Miller and other World Cup athletes test equipment; Maier sticks with Atomic

Miller and other World Cup athletes test equipment; Maier sticks with Atomic{mosimage}World Cup athletes are testing equipment this spring, many contemplating a switch from one company to another. It’s the mid-point in the Olympic cycle, a time when many World Cup athletes renew their contracts with various sponsors.

“I think this period of negotiations for contracts is quite busy this year,” said one factory’s race manager. “Nearly 80 percent of athletes are testing something. There are three categories: some want to see what’s out there, some want to put some pressure on their company, and some are really looking to do something different.”

Daron Rahlves tried Atomic boots, but said that he’s not ready to decide, and feels generally loyal to Lange. Sylviane Berthod of Switzerland, who got a podium in the season’s final World Cup downhill, tried Dynastar. Hans Knauss and Benjamin Raich of Austria tried Rossignols in timed tests. “With Raich, he was always faster with our skis in GS, and had some good results in slalom, too,” said Rossignol’s race director, Francois Sedan.

Among the many World Cup athletes who are testing equipment this month is Bode Miller, who for the last two years has skied on a combination of Rossignol skis and Nordica boots. Miller is now in Norway, where he’s testing skis from the Atomic, Salomon and Nordica factories, as well as boots from Atomic and Rossignol.

“I was just trying to get a feel for exactly what equipment I needed to be on and feel out what tactics I need to apply,” said Miller last week, after testing Atomic and Nordica tech skis in Italy. “Everything was pretty similar. Everything was pretty close.”

Among other athletes who have considered renegotiating their equipment deals was Hermann Maier, who seemed to be playing with the idea of testing skis at the end of the season. But he confirmed last week that he would remain with Atomic skis. Seeing Maier on anything but Atomics, said one person from that company, would be like taking Michael Schumacher out of his Ferrari.

Earlier this month, Miller and Atomic squabbled over statements made on Austrian television to the effect that Miller would certainly be switching to Atomic. Both Miller and Rossignol reacted angrily to the assertion, which Atomic says was the fault of the television reporter.

“We didn’t announce it,” said Atomic’s alpine race manager Rudi Huber. “It was a report on Austrian television. … The question was, ‘Is he going to test Atomic?’ and we said, ‘Yes, he is.’ We said Atomic is in the loop and he’s interested in testing. Then the TV brought it like Bode was going to change. It was a good story for them, but it was not from us.”

“It doesn’t really matter what was said, actually,” said Miller last week after the U.S. Alpine Championships in Alyeska, Alaska. “It makes no difference at all. The fact is that it was implied, and it was understood. And not just by a couple people. By a huge amount of people. And that’s just not appropriate.” Miller said the problem was that the mis-delivered information affected retail orders in Europe, and may have prompted a number of ski shop owners to reduce the number of Rossignols they would order.

“There’s no question about their intentions,” said Miller. “You don’t have to know much to know that that’s a huge benefit for them, and a huge hit for Rossignol. It’s just dirty. It’s just not good ethics. You know, I talked to them about it, and that’s that. I’m not confused about Atomic’s ethics. It’s just a matter of making the right decisions based on what I really need and what I want to do the next couple of years.”

The U.S. Ski Team’s alpine director, Jesse Hunt, watched the skirmish from the U.S. Ski Team’s offices in Park City, and looked for a silver lining. “It’s great that we have stars that make that kind of impact,” said Hunt.