Mikaela Shiffrin

[Karen_skier2.0]

If I clear my cache and cookies, it restarts my free articles for the month from NY Times.

 

[Muleski]

You tech whiz's.....I'll try that ^^^^^! Thanks!

 

[wutangclan]

If I clear my cache and cookies, it restarts my free articles for the month from NY Times.

Opening the link in a "private window" (Safari) or "incognito window" (Chrome) effectively resets the "viewed articles count" without having to manually clear your cache/cookies.

 

[TonyPlush]

Really interesting read from the NYT about the 35 skis.

One piece missing from the article that I'm now curious about... It seems like these ski techs are pretty valuable. How much do the top tier ski techs get paid?

 

[Muleski]

Really interesting read from the NYT about the 35 skis.

One piece missing from the article that I'm now curious about... It seems like these ski techs are pretty valuable. How much do the top tier ski techs get paid?

The best current source in this community is @Primoz.

I know guys who are teching on the WC, and some that are both coaching {more logistics and stuff} while teching. The pay is incredibly low. Even lower than what the average USST coach is paid. Which is less than a good academy or college coach is paid.

But the very top techs? I'm not sure of that current game. Most are paid by the ski companies. I assume that they are also being taken care of by their athletes. Or should be.

I would imagine that nobody is doing it for the money. I know some techs who have taken $40K coaching jobs to get away from the fumes, travel a bit less, and make more money.

But the guys teching for Hirscher, HK, MS, LV, etc.? Good question. Hopefully more, or at some point there won't be any!!

That is a huge issue facing ski racing coaches in the USA. Bringing top quality people into the coaching ranks, who will coach full time and make it a career. It doesn't pay enough, and we can't just rely on people who have other sources of income.

 

[Snowflake2420]

Apparently MS's interview this morning on NBCSN was hilarious with Carolyn Manno, anyone have a link?

 

[Dwight]

Apparently MS's interview this morning on NBCSN was hilarious with Carolyn Manno, anyone have a link?

This one?

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/mikaela-shiffrin-relieved-leave-olympics-two-medals

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/hard-work-sacrifice-all-worth-it-mikaela-shiffrin

Don't think any are with Manno

 

[Snowflake2420]

This one?

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/mikaela-shiffrin-relieved-leave-olympics-two-medals

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/hard-work-sacrifice-all-worth-it-mikaela-shiffrin

Don't think any are with Manno

No that's the NBC Today Show one.

 

[Dwight]

Looks like it isn't posted yet.

 

[Primoz]

One piece missing from the article that I'm now curious about... It seems like these ski techs are pretty valuable. How much do the top tier ski techs get paid?

I know these numbers for some (some of top guys and some of not so top guys), but I'm not really comfortable posting them. But thing is, even top of the top guys are not payed as good as someone would have thought. I can tell that back in my days, salaries were a lot, and I mean A LOT!! better then they are nowadays. Nowadays it's in best case average salary, and there's another thing... most of top guys are really paid by ski companies, but most of them are not employed by companies, but are sort of freelancers. Company pay them some amount (plus most of expenses on road), but social security etc. is on themself. So all of a sudden sort of ok salary gets half smaller (at least around here, about 50% of bruto salary goes for taxes etc.). Second part depends on athlete they have. Some of them share some of their rewards with their servicemen, some don't. It depends, but it's not a rule that they would have to.
So as @Muleski wrote, they are not doing it for money, as you could easily find better paying job.

 

[Tricia]

Only 35 skis for Olympics. That is about half than normal.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/sports/olympics/mikaela-shiffrin-skis.html

Can't open it unless you're a subscriber..........

This is another NYT article that is pretty interesting, coming from mainstream media.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive...ing.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=pay&smvar=adar

 

[Dwight]

@SkiFiore still no interview in the Internets.

 

[Snowflake2420]

hmm maybe someday haha

 

[crgildart]

What caught my attention is how much Mikaela has matured as an individual the past couple years. She's not the cute little girl anymore.. She's now THE alpha female of the sport as Lindsey fades away. She handled herself with great poise and confidence on all the PR stuff and interviews I saw, even when she was feeling awful and sick. Really proud of her to represent US!

