Independent Standout Switches Gears
For the causal ski racing fan, Nick Cohee probably isn’t a household name. But for a great deal of hardcore followers, Cohee has been one to watch for the past several seasons on the NCAA and NorAm circuits, where consistently fast skiing has carved out his spot as one of America’s top giant slalom skiers.
After getting his first taste of World Cup action last October at the season opener in Soelden, Austria, Cohee was determined to keep that momentum going for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, a deep leg laceration suffered while training super G in March forced the University of Utah alumnus to make the difficult decision to hang up the race skis for good.
Looking ahead, Cohee is set to become China Peak’s new assistant of mountain operations in Lakeshore, Calif., beginning this summer. “It’s a cool ski area,” he says. “They’ve got a lot to offer and I’m just excited to learn as much as I can and have fun with it.”
Resort management runs in Cohee’s family as his father, Tim, has over 30 years of experience in ski resort management and will be Nick’s new boss at China Peak.
“I don’t want to leave ski racing with any sour taste,” Cohee adds. “I’m really happy that I got to race a World Cup in Soelden. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get to race Beaver Creek, but that was the decision that was made. I’m happy that I got to go to the world stage and got to ski one of the biggest GS races of the year and one of the gnarliest hills I’ve ever raced. It definitely fires you up.”
Never quite pegged as a phenom in his junior days at the Kirkwood Ski Education Foundation in Lake Tahoe, Cohee was a walk-on for the NCAA Division I team at Utah in the fall of 2008. His freshman season as a Ute saw him finish the year as RMISA GS overall leader, earning first team All-American status as runner-up in the 2009 NCAA championship GS. Needless to say, his days as a walk-on were over.
“Getting the chance to train with Ted and all these badass skiers that are right next to you, it’s definitely intimidating. You watch these guys on TV.”
After whittling his world rank down to 64th in GS, Cohee finally got the call-up he was waiting for and made the journey to the World Cup last fall.
“Going to Soelden, the first little while I was there, I was totally nervous,” he admits. “Getting the chance to train with Ted and all these badass skiers that are right next to you, it’s definitely intimidating. You watch these guys on TV.”
Looking back on his career, Cohee says his years of elite-level racing more than prepared him for the professional world.
“I think one thing about ski racers is people love them,” he explains. “People love to hire ski racers. If you’re a high-level ski racer, you have so many skills that you’ve developed over your 15-20 year career. You’re a master at logistics, a travel expert, your self-management skills are great, your people skills are great, you’re always putting yourself out there, and you learn to lose a lot.”
Learning to take setbacks in stride is something in particular that he hopes translates to future success in his new career. “You’re always going to have obstacles, whether it’s your life or your career or your relationships,” he says. “In ski racing, you really don’t win that much, but you learn from all of this stuff.”
Cohee reflects on his racing career as one with many ups, many downs, and more than a few learning experiences; but he is able to look back fondly and recall his humble beginnings at a little ski area in Tahoe and how he couldn’t have imagined where his winter obsession would eventually take him.
“If you were to ask me when I was growing up in Tahoe skiing at Kirkwood, I had no idea how far I was going to take ski racing,” he says. “I would have never told anyone that I was going to the Olympics or making the U.S. Ski Team. I just continued to learn and continued to find speed and more passion and more love for it and carried it as far as I could.”
Letting out a laugh, he finally admits, “As long as my girlfriend thinks I’m cool and my dog respects me, that’s all I care about.”
About the Author: Sean Higgins
