Between the seasons of 2002 and 2005, American Daron Rahlves claimed two wins and five podiums on the famed Birds of Prey course. Who better, then, to counsel fellow Californian Travis Ganong in the days leading up to his silver medal performance at the FIS 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships?

At age 41, Rahlves was on hand forerunning as POV to capture on-course footage of the track for broadcast purposes. Skiing at roughly 60 percent, Rahlves said the footage is the fastest ever captured on the Birds of Prey hill. (The U.S. Ski Team will use it for training other athletes, too, he added.)

Rahlves’s impact on Ganong during the first week of World Champs in Beaver Creek was largely inspirational and motivational, but there was also some tactical advice that was shared between the North Lake Tahoe locals — notably the bottom of Talon Turn. Rahlves suggested taking a straighter line and completing the whole turn on the road, which is how he won the downhill in 2005. Ganong gave it a whirl in the final training run, but it didn’t pan out; he finished in 22nd and decided to return to his previously planned line for race day.

Daron Rahlves celebrates his Birds of Prey win alongside Bode Miller in 2005. USSA

“The set is a lot different right now, but I tried some of the stuff he was talking about,” said Ganong. “It didn’t really work, but it was fun to try something new. The way it’s set now with the speed coming in there. It doesn’t really link up well.”

In a video session with his mountain mentor, Ganong watched the 2005 Rahlves Birds of Prey run, which remains the fastest time down the Beaver Creek course from an abbreviated start. This year, on race day, Rahlves rode the chairlift with Ganong — they talked about the powder back home in California — and inspected the course together. Rahlves said he felt Ganong was well prepared.

“I think easy going to be fast today,” said Rahlves minutes before Ganong’s silver-medal run. “I kind of wanted to just fire him up a little bit, you know? Say, ‘Hey, you want to see the fastest run ever down Beaver Creek?’ … We talked about tactics, how I approach this course on race day, aerodynamics, where you’ve got to really push it. So many guys have the skills physically, but it’s all about getting yourself mentally ready and executing — sticking it on the way down.”

Rahlves flies at the World Championships in Bormio in 2005. GEPA

With his first career World Cup win and first World Championships medal coming this season, Ganong, 26, could finally be making the breakout onto the top tier of the world’s downhillers, as many have long hoped he would.

“We’ve known each other for a long time, and he’s a good friend of mine,” said Ganong of Rahlves. “I trust him. It was just good having that kind of support system too. At the same time, there are so many variables. You have to just push kind of hard and hope for the best. Today, I pushed hard and had a great run.”