 

[Muleski]

We had some discussion that got buried in the LV thread about her, and MS's race schedules through the end of the year. LV is not going to race until the WC Finals at Are, Sweden. She elected to skip the SG this weekend at Grans-Montana {and obviously the SC as well}.

That lead to a question of what about MS, and I had responded "hear not." She's not there so she'll ski the east tech races next weekend, then be at the WCF's. She's effectively locked up the Overall, as Wendy Holdener is not going to win seven of the eight remaining races! Would be nice to see MS lock up the overall and the SL next weekend in Germany. She still has an outside shot at the GS globe. I think that's a long shot.

If she has the SL globe and overall locked up, no pressure at all in Are, we might see her race some speed at Are, IMO, strictly to gain the experience on that hill, as the 2019 FIS World Champs are being held there. Otherwise, I would say no.

We'll see....

 

[checkracer]

Ofterschwang GS and SL is here.

Poor Serge Lang and Beattie, Bonnet, Sulzberger, the so called WC fathers. They wanted to establish the WORLD cup, 51 years later there are – among only 48 starters tomorrow – only 3 (three!) non-Europeans: Shiffrin (bib 5) and Simari-Birkner for both Americas and Robinson for Australia & Co. Which means only one „advanced“ competitor. I wouldn´t be surprised if Maria-Belen, almost 36, gives her final WC appearance, and Alice, born Dec 2001, is only gaining experience (question is whether it´s not too early for her to race WC but it´s up to her & coaches).

Very sad. The post-Olympic part of the saison has mostly been suffering but this one race/weekend is really unworthy the quality and selectivity the World Cup brings.

Sorry to say so but the Olympics are one of the worst alpine ski WC´s enemies.

 

[Dwight]

Any place to watch streaming live? Youtube shot down the channel I was using.

 

[Muleski]

Ofterschwang GS and SL is here.

Poor Serge Lang and Beattie, Bonnet, Sulzberger, the so called WC fathers. They wanted to establish the WORLD cup, 51 years later there are – among only 48 starters tomorrow – only 3 (three!) non-Europeans: Shiffrin (bib 5) and Simari-Birkner for both Americas and Robinson for Australia & Co. Which means only one „advanced“ competitor. I wouldn´t be surprised if Maria-Belen, almost 36, gives her final WC appearance, and Alice, born Dec 2001, is only gaining experience (question is whether it´s not too early for her to race WC but it´s up to her & coaches).

Very sad. The post-Olympic part of the saison has mostly been suffering but this one race/weekend is really unworthy the quality and selectivity the World Cup brings.

Sorry to say so but the Olympics are one of the worst alpine ski WC´s enemies.

Good post. Thanks.

I can't speak for the others, but Bob Beattie has had pretty strong opinions on this, even in his golden years, with respect to the position of the USA in the World Cup. He's a big believer in the concept of the Nations Cup, and not in this USST's "Best in the World" mantra, which translates to.....where the USST is today. Sad.

This is strange end to the season. The Olympic Games in Korea beat up a lot of people. The weather was severe, the delays wore athletes out, and it's on the other side of the world. Travel is rough. The way the season has unfolded, it's darn near done by March 1st. What's left to decide? A couple of globes, but not many. Those few athletes who are still in the fight for one of the globes are fully engaged. The others? Not so much. A lot of athletes taking time off and resting before wrapping it up in Are at WCF's. I do hope that we see a good showing and turnout at WCF's.

Obviously we have a bit of a reduced field with some injuries. No Resi Steigler for the USA. Not suggesting that Resi was more than a hopeful contender for a top 10 SL result before her latest knee injury. Or a top 20 GS. Unfortunately, the USST womens tech team has been weak, and perhaps it's better for our younger skiers to be skiing off the WC circuit for the rest of the season. Personally, I'd like to see more EC starts. Racing on the WC with no real chance of a second run is demoralizing. Particularly with this current womens field where you can be 5-6 seconds out in some races and still getting a second run.

