Radamus has dedicated his life to the nuts and bolts of ski racing. In the first article of a three-part series, he identifies an issue the sport needs to address. Part two will examine the causes of the challenges and compare our system to other nations’. The third article in the series will focus on suggested solutions. One thing is sure; this series will initiate engaging conversations.

Ski racing is a fantastic sport. It requires courage and discipline, strength and finesse, equipment, technique and tactics, preparation and luck. No single quality determines the winner. We conduct our sport in a dynamic environment with ever-changing weather, snow conditions, terrain, and course sets. Every run and every turn is unique and interesting. It’s no wonder we all love it so much. 

Kids like me don’t ski race anymore 

I learned to ski in my Minnesota backyard, eventually skiing on a golf course with 60 vertical feet, lights and three rope tows. I skied every winter day after school and at the nearby park on weekends. My parents knew nothing about skiing. However, they eventually put me on a ski bus every Saturday to ski some of the bigger hills around the Midwest. 

Watching Jean-Claude Killy win three Olympic gold medals kindled my dream to become a ski racer. Aluminum tent poles were the first “gates” I skied on the slope that I ski-packed behind my house. I wanted to race but didn’t know how to get started. So, I waited until I was eligible to try out for the ski team at my public school.

Both of my parents worked, and we lived in a comfortable two-bedroom home in the suburbs. My parents paid their mortgage and saved for my education. Dad moonlighted with additional work from home. We took a vacation once to Wisconsin. 

Eventually, I learned about licensed racing from my school teammates. I joined USSA and a local racing team for a coaching fee I paid with lawn mowing money. We trained at a ski area 30 minutes from home and raced most of our races within easy driving distance. There was one coach for about 30 of us. As I improved, I joined a more competitive team an hour away, which led me to ski in Can-Am / Nor-Am races. Additionally, I spent two years on a Pro Tour as I began my career coaching.

This story was not unique. Most of my ski racing friends and competitors came from similar, ordinary backgrounds. 

Ski racing demographics

Ski racing has always been populated mainly by the kids of white, affluent parents. Those who lived without easy, daily access to snow were generally more affluent, having weekend homes closer to lifts. Those who already lived near the slopes were often the sons and daughters of parents who worked on the mountain in service industries and the trades. The demographics of the clubs were representative of their communities. This is no longer the case.

“Investing” in the sport

Increased professionalization of children’s ski racing has driven up program costs. As a result, expectations are raised for a return on the “investment.” Rather than focusing on the joy of the sport and the life experiences gained, pursuing the uncommon achievement of national team selection or college scholarships becomes an expectation. COVID-induced migration and work from anywhere culture have populated resort communities with more affluence pressuring their clubs to provide more. This, in turn, makes the program more costly for all families. As ski racing becomes more expensive, the people engaging in the sport are drawn from a more affluent demographic, creating a cycle that raises expectations and costs further. The sport is becoming less and less accessible to ordinary people. We are well on the way from being a sport for the upper middle class to a sport for the wealthy.

Demands for more coaches, increased services, off-season camps, discretionary out of division, region and international competition trips all contribute to these escalating costs. Ski instructors, coaches, resort employees and many other workers cannot fund ski racing dreams. Sport professionals often guide their children away from their sport with the knowledge of the financial toll it will take. This is particularly challenging if the child’s passion and commitment result in high performance. Many kids growing up in an environment where snow sports are available can no longer get involved in racing. That is just wrong.

Ski racing has a problem 

Many with easy, daily access to snow and lifts don’t have the financial resources to pursue the sport. Those with financial resources often don’t have easy, daily access to snow.

When families and their kids growing up near snow and ski lifts cannot access the sport, the talent pool to populate our national teams and stand on podiums weakens.  When we only draw from the most affluent families, often without daily and easy access to skiing as children, the system’s potential is also greatly diminished. In the long term, the skiing industry is deprived of an essential pool of former competitors who have regularly become the instructors, coaches, ski area operators, manufacturer’s representatives and industry leaders needed to sustain the sport.

The pathway in ski racing isn’t quite like the road to an F1 seat, but it isn’t like pursuing soccer or basketball either. We must work to become closer to the latter and less of the former. Ski racing must be made more accessible at the entry-level and have a lower cost of advancement through the performance pipeline. Club and academy fees are the single most significant costs for most ski racers and are under the control of our organizations. At a particular stage, travel becomes a more significant share of the expense. Hotels, restaurants, airlines and rental car companies will not give away their products and services to our community. Donations and sponsorships cannot pay all these costs for us. We need to reduce the need for these services to make an impact. 

Resorts and equipment suppliers are not the cause of the problem

Regular targets for criticism are equipment and lift ticket costs. But ski equipment manufacturers and resorts are not at fault for our problem. The ski industry, more than any other entity, provides support through discounted and donated products and services, eventually providing funding to athletes and cash for events. An argument for increased support wears thin if mostly wealthy kids participate in our programs. Who will give away their products and services to those who can easily afford to pay full price? We can strengthen the relationship with resorts and manufacturers when we show we are doing everything we can as participants, clubs and governance to address the cost issue and attract more kids, families and attention to the sport.

The solution is not more scholarships and financial aid that feeds the beast. While positively impacting individuals, even significant resources have limited reach in providing broad accessibility. Families with homes, cars and six-figure incomes don’t fit the typical description of demonstrated “need” for financial aid. While reasonable to expect a family to make sacrifices for their child’s education, is it suitable for families to take a second mortgage, dip into college savings and rainy-day funds, take second and third jobs, give up vacations, or drop their insurance to fund their child’s ski racing dream? Countless parents have and do. These families don’t consider themselves to have a need and either won’t apply for aid or have difficulty demonstrating need. However, spending tens of thousands of dollars for a youth sports activity, sometimes for multiple children, is not trivial.

Keeping up with the Joneses

Performance can, in fact, be bought to a certain extent. Increased on-snow time, intensive coaching, and traveling the world to find the optimal races for scoring can all make an impact. Athletes, coaches and parents see this and jump on board to keep up. Those with hard-earned experience recognize that these unnecessary excesses provide only short-term gain and that success can only be earned at the highest levels. The sport structure must be such that performance is rewarded with increased opportunity and support while the impact of the discretionary application of resources is minimized. Costs must be lowered first for everyone.  Then the scholarships and financial aid provided through fund-raising and donations will have the desired impact.

The ski racing community can provide solutions

As a nation with a long history and exceptional performance in ski racing, we can aspire to increase accessibility, lower cost and improve personal and athletic outcomes. These goals are not at odds. We should expect to consistently field the most competitive teams in the world while presenting a sport that kids of all ages, levels and backgrounds can enjoy and pursue their dreams to the highest level of their commitment and potential.

Next: There is a reason for optimism. What is being done now and what more can be done? There are solutions if we collectively lean in. We can easily address simple problems. Difficult ones are persistent and will require extraordinary effort to solve.