ABELBODEN, Switz. – If there’s video footage of Canmore’s Erik Read popping champagne bottles and celebrating during New Year's Eve as confetti gently falls from the ceiling, then it must be either a digitally enhanced double or a party animal Doppelgänger.
That’s because the real Erik Read, a two-time Olympian, was snug in bed, with sound-blocking ear plugs in before the clock struck midnight, with dreams of the biggest month on the alpine World Cup tour ahead.
Entering into the thick of the schedule, the 32-year-old skier finished 20th in slalom on Sunday (Jan. 7) in Abelboden, Switzerland, with some of the biggest crowds still to come at Wengen and Kitzbühel.
Over the course of a 12-year World Cup career, Read, a two-time Olympian and world championship bronze medallist, said the excitement to be in the thick of things every January still rushes through his veins.
“Always,” said Read. “Ski racing is so freaking cool. These next two-and-a-half weeks, both for just the atmosphere we have and also racing some of the most cool, unique slopes in the world with insane vistas, it’s special. Every time.”
To get ready for the busy month of flying down steep hills, Read normally spends the holiday season overseas to avoid a busy travel schedule and annoying jet lag.
It’s a game changer the veteran of the slopes has squeezed success from in the past.
At his first race back in Abelboden, giant slalom (GS), Read didn’t qualify for a second run. Bad conditions, funky snow, and testing out new boots – the fourth time this season he has in GS – all plagued the local skier.
However, having a “short memory like a goldfish”, the world championship medallist bounced back the next day.
“I’ve had some great GS there over the years, so that was disappointing,” said Read. “I was decently happy with my slalom skiing on Sunday because it was like a bounce back from a pretty horrible day.”
Austrian Manuel Feller won slalom, and Swiss star Marco Odermatt won GS.
"I just tried to push and enjoy the crowd,” said Odermatt in a media release. “Unbelievable, mystical atmosphere here with the snow, with the fog. And then coming into the finish with the crowd like this, it's wonderful."
One thing that is inherently different on the slopes this season for Read is the absence of long-time teammate Trevor Philp. Philp retired from the sport last season at age 30.
It’s a different dynamic now, Read said. The veteran duo used to share details about races with each other. With teammates now, Read mostly shares his experienced knowledge with the younger teammates, which includes Liam Wallace of Banff.
There's been a change of pace though, with Canadian speed heavyweight and Olympic bronze medallist Jack Crawford of Toronto starting in more GS races.
Read, who is the oldest member of the national ski team, said he and the world championship gold medallist have been learning from each other.
“That is a positive because he is a phenomenally talented skier,” said Read. “He’s definitely asking questions about the tracks and stuff like that. It’s cool to share some advice with a world champion … and he’s obviously got a wealth of experience on how to win so I think that’s definitely an asset for both of us to race GS together.”
Read's next races are this Sunday (Jan. 14) when the men's slalom heads to Wengen, Switzerland.