So, yes, I agree that this is a particularly low point for the womens World Cup tech field. Not sure how much attention I'll pay to it. Maybe more than last weekend!

Alice Robinson. We've had some discussion here. A year ago she was racing as a U16, based at a Western US ski academy, and getting her feet wet in the bigger European Events. Then in her first FIS season, she capitalized on her first starts in her native New Zealand. Great point results. I suspect that there is a lot of "opinion" in terms of how the NZ Federation should be managing and developing her. I hear a frequent opinion that giving her some WC starts, and giving her the experience of her first Olympics at age 16 was fine, but that she is not ready to be racing full time on the WC. She has a lot to work on. A huge amount in her SL. However, she is a "chosen one", and no doubt a lot of the New Zealand federation is hoping to ride on what they see as a bright future. Are they capable of making it happen. It's potentially a LONG ride. Just my opinion. Some women thrive and improve at young ages on the WC. Many others do not. Easy to assume that everybody is the next Mikaela.

At least we have a contest for the mens' speed globes, which should make the weekend interesting. Attacking Vikings racing at home.

The WCF's entry list for the USA is going to be as small as I can recall. I think it may be five men, and four or five women. Some of that is injury, among the speed skiers, and Resi.

I sense that a lot of people just want the season to be over.

 

[checkracer]

Yes, Muleski, I agree.

Alpine skiing not being what it used to be when there were fewer leisure activities for young people, fewer sports, fewer ski disciplines without freestyle and snowboarding = not so dominant and important, there are fewer real fans and there´s less WC enthusiasm. Remember the times WC finals in the US were staged late March/even early April? We were chasing the last snowfields till June everywhere and European glaciers used to be crowded even in summer in the 60s and 70s with 100m or longer lines. Nowadays most resorts close at Christmas regardless of the snow still lying on lots of runs in the Alps.

Which means the 18th March as this year is too late not just nowadays but for two or three decades. Spring, sun, bikes, gardens are calling everywhere in Europe (maybe except Scandinavia?). Little interest in snow and skiing. Poor media coverage even in Europe.

The traditional schedule needs changes. Markus Waldner who sometimes either talks too much or cleverly tests the reactions mentioned a possible change last year.

For me, the original idea of Olympics (1968) and WSC (1970) being part of WC (or vice versa) was if not ideal then very good. Unfortunately, you can´t merge the elitist WC and “everybody´s“ OG/WCS. And there are partially different sponsors and companies involved. WC, WCS and OG are 3 great businesses and you don´t give up any of them if they work and make money.

The Olympics are, with some exaggeration, sort of WC killer. In big strong teams there´s competition for those 4 spots since summer. A lot of racers aiming at fulfilling the nomination criteria. The media repeating the Olympics are the top and climax producing extreme pressure on the racers and their teams. Some races left out before the Games (fatigue, shape, injuries). Publicity, nerves. Extreme pressure in unfamiliar environment (country, mountains, resort, runs, weather, snow).

The season is packed with races from mid-November till mid-March but it has 4 weeks without a WC race with only a few Olympic contests.

Then the end. Olympic happiness, publicity, glory. Disappointment, fatigue. It´s over. Or is it?

No, there´s still a (final WC) party you have to attend immediately after the (Olympic) Silvester/New Year celebration.

There are some solutions but there are also many interests and lobbying players involved, esp. the gang of IOC and FIS bosses and sponsors.

The WC itself is the ultimate test in Alpine ski racing. The WC champion is the best and true champ, not the guy/girl winning on day D. Sorry, Ester, darling.

There´s been a series of Formula 1 car races since 1955 and the winner has always been the World Champ. A lot of top drivers were. No one ever thought there could be a single race somewhere, not part of the series, which would determine a “world champ“. Funny idea. You´d be an idiot having suggested something like that. Yet that´s exactly what the skiers have been doing for 50 years despite the WC.

 

[Pete in Idaho]

Thanks again everyone for keeping me in the know.