Von Appen experiencing success in Beaver Creek: GEPA PHOTOs
Having summoned the courage to overcome a serious knee injury that prevented him from racing for two seasons, Henrik Von Appen scored World Cup points two consecutive weekends. The 27-year-old Chilean racer laid it down, surprising many with a career-best 14th place result in the Beaver Creek super-g on December 4th.
Von Appen’s top 15 showing was an unprecedented accomplishment for a Chilean ski racer. He started with bib No. 40., adding to the impressiveness of the feat.
“This is beyond my wildest dreams,” Von Appen said in the finish area. “To come here in North America and score one time would have been great. The result in Lake Louise (November 27th) definitely surprised me.
“This was the best start that I could ever have. I just feel part of the circuit.”
Von Appen took advantage of the improving race conditions for the higher starters on the ‘Birds of Prey’ track on a sun-drenched Colorado morning.
Emotional moment
Moments after crossing the line, Von Appen’s emotions swiftly changed from disbelief to elation. He clocked 1:12.05, 1.32 seconds behind current leader and eventual race winner Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, good enough for 14th place. The time held up for his second career-best result in as many weeks.
Von Appen also found speed north of the border, just one week prior. He nabbed an 18th place result in the Lake Louise super-G, becoming the first Chilean skier, male or female, to score points in the 56-year history of the Alpine Ski World Cup. Chile’s success is long overdue considering that the genesis of the World Cup took place as leaders of the sport convened in Portillo, Chile, at the 1966 FIS World Championships.
Lake Louise, ironically, is also a venue with a black mark on Von Appen’s racing career.
“I had a big crash in Lake Louise in 2019 and I was a few years out of the circuit,” Von Appen says. “It took me a long time to come back. Because it took so much time, I had time to work on my fundamentals.”
Home in Chile
Von Appen grew up skiing with his family at Chilean ski resorts outside of Santiago in the massive Andes Mountains. He attributed his early season success to excellent training and snow conditions in South America during the offseason.
“This summer, we had great conditions in Chile to train. I was feeling in shape,” he said.
Von Appen rounded into form winning four South American Cup races, while attaining seven podiums over nine races in August and September. The competitions were held on familiar terrain at La Parva and Corralco, in Chile.
Processing the exhilaration of back-to-back top twenty World Cup super-G finishes in North America, Von Happen ponders what might come next.
“When I was a kid, my biggest dream was getting a top 30. But now that you did it, and you did it even better, I need to sit down and think about my life, I guess.”
Grazie Italian friends
The three-time Olympian from Chile admits that being the lone racer from his country on tour has been lonely at times. However, Von Appen has adapted over 63 career starts and nearly a decade on tour.
“It’s always been difficult. Many, many years I’ve been training by myself,” he says. “But the last 8 years I’ve had great collaborations with friends, and now with Italy.”
“They come to my house (in Chile) and I try to help them as much as I can. They help me here on the World Cup giving me great information. My Italian teammates share with me and I really learn from them – watching (Matteo) Marsaglia, (Christof) Innerhofer, (Dominik) Paris and (Matteo) Casse.
“It’s been hard, but now I think we’ve found the correct set-up to attack this World Cup circuit,” he adds.
While the Italian hospitality has certainly been welcomed, he is still far, far, away from home. Northern Italy is nearly 12,000 kilometers from Santiago, Chile, roughly a 20-hour trip.
Von Appen is accustomed to spending the majority of a six-month season in hotels. Recently married, Henrik is looking forward to making some changes next season.
“Next year, I’m going to move with my wife – we’re looking for a place, maybe in Innsbruck, so I can feel more like home.
“Maybe we need to find some sponsors also to make it economically affordable. Being married, I want to provide for my family. Until now, it’s just been losing money while skiing.”
All in the family
Von Appen has represented his native Chile at three Olympic Winter Games. He served as the country’s opening ceremony flag bearer in PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022.
The Olympic spirit runs thick in his family’s blood. His father and cousin Nadja were Olympic sailors. Another cousin, Kai, also represented Chile as an alpine skier at PyeongChang 2018. His mother was a top-ranked tennis player.
“You could say we are a really sporting family from a far-away nation that loves to compete at the highest level,” Von Appen said.
His best Olympic result, 27th, came in the Beijing 2022 super-G. However, he has overcome inexperience and adversity, battling various injuries to compete at the Olympics.
“To be honest, I was never prepared. I hope I will be prepared for one more,” he said, referring to arm and knee injuries.”
Von Appen has lofty goals for Milan-Cortina 2026.
“My biggest dream is to be the first Latin American to have a Winter Olympic Games medal,” Von Appen says. “I thought I was going to retire in two years, but now maybe I will do one more Olympics.”
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About the Author: Brian Pinelli
