Arc City

After suffering a brutal crash last year, Tommy Ford is back on skis and making GS arcs. So, to start we have Tommy actually describe what a World Cup arc feels like. Then, we get the official update on his recovery status and his timeline on return-to-racing. We talk about his personal journey from a young, energetic kid to the wiser, more balanced man he is now. Tommy is meticulous with his spec...

If basketball fans know about Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, then ski racing fans absolutely need know about Tamara McKinney: the first American woman to win the World Cup Overall title, and the only, before Lindsey and Mikaela. First, we hear the story of McKinney's gold medal at the 1989 World Championships, a gripping, multifaceted tale full of life, and death. Then we talk about her ’84 Olympic...

(Warning: the crash that broke both Sam's legs will be described (at 5:43). Sam DuPratt (2:45) is a member of the US Ski Team's World Cup speed squad. Despite his horrific injury, Sam maintains a great sense of humor. We talk about everything from the psychology of major injuries, how to best tackle recovery, and some controversial ski technique theories (wait, the fast guys lean back ?). Briefly,...

Well folks, this is a big one. Olympic champion, World Champion, and 69-time World Cup winner Mikaela Shiffrin gives us a chunk of her very-busy, Olympic-prepping schedule to talk over Zoom (2:34). First and importantly, we talk about the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund ( keeptheflamealive.org ), which gives direct aid to National Team athletes. The fund is named after Mikaela’s late father,...

For this episode, a slight change of pace. Instead of an athlete, we talk to someone inside the ski industry (2:55). Jake Stevens spent six years running the North American Race Department at Rossignol Group, and now works at a higher, more general position in the company. He gives us his inside insights on everything from cutting-edge ski technologies to how a World Cup racer develops skis to the...

Ralph Green is a Paralympian and one of the best one-legged ski racers ever (1:14). We talk about his incredible back story, from his humble beginnings in Brooklyn to his introduction to skiing and his miraculous, hard-work-pays-off leap to the U.S Ski Team. I ask him about his unique experience jumping into the ski racing world after growing up so far removed from the sport. We dive into the toug...

Things are heating up here in Arc City. Ted Ligety retires (00:36) and World Champs begins. Breezy Johnson has been on fire this season so we give her a call (4:03), and the first question is, what started this podium streak? The answer involves Breezy’s impressive recovery from back-to-back knee injuries and her fearless mentality, which, we learn isn’t as fearless as it seems. Naturally, I ask a...

Amidst a flurry of serious injuries, including that of your faithful host, we carry on! We have an interview with Ryan Cochran-Siegle (2:30) that was recorded before his gnarly Kitzbühel crash. In reverse-chronological style, we begin by talking about his recent success and how things just ‘clicked.’ We touch on his earlier years and his struggle with injury, then we round it off by discussing his...

The population of Arc City continues to grow. After the headlines (2:00), we check in with the ever-cool Tommy Ford to ask him about his recent GS podium finish (3:13). Then we a get full, in-depth interview with Lucas Braathen (7:19). The conversation starts with Lucas' latest race performances, and ends with learning who the 20-year-old kid is behind the skier. We cover all that we can in betwee...

We pick up steam this week, bringing you several fun segments, including the usual headlines (3:20), a quick COVID watch (5:00), a Skiing History nugget (6:15), and a check-in with River Radamus (7:37). Then we get to a full, in-depth interview with the American Downhiller legend himself, Steven Nyman (9:18). He talks of his humble beginnings in Utah and tells a fantastic story about his World Jun...

In his first episode back in the booth, Jimmy talks with Olympian extraordinaire Julia Mancuso (2:12). We touch on everything from Julia’s early years in Tahoe, to the relationship between surfing and skiing. We discuss Julia’s incredible talent for winning medals and go in-depth on the mental and emotional side of competition. We talk retirement, what Julia’s up to now, and finally get a good exp...