating minimum friction. Seemed like he was skiing conservative, perhaps holding back to assure himself points & a spot in the top 30. Now I’ll have to go back and find his first run 
.
I remember 10 or more years ago when the races were televised on the Outdoor Channel? Or maybe ESPN? they just plugged in the the British Eurosport’s feed. Always the best & most entertaining coverage!
Forgot I shot this clip of Shiffrin last Spring during the ski testing on Red Dog.
. I remember 10 or more years ago when the races were televised on the Outdoor Channel? Or maybe ESPN? they just plugged in the the British Eurosport’s feed. Always the best & most entertaining coverage!
Forgot I shot this clip of Shiffrin last Spring during the ski testing on Red Dog.
Thanks.
I'm not sure why all these tv outlets make it so hard to watch ski racing. Grrrrrrr
Right you are. Outdoor Life Network {OLN}, later known as Versus, now NBCSports. I guess many acquisitions.
Back in the day coverage on OLN was easy and great.
I was just posting on US Skiing and Snowboarding rebranding thread.
One would think that the organization, skiracingmedia, and heaven forbid even NBC might find a way to make a season supscription to the Eurosport feed available on line.
It's far too complicated as is. Everybody acknowledges that the sport needs to attract more fans. So.....those that hold the licensing agreements are not doing much.
Maybe I'm making it overly simpistic. I look at why and how, and gloss over the details!!!
Yeah OLN that's the one, thanks.
It's another catcha 22. They want/need more interest & viewership but it won't happen without accessabile coverage.
Grrrrrr is right!
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