Steven Nyman: Looking for a comeback Back from injuries, U.S. skier looks to make a mark at Beaver Creek By Melanie Wong
he says he’s not done yet. He’s not entering the season with unrealistic bravado – he knows the challenges ahead – but he truly believes that he could be successful again. The past year has been spent rehabilitating his heel, with treatment that included occlusion treatment, a therapy that blocks blood from the leg for short periods of time. He would then do exercises like squats, helping encourage muscle growth. Now, he’s back with an agenda – to get to the top again, but it’s been an uphill battle. Due to a change in the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) points system, Nyman must climb his way back up the rankings from the bottom, but he’s up for the challenge. SneakPEAK caught up with Nyman before the races kicked off to talk about the road back to the top.
For a downhill speed specialist, the last few years have been an uphill climb for American skier Steven Nyman. Standing at the bottom of the formidable Birds of Prey run at Beaver Creek on a training day earlier this week, the Utah native was hoping for a successful weekend at the World Cup race, which begins on Friday. This weekend will be a test for Nyman on a course where he has podiumed twice in 2006 and 2007. He’s just coming back to the circuit after an injured Achilles heel put him out for all of last season, and he finished another World Cup race at Canada’s Lake Louise last weekend with mediocre results. However, he says Lake Louise has always been a tough course for him, and here, on the steep slopes of Beaver Creek, is where he hopes to shine. Admittedly, it’s been and will be a long journey – his career has been riddled with unfortunate SneakPEAK: What was recovering from this Achilles injuries, including back problems early on, the Achilles heel heel injury like? and a recent crash at Copper Mountain two weeks ago that Steven Nyman: Recovery… it sucks. It’s a yearlong probruised several ribs. Each time, he’s come back with suc- cess, and I didn’t ski for seven to eight months. When you Steven Nyman returns to Beaver Creek, where he has cess, only to encounter another injury soon after. start to rehab, you can’t even push your heel off the ground. podiumed twice. This is his first time back to the race Now, at 30, some say Nyman’s story is winding down, but [See STEVEN NYMAN, page 20] after several injuries. Sarah Brunson photo.
BIRDS OF PREY, STEP BY STEP –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
[From page 4]
The highly technical Russi’s Ride portion is all about aerodynamics. The key is staying low and strong – Rahlves relies on the fall line and powerful right leg to slingshot through a sustained left-hand turn to the tree-lined Screech Owl.
Sunday afternoon.
Starting line to The Flyway Located some 2,577 feet above the finish line, the men’s downhill start at Birds of Prey Screech Owl and Golden Eagle Jump begins rather gently. It’s slow and flat, and Rahlves says many racers can be caught offRacers who flail through the first technical section will pay at the Screech Owl jump, guard if they muscle through and don’t trust their tuning. For speed demons, patience is a where the run-in is tight and buttressed by an intimidating evergreen island. The jump leads virtue – a good split is an almost agonizingly slow 24 seconds. directly to the course’s only flat portion before the massive Golden Eagle Jump. Rahlves’ recommended speed for decent time: 75 miles per hour – at least. The Brink and The Talon The level gradient sucks a bit of speed before Golden Eagle, what Rahlves dubs one of Shortly after The Flyway’s long, flat buildup, the course takes a loopy left-hand turn and drops sharply. Think of it as a rollercoaster – the slow run-in leads to an average gradient of the largest jumps on the World Cup circuit (also the slalom start). But the landing is nearly 27 percent throughout, and The Brink reaches nearly 40 degrees. Rahlves suggests follow- as frightening, and a combination of tired legs, steep gradient and low light leads pros to ing the fall line closely to gather speed into a tight, fence-hugging turn that boosts slightly call it “The Abyss.” “It’s a section where you have to be right on top of your skis, and if you’re in the backuphill into the first real challenge, The Talon (roughly the Super-G start). The Talon pops racers off the left ski, over a mellow jump and into a quick transition to seat, you’re toast,” Rahlves says. “If you’re ahead of it, anticipating this compression into the right ski. It’s a true test of “air sense” – how well racers stay in form when off the snow – The Abyss, then you can really juice it out of that and just float over into the Harrier Jump.” made even harder by shadowy hard pack and a fall-away, right-hand turn into Pete’s Arena. Harrier Jump and Red Tail Jump to the finish Compared to Golden Eagle, the Harrier Jump is mellow, but a good line through The Pete’s Arena and Russi’s Ride Pete’s Arena (the men’s giant slalom start) is an appetizer to the technical middle sec- Abyss can make up time. The jump leads to a long right turn, followed by a loopy left turn tion to come – it boasts a relatively mellow gradient with smaller jumps, but like the start, into the Red Tail Jump. It’s what showbiz types might term a “moneymaker’ – big, narRahlves says a deceptive beginning is no excuse to get lazy. The course quickly slopes to row and visible from the lower grandstands. Rahlves focuses on clean, tight form to make the left, forcing racers to stay high and use the hill for speed. Dropping too far downhill can the bumpy run-in more manageable. If racers hold back, they could lose precious seconds lead to missed gates, not to mention zero chance of taking a podium. The section ends with gained higher up. If they go all in, they could notch a gold-plated finish. Rahlves would a harsh left-side compression that forces racers over a low jump, onto the right ski and into know. Russi’s Ride (formerly Pump House). SneakPEAK writer Phil Lindeman can be reached at philip@sneakpeakvail.com
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