U.S. men wrap up Portillo speed camp

By Published On: October 7th, 2009Comments Off on U.S. men wrap up Portillo speed camp

The U.S. men’s alpine team got great conditions during their two week stay in Portillo, Chile for speed camp, even though the resort locked the doors for the season the same day the guys left.

As the South American winter season waned, cold nights allowed for superbly productive sessions in downhill, super G and GS, according to Head Speed Coach Chris Brigham.

“These are hands down the best conditions we’ve ever had in Portillo,” said Brigham, a 16 year veteran with the team. “Normally we can’t ski on one side of the valley towards the second week, but it was super cold at night which made for incredible downhill and super G training for all the guys. They’re all still learning more about their equipment, but everyone did a great job capitalizing on every run.”

“Portillo is such an awesome place for us to work on speed,” said Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety who trained downhill for the first time since injuring his knee in March. “It’s been a while since I’ve spent some time with my long boards, but everything feels perfect. I feel like I’m going 100 percent.”

Attending the camp in addition to Ligety were: Marco Sullivan, Scott Macartney, Erik Fisher, Andrew Weibrecht, Jeremy Transue, and Tommy Ford. Ligety and Jake Zamansky attended the first portion of the camp before catching some rest at home prior to glacier training at Saas Fee, Switzerland. Tommy Biesemeyer was also on snow early in the camp before returning to the U.S. with a knee injury.

A big part of the Portillo camp is getting all the guys through a regular World Cup race day schedule in the form of an intersquad downhill and super G. Instead of World Cup points, the winners earn a symbolic Condor Cup title, named after one of the lifts at Portillo.

“Tommy Ford took the super G and Weibrecht won the overall Condor Cup as the fastest guy through both downhill and super G,” said Brigham. “We also got TJ (Lanning) back for the second week, so we’re close to having the full group back together.”

Lanning had been sidelined with an ACL tear since a crash last January in Kitzbuehel, Austria and was recently cleared to ski by U.S. Ski Team Medical Director Richard Quincy following a very successful rehab program at the USSA’s Center of Excellence in Park City.

“Everything feels great, it’s just like riding a bike,” said Lanning. “I wasn’t going full speed by any means and was only skiing on giant slalom and slalom skis with pants and a jacket on, but it felt good. The terrain in Portillo is perfect for getting back up to speed. There are a lot of changes in the snow and the pitch, so that helps a lot. I’m hoping to be ready to rip when the speed season opens in Lake Louise.”

Photo of Andrew Weibrecht and Ted Ligety strapped in for helicopter stint during camp in Portillo by Doug Haney/US Ski Team

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About the Author: Hank McKee

In memoriam: The veteran of the staff, McKee started with Ski Racing in 1980. Over the seasons, he covered virtually every aspect of the sport, from the pro tours to junior racing, freestyle and World Cup alpine competition. He wrote the first national stories for many U.S. team stars, and was still around to report on their retirements. “Longevity has its rewards,” he said, “but it’s a slow process.”