QA: Daron Rahlves

By Published On: November 1st, 2005Comments Off on QA: Daron Rahlves

Q&A: Daron Rahlves{mosimage}Ski Racing: You filmed a freeski movie with Matchstick Productions last spring. Tell us about the project.
Daron Rahlves: I went to [British Columbia] with Matchstick Productions – MSP – for a movie. We had our own 110-foot boat converted into an exposition boat. It had a helipad on it for the Red Bull heli. We were filming in northern B.C. and we hit a zone that had never been touched before. It was all first descents and totally new to us. It was pretty cool.

SR: What other skiers were on the MSP shoot with you?
DR: Chris Davenport and Mark Abma. [Abma] is a younger kid, like 24, from Canada – an up-and-comer. He started as a freestyle skier, went to jibbing and now is working big mountains. He’s impressive – he’s part of the new wave of big-mountain freeskiers.

SR: What is it about freeskiing that you enjoy and how is it different from racing?
DR: Heli-skiing is a huge test mentally and physically. You don’t have much time to look at the mountain, you can’t slip down it, inspect it like you do racing. You’re jumping into the unknown a little bit. When you’re [free]skiing you have to be paying attention to any slough or if anything breaks and slides. And you need to know your safety zones and outs. You should have two outs. …You’re carrying all this gear – shovels, backpack – that I’m not used to skiing with. The helicopter’s right there above you filming, hovering and you’re waiting for them to get set up, you tell them you’re ready to go and you’re still sitting there for five or 10 minutes waiting for them to get all the shots lined up. And then they wave you in – it’s not on your time frame, it’s on theirs – that was the biggest hair-raising moment for me. … It takes a lot less to scare me freeskiing than it does racing. That’s just what I’m used to – I’m used to racing now.

SR: What skis do you ride big mountains on?
DR: The [Atomic] Big Daddys were perfect in those conditions. There were a few days where it rained and froze up, so skiing them was gnarly because they’re so wide. But if I go out to go powder skiing or heli-skiing I got those for sure. I wish I had brought my own signature model from Atomic – they would have been perfect for up there – it’s called the D-Money, it came out last year. They had them in shops all last winter but we haven’t really talked about updating it.

SR: When it comes to race equipment, are you really hands-on?
DR: I want to know exactly what is going on, what the differences are between skis – if you don’t do that you’re going to be left in the dark. You always have to stay on top of all that stuff even though you have a guy you trust 100 percent. I want to know everything, I want to know how the skis are being tuned and what we’re trying with different bevels and the edges.

The conditions in the World Cup have been getting easier, they’re putting more time into the slopes making more man-made, aggressive snow – its chalky, compact. Before they would just go out there and water the crap out of it and it would be really hard and rough. In my eyes that’s what it should be. World Cup runs should be gnarly and nasty, so you ski aggressive and put every ounce of power you have into it from the first turn to the last turn. It’s changed these last two seasons and it’s getting more and more like that man-made aggressive snow, and that’s one thing that we struggled with a few times last year. The Atomic boots are great in GS and great for me in high-water-content snow conditions. But when it comes to really dry snow, I have a problem because I have an aggressive setup. So we changed a bunch of things with the skis at World Championships.

SR: What are your specific goals for the World Cup season and how do you approach this season with the Olympics looming in February?
DR: The No. 1 goal is to stay in one piece – stay healthy and ready for every weekend and every race, Soelden through World Cup Finals. That’s one of the hardest goals – to maintain your health and stay injury free. It’s hard when you’re pushing yourself every single day. Last year in Adelboden, I crashed in GS and it took me out for Wengen, and I really struggled coming back for Kitzbuehel and World Championships. I learned from it, but it would be nice to cruise through the whole year at 100 percent. And if I’m like that, mentally I’ll be right there. I have a ton of experience and know how to handle myself now and know how to get ready to race. … If I have to figure anything out in early season races, it’s got to happen before Beaver Creek because that’s where it all starts to happen. I want to be at the point where I can put a run down and kick ass and that’s it. … The Olympics is huge, but for me, if I stay in that system and keep rolling and have a good pace, I can increase my ability through the year. I just want to keep building and get better race by race and start strong, but keep getting stronger and dominate. That’s my biggest goal, something I concentrate on. Obviously I want to win the downhill title, win the Olympics. … Last year I was having these little mistakes here and there. Always just a little bit off the pace. Clean up those mistakes and I could be right up at the top and that’s where I like to be.

SR: What would mean more to you, a globe or gold medal?
DR: Every race is important. The Olympics are intense – it comes down to one run, put it on the line and there’s a lot of pressure. I’m excited because it’s a venue that I like to ski at. It’s an intense hill and a good hill for me and last time we raced downhill there I won, so I’m ready for it. But on the other hand the globe – the globe lets you know that you’re the one who consistently performed the best for a whole season, so they both are equally important. I want them all.

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About the Author: Pete Rugh