tysonbolduc.com

After one event and one win, Lindsey Kildow Vonn is looking like she is on a mission to not only win but prove that she is the best female alpine ski racer to live. Her attitude has always been lackadaisical but focused and her life has been driven by skiing since the day I met her thirteen years ago. Growing up in Vail, there were a lot of athletes in and out of the race program who had traveled or moved with their family to the Vail Valley to pursue skiing. Lindsey was one such girl, but from the start she took it a little more serious then the others. Her training was training, and not time to ski with friends. Her time on the road was her life to which she still took the time to write post cards and call her friends back home. Her life was skiing, and for the first time in my life the true story of success is unfolding. Lindsey is clearly an inspiration to younger athletes, but her domination in a sport previously dominated by europeans is nothing short of spectacular. The USA has not seen a female skier of her caliber since the Picabo Street days and if it weren’t for Body Miller skiing would be completely off the map in the US. Although, lets not disrespect the efforts of fellow team mate Julia Mancuso who was standing on the podium in 2nd place today. The US is making a stand and it is clear as you walk through the grocery store, as it is hard not to see Lindsey or one of the US Ski Team members on the cover of something.
Lets hope she can not only set a record for the number of people watching an Olympic skiing race, but lets hope for four more medals.

After arriving back to SLC I hit the road for the 8 hour drive to Denver. Instead of packing a light suitcase to go to Vegas I was actually packed to ski while going to the International SKI show for the first time. The years of Vegas are over and the oxygen enriched environment is a thing of the past. The International Ski Show, called SIA, has officially moved to the Denver Convention center where the overall review was positive, although people were not openly admitting that they actually missed the allure, preponderance, and anonymity of Vegas. While people still found a way to party and enjoy themselves in the Mile High City, the only difference is that Denver has a last call.

The convention center in Denver is a beautiful building and the City of Denver rolled out the red carpet to try and accommodate the thousands of people who attend the show from around the world. While the situation in Denver turned out to be more of a process logistically then many expected, the addition of an on-snow demo portion of the show was a success. Winter park Resort did a tremendous job of making space, and accommodations for the industries ski, snowboard, goggle, helmet, etc. companies to demo and showcase their gear in an actual winter environment. The hope is that for the next few years while the show is contracted to be in Denver, buyers and industry folk alike will learn more about the on show portion of the snow show and the work will pay off.

We will all miss Vegas and all of its odiousness, but to have a snow show where it will directly affect the ski industry is more logical in my opinion.