BEAVER CREEK,COLORADO. Dec. 2021. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. Photo: GEPA pictures
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is the defending World Cup downhill and super-G champion. Now Kilde is aiming for the 2023 overall title. Previously, he won the title in the Covid- shortened 2020 season.
Kilde has revealed to SRM that he has a close connection to America, which goes beyond his relationship with his girlfriend Mikaela Shiffrin and his ambitions for this season.
Winning the downhill and getting second in super-G, Kilde experienced his first Lake Louise podium results last weekend just in time, considering the races will not be included in next year’s calendar. Knowing he’s in top form, Aleksander now expects great things in Beaver Creek, where he won two of the three races last season and has five podium results in his career.
I love to compete in America
Every American who follows skiing should know that Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Mikaela Shiffrin are a couple. In May 2021, Kilde confirmed it officially, posting a picture of them on Instagram: “If you know, you know… and now you know,” he wrote.
Kilde’s connection with America goes way back. He has spent a lot of time in the US, and his brother even moved here to study and compete for a period: “It’s a funny story. I’m with an American, Mikaela, and my brother’s with an American. His wife is from Denver. We have some family in Aspen as well. I had been connected to America for a long time before meeting Mikaela,” Kilde explains.
Familiar with both Norwegian and American cultures, Aleksander has a clear idea of what the main differences are. “There are quite a lot of differences between Norway and the US, for sure. Everything is bigger in the States; we have different cultures, ways of living, and relating with people. Norwegians are generally not as friendly; they’re not as open as Americans. We can seem grumpy, but we’re just shy. Americans are nice and humble and like to make a little story big – the marketing, the presentation, the narrative, and the storytelling. They’re very good at it; that’s something I admire.
“The ESPY Awards are a great example of this, the way they make stars out of basketball players and football players. They take care of their athletes and make them big stars in the States. I like to see how it’s done; that’s something we need to learn from them in Europe and elsewhere.”
Racing in North America
In addition to the classic events, the White Circus will have a new block of American races this year: “It’s interesting to have more races here. As an athlete, I love competitions in America.”
Lake Louise and Beaver Creek are always great events. Aspen is a beautiful place, as is Palisades Tahoe.
“I love to compete in America because the snow is fantastic and the weather is often great, so it’s usually good races. It’s sunny and has very nice ski resorts. I’m excited about it, and I can’t wait. The down part is that we must travel over twice. We talk about the environment and costs and the economy in ski federations, all that’s challenging and needs to be addressed in the future. The US dollar is also very strong and has an impact. We want to compete in more races in America, but maybe we should have a single US trip, all American races at the end or the beginning of the season, avoiding flying two times back and forth.”
From Bærum to Innsbruck
Born in 1992, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde cares about all his names: “Aamodt is my mother’s surname, and I decided to use it (as many people in Norway do). She cares about it too, and that is important for me.”
Another great skier answered to the name of Aamodt, the medal-record man Kjetil André.
“He was an extraordinary ski racer. He and his father both follow me closely. Of course, they love ski racing and are happy we have the same surname, even though we’re unrelated. They keep texting me, congratulating me for good results. Kjetil was one of my idols, with Lasse Kjus and Kjetil Jansrud. Each of them gave me something. I could be alongside them and learn from them, and of course, from Aksel Lund Svindal.”
Kilde’s family is from Bærom, in Viken County, twenty minutes from Norway’s capital city, Oslo. The family moved away from the city when he was a teenager. At that time, Aleksander knew he wanted to ski after playing soccer for years. His mother, father, and older brother Andreas all contributed and are still an essential part of Kilde’s career, helping him with management, marketing, communication, and more: “a family business which for now is working well.”
Ten years ago, in 2012, the skier from Bærum debuted on the World Cup at the Sölden GS. That season he also won the overall and Super-G European Cup titles. Shortly after that, he gave up on slalom, deciding to compete on shorter skis only in alpine combined races, in which he won several competitions, including the Olympic silver medal in Beijing in 2022.
Keeping his GS competitive
His World Cup victories are all in downhill and super-G. However, his best World Cup result in GS is fourth place and remains an essential discipline for Kilde: “I haven’t skied GS as much as I did a couple of years ago because of my injury (in 2021). I want to compete in GS. At Sölden, despite some mistakes, I generally felt okay. I’m trying again. If I want to win another big globe, I need to have some results in GS.”
With a tight schedule filled with training for different racing disciplines, primarily in the Alps, Kilde found himself a new base, more logistically favorable to access competitions. “I have lived in Innsbruck, Austria, since December 2020 and I like it. It’s one of my favorite places to be. I also have good friends who live there, and I have a good situation. Base Five is where I do excellent training and continue the way I want during the season. Good facilities, good people, good location.”
Will Mikaela visit Kilde in Innsbruck?
When asked if Mikaela would visit him in Innsbruck, he wasn’t very optimistic: “For me, being in Innsbruck, it’s great, and of course, if she wants to join me when she has a break, it would be great. Mikaela’s schedule and mine are very tight, so we don’t know if Innsbruck is in our future. We must go easy with the planning and see where we’re going. It’s a topic for later!”
Are you planning some training together during winter? “In the summer, it’s much easier; we love training together. In the winter, there are fewer opportunities, and when I am with my team, I am with my team, Mikaela is the same. When we train at the same place, it’s still great; we can hang out in the afternoon and do things together.”
A season for medals
“It is time to think about winter. We enjoyed a perfect summer and went to many places – Cabo, Maui, the States, and Norway. However, the highlight for me was probably the Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone in the UK. It was such a fun and great experience, not just because it was Formula One. I was in good company with Mikaela, my brother, and his wife. We experienced amazing service; we were spoiled. Seeing the event live, the interest in this sport and the joy and excitement it brings to so many people at the circuit was incredible. We had a great time together.”
However, while training in Chile, he could train for a few days with Shiffrin, which went well.
About his season’s goals: “Kitzbühel is a special race, for sure. You go there and never expect to win; that’s so hard. It is a spectacular race, and it’s just a lot of hype. You have insane course sections and seventy thousand people watching. It’s one of the most interesting and cool World Cup races and it’s always on our minds. Winning (the downhill for the first time in January) was insane! Now there is a gondola with my name on it in Kitzbühel. I’d love to have another one, hopefully, this winter.”
Pursuing a World Championship medal
The other major event on Kilde’s agenda is the World Championships. He has never claimed a World Championship medal. “Courchevel is going to be awesome, and it’s a fun downhill. It was warm last year at the Finals, creating a challenge for us. But this February it will be amazing; the snow will be good and I like the course. It has a good flow and many turns.
We’ll see if something on the hill will change, maybe longer, bigger turns. We’ll find out soon.” Will Kilde be able to transform his double fourth place at the Finals into a precious medal result at Courchevel? We’ll see.
In the meantime, let’s enjoy watching him compete in the World Cup.
About the Author: Andrea Cappelletti
