Aspen: Paerson fails to finish, but eats well

Anja Paerson of Sweden likes racing in the Rocky Mountains, but she’s no fan of American food. “It’s different fat over here,” said Paerson. “So we brought a lot of Swedish food along to Aspen this year.”
Anja Paerson of Sweden likes racing in the Rocky Mountains, but she’s no fan of American food. “It’s different fat over here,” said Paerson. “So we brought a lot of Swedish food along to Aspen this year.”
    Paerson’s father Anders, who is also her coach, said that the food she brought along is high in fiber. He laughed when asked if the reigning World Cup giant slalom champion brought reindeer meat.
    “No, the meat in the United States is the best in the world,” he said.
    Paerson skied out in Saturday’s giant slalom. She complained about the tight course set, and said she dreams about one day having a women’s race held in Beaver Creek.

Exhausted Riesch trying to rebound
    Maria Riesch of Germany was back in the giant slalom gates on Saturday, finishing 17th and heaving with exhaustion in the finish area at Aspen, which is more than 8,000 feet above sea level.
    Few racers can claim to have had tougher breaks than Riesch. She finished third overall in the World Cup standings in the 2003-04 season, when she was just 19 years old. But in January of the next year she blew out her right knee, and after a long rehab period, came back to the World Cup last season only to blow her left knee out in the second run of giant slalom at Aspen.
    “I had this big success when I was just 19,” she said. “Then I wasn’t racing for almost three years. It was hard for me. For a while this last one was just not getting better. I was a little scared I would never ski again.”
    Riesch, a close personal friend of American Lindsey Kildow, got back on snow finally in August, and estimates that she has skied 35 or 40 days going into this season. She hopes to ski herself into shape.