Bradshaw Underhill / Schladming Planai GS / GEPA pictures
Raised in Newbury, New Hampshire, Bradshaw Underhill has long dreamed of his World Cup debut. On Tuesday night, January 27, that dream came true as the Middlebury College graduate raced the Schladming giant slalom under the Planai lights.
He began pursuing ski racing seriously at Killington Mountain Valley School in Vermont between the ages of 15 and 20, where his love for the sport grew, and graduated in 2019.
NCAA Journey
Underhill then enjoyed a successful college career at Middlebury College, Vermont, as part of a team that included Canadian World Cup skiers Ali Nullmeyer and Justin Alkier, as well as Team Global Racing’s Tim Gavett.
Despite being 25 years old and making his World Cup debut this week, Underhill firmly believes his time in college set him on the right path to succeed on tour.
Underhill’s season so far
His consistent performances on the Nor-Am Cup circuit and his first Europa Cup points in both technical disciplines put him on a path to earning a World Cup start this season.
Getting the call
Underhill recalls: “After Turnau (Europa Cup giant slaloms), I knew it was on the table, but Apex and I said we weren’t going to go searching. Stifel U.S. Ski Team men’s technical head coach Mark Tilston called Sasha Rearick (Apex2100 alpine director) and said I had the spot. Sasha then called me up and said, ‘You have the spot for Schladming.’
The race itself
As the last starter, with bib 64, Underhill skied like a veteran, missing the second-run cut by 0.58 seconds and finishing 33rd. He admits there were a few mistakes in the run, but says he was very happy with his World Cup debut performance.
Underhill admits the pre-race nerves were present: “My heart rate didn’t go below 160bpm in the last hour before race start.”
Conditions and the crowd
On a very icy Planai racecourse, Underhill says conditions were “as fair as they could be,” the last bib, adding, “I thought my edges were razor sharp, but for that icy surface a lot of the guys were sharper.”
The energy the infamous Planai crowd brings to every athlete is memorable. While there weren’t tens of thousands of people in the stadium when Underhill came down, he notes, “When Patrick Feurstein came into the lead in the second run, the noise was unreal.”
Time with Apex2100
Bradshaw joined the Apex2100 project last summer and has since enjoyed success this season on the Continental Cup circuit. He secured his first Nor-Am podium with a win in Mont Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, in slalom earlier this month and scored a Europa Cup personal best of 11th in Turnau, Austria, on January 21st – the result that caught Tilston’s eye.
On his time with Apex so far, Underhill says: “Really means a lot to me. It’s a newer process on the men’s side, a mix of older and younger athletes, all pushing each other. We have some guys that are fast, and it feels like we are back in college getting the team firing together.”
Moving forward
Next week, Underhill looks to continue his strong start to the Nor-Am Cup season in Whiteface, New York. He sits third in the Nor-Am Cup standings, sixth in the slalom standings and seventh in the giant slalom ranks. He will participate in all eight men’s races from February 4 to February 12, across all four disciplines.
Underhill added, “Another World Cup start would be cool, but it probably depends on my Nor-Am results next week — we’ll see how it goes.”
His debut highlights the strength of U.S. NCAA collegiate skiing and the depth of American talent now ready to perform at the highest level. Underhill showed he has what it takes to score World Cup points when opportunities arise.
About the Author: Matt Garcka
