American Downhiller Doug Lewis

Injury Update, the Kvitfjell Course and developing into a Speed skier
The American Downhillers caught up with Norwegian Speed Demon Aleks Kilde in a Hospital in Innsbruck for this week’s podcast ahead of Kilde’s home Downhill Kvitfjell. They first got the inside scoop on his injuries from his crash in Wengen and his honest prognosis going forward. They then talked about his skiing development from a kid who was lucky enough to ski out his door growing up to making the Team as a Downhiller next to legends Svindal and Jansrud. Finally they break down in detail the Olympiabakken Course in Kvitfjell which crowned Tommy Moe Olympic Champion, but has been dominated by Norwegians over the years! All of the boys describe it as a fun, flowy and “easy” track that you need to be perfect on as the times are always tight!
The Podcast covers a ton of excellent nuggets for Fans, Coaches, Parents and Athletes! A must listen! Here is what is covered;
-             Aleks updates us on his injuries from Wengen
-             Growing up a technical skier and then transitioned to Speed later
-             The importance of GS training for a technical base, but also training it as much as possible as a speed skier
-             How Aleks inspects DH & SG differently
-             Having Svindal & Jansrud as Mentors
-             What Aleks likes to hear in a course report and what he says to himself at the Start
-             Kvitfjell Course breakdown from the Start to Moe’s Turn into the finish straight
-             The most fun parts of this Legendary DH
-             Finally – predictions on who will win and they are interesting…
The American Downhiller Podcast is sponsored by Skiracing.com, ADL Ski Club, Wend Wax, ELITEAM and American Downhillers speed camps!
You can find the Podcast for FREE on Apple, Spotify and the ELITEAM Youtube channel.

This week on the American Downhiller Podcast we turn our attention to Cortina - the Women’s Favorite Course and interview the Stifel US Ski Team’s newest speed star – Lauren Macuga! “Cougs” is coming off a career-best 10th place in the Super-G in Altenmarkt and sets her sights on the 2026 Olympic Course this week in Italy.
Cougs is part of the US Women’s speed team which is re-building and has been having some good results lately with Keely Cashman, Tricia Mangan along with the return of Jacky Wiles and Alice Merryweather.
We talk to Lauren about her development as a speed skier from an “average” junior to her first Downhill race to her 10th place in the Altenmarkt World Cup. She shares with us her thoughts on training GS to help her speed as well as her start routine.
Other topics covered;
-             How to stay focused with the course is gnarly
-             How a focus on GS is helping her speed evolve
-             Why it’s OK to train speed with your clothes on sometimes
-             How she learns new courses
-             What she learned about herself from her injuries
-             Advice for junior racers on feeding off the success of Teammates
-             Who she watches on video
-             And advice for young ski racers who may be struggling
Thanks to Ski Racing Media for Sponsoring our American Downhiller Podcast and please listen on Apple or Spotify or watch it on the ELITEAM Youtube channel!

The King of Kitz, Didier Cuche joins Daron, AJ, Marco and LEW for a super interesting and revealing breakdown of the most famous and dangerous Downhill on the World Cup circuit. Didier won on the Streif a record FIVE times with his first coming in 1998 and the last three coming in in 2010, 2011 & 2012! He shares his thoughts and secrets to this iconic track and lets us inside his head as he preps for the race, races the course and receives the Trophy in front of thousands!
Daron Rahlves, the only American Downhiller winner on the Hahnenkamm stood on top of the podium beating Didier by just 5 hundies back in 2003 and they share what they remember of that day!
This Podcast is loaded with great insight on the course and how to watch it, as well as nuggets for Athletes, Coaches and Parents on how to train and ski and be a successful speed skier.
Topics covered;
-      Their first impressions of the iconic course
-      The importance of knowing your limits
-      How the start house at Kitz is totally different
-      The course from the Start to the Zielsprung
-      Cuche’s secret to winning on the Streif
-      The traditions of Kitz from arrival to the Londoner
-      Why Cuche was so successful on the Streif
This year’s Kitzbuhel races are Jan 19 & 20!
Thanks for listening!

