Ryan Cochran-Siegle: GEPA pictures
With new coaches, new confidence and more GS training, America’s downhillers are ready to race.
It’s been a while since American men have put on a decent show on home snow. This weekend, they hope to change that on the famed Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek, Colorado.
“The first time I was on Birds of Prey was 2011,” says Ryan Cochran-Siegle. “We’ve had success intermittently, but it would be nice to put forth a stronger effort this season.”
Besides giant slalom specialist Tommy Ford, who nabbed a World Cup victory at Beaver Creek the last time the venue hosted a GS in 2019, Cochran-Siegle has had the most success of any current U.S. racer on Birds of Prey. He has landed two sixth places in the Beaver Creek downhill— in 2019 and 2021—and took seventh in 2022, which marked the venue’s most recent races as last year’s were canceled due to heavy snow and poor visibility.
“Getting a lot of experience on the track, especially from such a young age, with all the surfaces we ski on the World Cup, it makes it easy to go with your own plan,” Cochran-Siegle says. “You’re not worried about what holes are developing or chatter and all that. It’s usually really friendly in terms of finding the ski and riding it through.”
Like several other nations, the U.S. Team has been refamiliarizing with Colorado snow at Copper Mountain, training on the downhill course for the last few weeks. Although Friday’s downhill race will mark the first of the World Cup season, Cochran-Siegle says he’ll be ready.
“I feel like I have a good approach,” the Olympic super-G medalist says. “Even from training camps, I try to bring in good intensity. So when other guys feel like they’re warming up to racing, I feel I’m ready to race on day one. I hope we can improve our results and start contending more than we have in the past.”
Tackling a technically challenging course
The Birds of Prey course is notoriously technical compared to other downhills on the circuit. It has challenged racers like Jared Goldberg and Bryce Bennett, who have found their most consistent success on more traditional, glide-oriented downhill courses. However, both athletes say their summer training block in Argentina helped them prepare for its sharp turns.
“We were in Ushuaia training GS and super-G, spending our time working on those weaknesses in technical skiing,” says Bennett, who has landed two wins and a podium in Val Gardena, Italy, and took ninth in the 2018 Beaver Creek downhill. “We had far more opportunities to really reinforce good habits coming into this season. It’s much more consistent.”
Under the tutelage of new U.S. Men’s Head Coach Mark Tilston and new Speed Coach Burkhard Schaffer, Goldberg says he also feels more confident approaching Beaver Creek.
Newfound confidence
“We had the gnarliest training. We trained with the Swiss team, with Marco [Odermatt] and the top five speed guys. The Ushuaia pitch is really fast. It’s the longest pitch you can imagine training downhill on. But that’s the difference in Burki’s coaching, making us comfortable in uncomfortable situations,” says Goldberg, who has also proven his potential with several top 10 finishes, including a fourth in the Kitzbühel downhill two seasons ago, missing the podium by hundredths of a second. However, the Birds of Prey course has proven to be his nemesis, as he’s only scored points on it twice in 10 years.
“It’s a very GS-ey downhill,” he says. “There’s been more turns over the years. We’ve worked hard training for GS. The technique has gotten better across the board. It’s more about being confident that you’re able to ski whatever type of downhill, whatever situation you’re in. You go into Beaver Creek feeling pretty good, but there’s a little doubt in the back of your mind that hinders you every time. You have to remember you’ve done all the work. If you go into that hill without GS training, it’s very surprising. It’s like, how do I do this? With the training, you don’t even have to think. Your body knows.”
The 2024 Birds of Prey races at Beaver Creek kick off with men’s downhill on Friday, Dec. 6, followed by super-G Saturday and GS Sunday.
About the Author: Shauna Farnell
