NEXT LEVEL SKIING S6, E3 | Gamifying Skiing with Ted Ligety

by Wagner Skis / Jan 31, 2024

S6, E2 – Gamifying Skiing with Ted Ligety

Ted Ligety lays down a hard carve.

In 2011, American gold-medal Olympic ski racer Ted Ligety blasted FIS for the governing body’s new mandates for ski lengths, saying the rules would “will eventually ruin this sport.”

The following seasons, as he skied longer GS boards, he earned the nickname “Mr. GS,” winning six World Cup races in 2013 and three in 2014 on his way to his second Olympic gold at the Sochi Games. Ligety is a renowned technician on skis with highly angulated hips, knees, and ankles. His seen-everywhere images of his hips skimming smooth snow at ungodly speeds are inspiring.

For this chapter of Next Level Skiing, Ligety talks about how he adapted to longer skis, founding Shred Optics, and what he’s learned most recently from the “ski coach in his boots.”

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TOPICS

1:40 - Ted’s background and journey to the slopes
6:31 - Scrapping with FIS over new rules for ski lengths
8:11 - Libertarian ski rules
09:30 - Perfect storm of ski design and technique
11:00 - Summer testing with 70 pairs of new GS skis in New Zealand
13:40 - Weight training leading into the best season ever
14:15 - Starting Shred Optics
20:35 - The Carv footbed coach gamifies skiing
23:20 - Angling edges at the top of the turn and shins parallel
25:30 - A coach in your ski boots
30:00 - Hamstring curls on the inside leg of your ski turn

Resources
Ted Ligety