The Shred Spread

Ted Ligety Talks Worlds Domination

It’s the final weekend of racing at the Vail/Beaver Creek 2015 World Champs, and the disco dancing of slalom is last on the docket. With the clock ticking and the crowds flooding the Red Tail finish area, there seemed like no better time to catch up with Ted Ligety. Lucky for us, the now five-time world champion and king of the last Worlds — at Schladming in 2013 — agreed to sit down and chat about the spotlight on him and his company, Shred Optics and Slytech Protection.

Carlo Janka, Beaver Creek Down Hill. Credit GEPA

“World Championships are definitely a big deal,” said Ligety. “Being a world champion is one of the biggest honors you can have in ski racing. Having this event in the U.S. is huge; I think it’s really cool having the events televised here. It’s good for our sport to have it out there in front of the public in the U.S. Having big stars on the team like myself, Bode, Lindsey, and Mikaela brings the sport to higher level of consciousness in the U.S.”

Lara Gut, St. Moritz. Credit GEPA

Ligety said the crowds have amplified the experience, especially when he took gold in the GS. “The attendance has been huge,” he said. “When I went up for the downhill race, super combined and super G, there were tons of people, it was crazy. I’m not sure exactly, but there were probably more than 10,000 fans, far more than I have ever seen in a race in America, and even more than a lot of our European races.”

Marcus Sandell, Beaver Creek GS. Credit GEPA

What about facing the near impossible feat of defending his titles from Schladming 2013? “Winning three golds last time around brings a lot of expectations,” said Ligety, “but I wouldn’t have thought I would be able to repeat that, anyway, so I am happy so far to have medaled in super combined. I actually think I have a chance in the slalom as well. I’ve always liked to race at home, it’s nice to have that advantage.”

Alexis Pinturault, Schladming SL. Credit GEPA

Off the slopes, Ligety has carried over his athletic success and built strong brands in Shred Optics and Slytech Protection. Athletes at all levels have flocked to the products known for their technical innovation and style representative of the modern athlete.

Andrew Weibrecht, Val Gardena Super G. Credit GEPA

“I think it’s cool to see where the company has come in the last eight years,” said Ligety. “When I first started, it was just myself and Resi Stiegler and handful of other U.S. team skiers. Now we have stars across all sports, but in the race scene, we have Lara Gut, Alexis Pinturault, Carlo Janka, Marcus Sandell, Andrew Weibrecht, Dave Chodunsky, Resi Stiegler, and other talented racers. This team is really stacked, and it’s far from being just me these days, which was always the dream.”

Lara Gut, Kuehtai GS. Credit GEPA