Wengen's Lauberhorn is the longest Downhill on the World Cup circuit and not only presents gliding challenges, but includes legendary sections like the Hundschopf, Canadian Corner, the Kernen-S, the Hanegg Schuss and the Austrian Hole! Tune in and here Daron, AJ, Marco and LEW break down the course, share Wengen secrets and also give a tutorial on How to Glide!!!
Other Topics discussed:
First impressions of the longest DH track in the WorldWhat it's like to enter the road into Kernen-S and try to make the turnsHow to ride a flat skiThe view from the Start HouseWhat it's like to stand on the Canadian Corner during the raceAnd the boys put out their picks for this year's podium!
Thanks for listening to the American Downhiller Podcast. Spread the word to your Ski Racing Speed friends!

World Champion and a 19 time World Cup Winner Michael Walchhofer joins the American Downhillers to share his thoughts on the Bormio Course – a course he won THREE times over his career. He also shares his experiences being on the same Austrian Team as Hermann Maier, Stefan Eberharter, Fritz Strobl and Hans Knauss. As he says, “Sometimes we worked together more than others… At the end of the day, it’s not easy to share all the info you got about equipment and other things.” Walchhofer shares some special experiences he had on his time on the World Cup including fighting with Daron and Bode Miller for the Downhill Title!
The boys also talk about:
-      How Michael grew up “bombing” his home mountain of Schladming with his buddies
-      How hard it was to get a World Cup spot on the strong Austrian Team
-      Growing up free-skiing, on XC skis and playing around rather than gates
-      Describing the Bormio course as “demanding” and you must have all the skills
-      Michael’s secret to winning Bormio which includes having CONFIDENCE at the bottom
-      Also the spots where Michael and Daron won their races at Bormio
-      Their view on Skiing with PRESSURE
-      Michael’s relationship with Bode and skiing under Pressure
-      And why he eats SO MUCH FOOD at Breakfast!
You can hear the Podcast on Apple or Spotify as well as watch it on the ELITEAM Youtube Channel.
Thanks to our Sponsors; Ski Racing Media, ADL Ski Club, WEND WAX, ELITEAM Camps and the American Downhiller Training Camps!
Thanks for listening. Contact us at info@ELITEAM.com.

One of the famous Canadian Cowboys, Manny Osborne-Paradis joins the American Downhillers for a hilarious and educational Podcast that breaks down this week’s World Cup Downhill in Val Gardena, Italy. Manny won on the Saslong course back in 2009 by crushing the top flats with a secret “Canadian Drift” slide technique that he explains in depth in the podcast. He also talks about what it feels like to fly 89 meters in the air over the Camels and both survive as well as crash.
This is a Podcast loaded with valuable nuggets of wisdom for racers and coaches as well as hilarious stories of what it is like on the World Cup circuit as a rookie and beyond. Here are a few of the highlights in the 50 min podcast that will make you laugh as well as take notes.
-      What finding the “Bottom of the Ski” means according to Manny & Daron
-      CAN-USA Teamwork at Gardena that has paid off for decades
-      The benefits of warming up on Slalom skis for the entire Speed season – or not
-      Why you better be good at “Left-Footed” turns on World Cup DH circuit!
-      Confidence is what finally allows racers that breakthrough race that changes everything
-      How a focused “pipeline” for development works
-      How grinding it out in the shadows before you make it into the bright lights is key!
This is a must listen for Athletes, Coaches, Parents and Ski racing FANS as it will give you such an inside look at the most FUN downhill on the circuit - one where the US and Canadians have found a TON of success including back in 2008 when they put 7 racers in the top 10!!! And because of cancellations in SUI and USA, this will be the first Speed of the season which should help the North Americans a TON!