Skiing is Believing Podcast’s Very Own Ford Focus: World Cup Winner, Tommy Ford Shares His Story

Featured Image: Tommy Ford competing on the World Cup circuit. Credit: GEPA

To mark the 30^th episode of the Skiing is Believing podcast’s summer series, Alan and Matt welcomed Stifel US Ski Team giant slalom athlete to the show, Tommy Ford.

Ford shared his experiences of hitting the slopes from a very young age. His enthusiasm for speed developed rapidly, leading him to participate in youth racing competitions. It did not take long for coaches to identify his exceptional talent.

At the age of 19, he achieved notable success by securing a silver medal in the slalom event at the 2009 World Junior Championship held in Garmisch.

Almost 15 years have passed since a 20-year-old Tommy first entered a World Cup start gate. In this interview, he reflected on the various experiences, both positive and negative, that he has encountered over the past decade and a half. The most notably high being his World Cup win at home in the 2018 Birds of Prey Giant Slalom from Beaver Creek.

Ford also talked about how he has seen a very strong American team become weakened after certain retirements. Nevertheless, he is now confident that River Radamus is poised for success in the near future, particularly after achieving his first World Cup podium finish in Palisades Tahoe this past February, a significant moment that Ford was fortunate to witness.

He also believes that there is now strength in the women’s technical and speed teams, which has taken time but can be built around the unrivaled success of Mikaela Shiffrin.

Upon reaching the age of 35 at the 2024 FIS World Cup finals in Saalbach, Matt inquired whether Tommy harbored any regrets regarding his career to date. The sole matter that appeared to surface was the opportunity he missed to broaden his World Cup skiing experience beyond giant slalom to include slalom, a discipline in which he had previously excelled, or super-g, in which he has participated in 15 World Cup races.

Going into a World Championship season, Ford is very confident that he can continue to compete at the very highest level. It would also have significant meaning for any American if they can qualify for next season’s FIS World Cup Finals, as they’re being held in Sun Valley, Idaho.

If you enjoyed reading this article, we hope you can tune in via the links below. You can visit the Skiing is Believing podcast’s Instagram or YouTube channel, where they have a catalog of interviews recorded over the last eight months. Don’t hesitate to contact the Skiing is Believing podcast either via mattgarcka.skiingisbelievingpodcast@gmail.com, with feedback, advice, or improvements.