The Impressive Case of Ryan Cochran-Siegle

By Published On: March 13th, 2018Comments Off on The Impressive Case of Ryan Cochran-Siegle

Two thoughts crossed Ryan’s mind as he prepared for the second run of the Olympic giant slalom in South Korea.

The first thought: that he hadn’t skied to his full potential in run one, even though he was sitting in 21st place, which, let’s be honest, was pretty damn good. The second thought: that the conditions in front of him were optimal; he was starting 10th and had a chance to put the hammer down. The 25-year-old U.S. Ski Teamer tapped his poles together twice and placed them firmly in the snow, one by one. Then he kicked downwards—leaving the screams of his coaches behind, entering the lonely course. About one minute and 10 seconds later, he stood in the gaping finish coral looking both shocked and full of joy.

“When I ski race at my best, I tend to not have a lot of conscious thought, so at times it feels like I black out and come back to when I cross the finish line,” he explained. “Coming down and seeing the green light by over six tenths was a great moment because it, in a way, justified my ability as a ski racer to perform at the top level. I was still far from walking away with any medals, but I was content with my where my skiing was, and on my ability to have left it all on the hill.”

That second run wound up being the third-fastest in the world—putting Ryan in 11th place overall. He was the top American, too: a major accomplishment in its own right.

Ryan grew up in Starksboro, Vermont: a sleepy farm town centered around scenic Highway 116, which is really just a quaint, two-lane road, not a real highway like the common person is used to. White steeples stretch into the air and winding dirt roads sprout in every which way—over the rolling hills, towards other charming towns.

Ryan’s family has dedicated themselves to ski racing for decades. His mother, Barbara, won gold at the ‘72 Olympic slalom in Sapporo. His aunts, Marilyn and Lindy, as well as his uncle, Bob, were U.S. Ski Teamers and Olympians. His cousins Jimmy, Jess, Roger, Tim, and Robby were all on the team, too. Currently, Robby races for his own team, Redneck Racing, and crushes races all over the globe.

“I was always more impressed by what my older cousins were doing than what my mom and her siblings had accomplished before my time,” Ryan admits. “When I was little, looking at ski photos and videos from that era of my mom, Uncle Bob, Aunt Marilyn, and Aunt Lindy, I thought they were so old school. Meanwhile, my cousin Jess made the U.S. Ski Team when I was eight or nine years old, right when my cousin Robby and I were really getting into ski racing, so seeing her move up to that stage showed us where we could be some day. I might have just been too young, and the rest of my family too humble, to fully understand their legacy and achievements from when they were racing.”

In addition to his ridiculously good skiing genes, Ryan grew up with another major resource that’ has significantly contributed to his success: Cochran’s Ski Area. His grandparents developed this iconic snowsports hub around 1960, a place where their kids, and other locals, could spend time between gates and enjoy a relaxed skiing atmosphere. Today, the ski area is an official non-profit organization, with a mission “to provide area youth and families with affordable skiing and snowboarding, lessons and race training, in the Cochran tradition,” according to its website.

“From a young age, it was never about ski racing and getting the mileage in gates, but rather just being outside and enjoying skiing,” says Ryan. “Cochran’s didn’t get a real snowmaking or grooming system until 2007, so most of my childhood relied heavily on natural snow. At times, that meant we couldn’t train because there wasn’t enough snow to put gates in, so instead we’d spend the afternoon building and hitting a jump somewhere, or freeskiing in the woods. The times that we could train, we would pretty much ski all day except for the occasional hot chocolate or lunch break, lapping on the rope tow or T-Bar.”

Cousin Robby remembers those good ol’ days vividly, too. And he specifically remembers Ryan’s promising skillset.

“We’d go to Cochrans every day after school and get in as many runs as we could before it got dark, chasing after skiers who would end up being on the World Cup or NCAA champions,” says Robby. “Ryan was definitely pretty fearless and had a great natural touch on the snow at a young age.”

No one was surprised when Ryan soared to skiing fame at an early age. He was a dominant racer in Northern Vermont, then carried on to bigger events as he grew older—throwing down fast runs all over the East Coast, all over the country, all over North America, and, now, all over the world. But it hasn’t been a smooth road by any means—more of a bumpy, Starksboro highway, instead. As is the case with most ski racers, Ryan has been through many ups and downs, both physically and mentally. And the biggest hurdle of them all was a major knee injury at the Schladming World Ski Championships in 2013.

“Originally, I had only torn my ACL and lateral meniscus, but during my comeback season the following winter, I further and more severely damaged the same left knee while racing in a Nor Am,” he recalls. “I had surgery to repair my medial meniscus, and then another one for a lateral meniscus and femoral cartilage transplant, which ended up totaling 17.5 months off snow. This also all started at a time when I was just breaking into starting top 30 in Super G World Cups at 20 years old, so it was heartbreaking to have what I perceived to be such a strong career trajectory put immediately on hold.”

But that trajectory appears to be back on track. In addition to Ryan’s stellar GS race in South Korea, he’s posted a variety of impressive results this season—including 14th at the Olympic Super G, 23rd at the Olympic Downhill, 10th at the Kranjska Gora GS, and 6th at the Wengen Combined.

“It’s been awesome to see Ryan step it up,” says Robby. “In my opinion he’s been one of the best skiers technique-wise for a bunch of years, but lately he’s been taking more risk with his line and bringing more intensity into the top of the turn. It’s paying off big time, he’s showing he has as much speed as anyone.”

Ryan’s coach, Forest Carey, is thrilled with the recent developments, as well. He attributes a lot of the success to Ryan’s humble, no-frills personality, and points to his approach towards gear as a perfect example.

Ryan Cochran-Siegle competes in the World Cup giant slalom on March 3 in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. // Photo by Stanko Gruden/Agence Zoom

“The higher up you get, the more important equipment testing, selection, tuning, and all that is,” says Carey. “And there’s rarely a peep from Ryan to his service guy. You know, most guys like to have some feedback on how stuff’s working. Ryan, in his Yankee Vermont way, just goes to work, and whatever skis he has, he makes it happen. There are some things to be gained by expressing your feedback, for sure. And there are people around that can help him with the small details. But at the same time, it’s nice that he takes full ownership and responsibility for his skiing.”

As humble as he is, Ryan can admit that he’s absolutely shredding right now. Since he was born, he’s been trying to prove himself. Now, he wants—and plans—to be the best in the world.

“I always felt that my skiing and foundation was there to be competitive, but that I was lacking the confidence to put it all down on race day,” he explains. “By taking it one step at a time, trying to always learn and move forward, I think I did a good job slowly placing the pieces together to be where I am right now. In our sport, where everything is a constant variable, it seems ski racers will go through the natural, cyclical ebbs and flows that can be seen in their skiing. I’m just happy to be hitting the upper highs of that cycle as I finish out this season and try to carry the momentum forward into the next.”

It’s easy to group Ryan with his family members. He’s Barbara’s son. Marilyn’s nephew. Lindy’s nephew. Bob’s nephew. Jimmy’s cousin. Jess’ cousin. Roger’s Cousin. Tim’s cousin. Robby’s cousin. But at the top of the course, he’s alone—just a kid from Vermont who seems to be getting faster and faster everyday.

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About the Author: Connor W. Davis

Connor W. Davis is a freelance writer from the Green Mountain State with a deep passion for all things skiing. From racing at Stratton Mountain School in Vermont to serving as Online Editor at FREESKIER Magazine in Colorado, his days spent on snow have profoundly shaped his life. Find more of his work at ConnorWDavis.com.