Bode Miller signs deals with Bomber Ski, NBC

Although Bode Miller announced he will be sitting out the 2015-16 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup season as a competitor, the U.S. Ski Team superstar has far from disconnected himself from the sport.

Miller recently inked partnerships with Bomber Ski as a brand ambassador and part owner, as well as with NBC to appear as an analyst during coverage of this season’s Beaver Creek World Cup races.

Rumors swirled since early summer about Miller’s possible involvement with Bomber Ski, a Manhattan-based luxury ski brand. His former sponsorship agreement with HEAD was terminated early in order to finalize the deal with Bomber to become an equity owner.

Miller made the announcement at “A Snow Affair” U.S. Ski Team fundraiser hosted by Bomber Ski and SNOW Magazine in New York City last week.

“For the first time ever, I found a ski company that enables skiers of every level to experience the quality of skis normally reserved only for the best racers in the world,” Miller said of the partnership.

Miller will work hand-in-hand with Bomber in all aspects of their business, which includes close relationships with the craftsman at Bomber’s Italian factory. Bomber will produce a signature line of Bode Miller products, including signature poles, which are already available in the company’s Madison Avenue store. Miller hopes to develop Bomber into a company that rivals today’s top racing brands, complete with a World Cup presence and an emphasis on signing young American athletes to represent the brand.

“Our skis are remarkable, and to start with such design integrity and quality from which to engineer the skis I have dreamed of is incredible,” Miller said. “All these World Cup racing companies are based in Europe, and the European racers have all the advantages. I think it’s past due for an American-owned company. With my experience and expertise I think we can really have an advantage.”

In addition to his new responsibilities with the ski manufacturer, Miller’s first television appearance with NBC will be on Dec. 4-6 during the Birds of Prey men’s World Cup races in Beaver Creek, Colo.

“I thought I’d give it a try, see how it feels,” Miller recently told Nathaniel Vinton of the New York Daily News. “If I have fun with it, maybe I’ll do more.”

Miller will join the rest of NBC’s announcing team as an analyst, hoping to bring some new insight to this year’s race coverage.

Miller has four victories to his name at Beaver Creek, winning the downhill three times in 2004, 2006, and 2011, as well as capturing the GS victory in 2005, a race in which his compatriots Daron Rahlves and Erik Schlopy finished in second and fourth, respectively.

In addition to these two new partnerships, Miller also spent the summer starting a thoroughbred horse racing stable, Double Black Diamond Racing, in Maryland.