Skip to content

Hudec alive and kicking for Lake Louise World Cup

Banff’s Jan Hudec isn’t dead. However, if you ask those in the ski world, most are ignorant of his exact whereabouts.
Jan Hudec celebrates after his 2007 Lake Louise World Cup win.
Jan Hudec celebrates after his 2007 Lake Louise World Cup win.

Banff’s Jan Hudec isn’t dead.

However, if you ask those in the ski world, most are ignorant of his exact whereabouts.

“Half the guys think I’m retired, the other half think I’m injured, so there are no expectations going into this race,” said Hudec on the eve of the 2011 Winterstart Lake Louise World Cup.

The Banff native was the top Canadian at the World Cup last year, finishing 11th in the Super G with a gutsy performance, and he wants to fly under the radar leading up to this year’s race.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to win.

“I’m too old to say I want to finish top 15. I’d like to win and have a podium finish.”

Hudec is the only Bow Valley native scheduled to line up for Canada during the men’s World Cup this weekend.

He’ll join Canadian ski superstars like 2010 world champ Eric Guay, Robbie Dixon and 2006 Lake Louise World Cup winner John Kucera to take on the world’s best, all gunning for that podium finish. After the team experienced an unprecedented string of injuries (Manuel Osborne-Paradis is still recovering from a drunken bus accident at the Calgary Stampede), they’re keen to regain form as a top ski nation.

Hudec’s own appearance in Lake Louise appeared in jeopardy in September. Back problems kept him off skis for the entire summer and he required cortisone shots to ease the pain. However, again, Hudec made the transition from the injured list to the start list appear seamless and once back on the slopes, he was faster than ever.

“I was beating the young guys – they weren’t too happy about that. But I knew I could start off from where I was in the spring,” Hudec said. “I feel better than at any other time.”

Training in Colorado last week, he won two Super G training runs and one downhill race, showing no signs of losing his blistering speed.

“It helps to ski fast before the first week of the season. I’ve done well there before, so there’s not tons of pressure,” Hudec said.

Coming back from injury is nothing new for Hudec. He’s battled back and knee problems for the past three years, and broke his hand on a gate midway through last season. The struggles have made him a stronger person and athlete, however, he’s not quite sure how he keeps bouncing back.

“I have no idea. It’s one of those things; you just know you can do it and you realize it’s just your mind holding you back,” Hudec said.

Hudec isn’t facing a lot of pressure, but injuries have bumped him down the FIS rankings, meaning he will have to pay to ski this year on the World Cup. He held a fundraiser in Calgary on Nov. 21 to help ease the cost of competing.

For a full schedule of this year’s races, visit http://alpinecanada.org/winterstart.

CBC will broadcast the downhill live between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26. The Super G will broadcast on local stations between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday Nov. 27.


Rocky Mountain Outlook

About the Author: Rocky Mountain Outlook

The Rocky Mountain Outlook is Bow Valley's No. 1 source for local news and events.
Read more



Comments

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks