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Bode Miller says he will likely ski professionally again
Miller is on hiatus from sport to spend time with his family
When Bode Miller clipped a gate, flipped and violently hit the deck during the World Cup super-G event at Beaver Creek in February, he could have been forgiven for thinking his illustrious professional career on the slopes was at an end.
The 38-year-old’s skis came loose in the fall, with one slicing into his leg and severing his hamstring tendon.
Upon witnessing a visibly shaken Miller struggle to his feet, the 1998 Olympic Super-G champion Picabo Street fretted “we might have seen the last of Bode.”
But the most decorated American male alpine skier of all time – he’s a winner of four world titles alongside Olympic gold at Vancouver 2010 – has been back on the slopes in recent weeks as he promotes his new line of Bomber skis. He confirmed we probably haven’t seen the last of him in professional competition.
“I won’t ever do the full circuit again, it’s just too much for my family and too demanding,” Miller told CNN’s Alpine Edge show. “But there’s a likelihood that I’ll be out there again.”
Miller was speaking to CNN after appearing on the same Birds of Prey course in Colorado that witnessed his February fall. This time around, he was testing a new camera that aims to give ski fans a 360-degree view of a downhill race.
The six-time Olympic medalist revealed in October that he would be taking a break from World Cup racing this season to spend more time with his family. But his business interests, he said, will play a big part in informing his decision on whether and when to ski on.
“The best way to get good information to make the best skis is in World Cups. If I can manage it correctly and make some advances with the technological stuff, the equipment side of things, it might make sense to do some races,” he said.
Getting back on the slopes has also allowed the two-time overall World Cup champion a chance to reflect on what he’s missed, and Miller – who also has horse racing interests – said he’s enjoyed being away from the circuit during his recent recovery period.
“I still love parts of it but as a whole I did it long enough. It’s tough. You get up super early. The process of putting on all your stuff is like 25 to 30 minutes. I feel like a girl,” he joked.
“There’s just too much stuff. The boots are brutally uncomfortable. And then you get up there and it’s dangerous and you’re nervous. It’s more of a young man’s sport.”
But despite the complaints and his advancing age, Miller’s love for the sport he’s been a part of all his life remains undiminished.
“While I’ve spent my time being a racer, I was a skier long before that and I’ll be a skier long after all my records are broken by young fast racers and everyone has forgotten about me in the race world.”
And with the prospect of more race appearances in the future, Miller also didn’t discount the idea of joining Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, although he acknowledged that his age made the prospect unlikely.
“I think there’s a certain romanticism about it, having your kids be able to see that,” referring to his three young children witnessing another Olympic appearance.
“It’s important for kids to see that they should dream big. There’s an appeal there, (but) whether that’s realistic or not I’ll be pretty old then.”
