Its been too long since my last post but I have some good stories and pics to share from our second trip to the Southern Hemisphere this year. After a month off snow we flew back down to Chile and hung our hats in a place called Portillo. Portillo is perched high on the Andes Mountains (10,000 feet at the base) and is home to 5 chairlifts, 4 rocca jacks (I'll post a picture to give you an idea but it's basically a 5 person palma lift), one hotel, and some of the best skiing in the world. Aconcagua, the largest mountain in the Americas, towers over Portillo at 22,841...it's a special place. Fortunately we had two weeks of training all to ourselves and we took full advantage of the epic spring conditions from a strong Chilean winter.

I personally had a great camp and skied well throughout so I'm excited for the upcoming season, which is just a month and half away (The World Cup Downhill season starts Thanksgiving weekend in Lake Louise, Canada). Check out some pics from Jonathan Selkowitcz (www.selkophoto.com) who was there the entire two weeks documenting our camp.

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to give you a heads up that the SFI Foundation (a non-profit for winter athletes) and the Park City Ski Team are co-hosting a Golf Tournament Fundraiser in Park City, Utah next Monday...September 15th. Most of the Mens Alpine Ski Team, including Gold Medalist Ted Ligety, will be in attendance, so if you play golf or would just like to hang with the Ski Team guys this is your chance. All proceeds to go funding unfunded athletes as well as the Park City Ski Team program. You can find more info on our website: www.mensalpine.com or for registration contact:

Ciara Bell 801 891-9679

ciarabell1978@gmail.com

www.mensalpine.com

I will be traveling to Park City for the event so I hope to see some of you there! If you have any further questions don't be afraid to ask.

Although 3 feet of fresh Chilean Powder isn't ideal for training, it's ideal to appease the mind and soul. During our training camp in La Parva we were lucky enough to get both decent Downhill and Super G training as well as some great days of powder skiing! After a big storm socked us in for a couple days we were antsy and ready to take advantage of the blue bird day and we charged the mountain as a team. Even though there are "no friends on powder days;" Marco Sullivan, Scott Macartney, Steven Nyman, Erik Fisher, Chris Beckman, Rewk Patton, and I stuck together for most of the day. After a few runs in bounds we decided to take our chances off piste and head over to some steeper and more challenging terrain in the Andes back country. It was so good we kept going back for more and I couldn't help but throw on the head cam and capture it.

The video is of our hike that took us above 10,000 feet and into some chutes and bowls you dream about on a powder day. The view was incredible and we could still see Santiago, Chile's capital, below. After a few runs we decided to stick around and do one more sunset run before dark. Enjoy...

It's that time of year again. Time to trade in my board shorts and sandals, pull my ski gear out of the closet, and head to Chile for the first big training camp of the prep period. This coming thursday I depart for La Parva, Chile, where I will be speed training (Downhill and Super G) for two weeks with the U.S. World Cup team, as well as two guys from the Swedish team (Patrick Jaerbyn and Hans Olson). Since Chile is in the Southern Hemisphere it's full blown winter, which allows us to train in winter conditions. This camp is the first big test since the end of last season and will measure how well we have trained up to this point in our prep period. Training in Chile is always a good measure of fitness as we will be training hard (likely two sessions/day) at high altitudes (approximately 9,000 ft.).

For me this is going to be a big camp to further test and get more used to my new equipment. After the end of last season I decided to part ways with my former Austrian ski sponsor Atomic, and move to Fischer, another Austrian ski powerhouse. So far I'm really happy about the product and look forward to testing everything more thoroughly in Winter conditions. I am also excited to be skiing alongside some of my best friends and Olympians, Scott Macartney and Marco Sullivan.

I'll be sure to keep you posted and bring more in depth reports from Chile, including some video from on and off the mountain. If we're lucky we might even get a couple powder days to boast about!

First of all I want to thank yardbarker for giving me this platform to blog and speak my mind. I had no idea how viral my last post would be and that it would reach so many interested parties. Its been exciting to read all the replies, ideas and concepts everyone has posted! I truly hope that some of these are expounded upon and incorporated into USSA's operations, as well as Ski Racing as a sport. My intentions were, and still are, to raise awareness of what's going on at USSA and how the athletes feel about specific parts of the organization's approach to athletics. Although I can't speak for everyone, I can assure you that there are many unhappy members, both current and retired, that would like to see some changes made. There is an obvious disconnection between the athletes and the executives and a lot of us feel that our best interests are not always looked after. That being said, I will be the first to say that the Ski Team has given me a lot of great opportunities over the years; in athletics, education and even music. I have traveled all over the world skiing while attending Dartmouth College (the Ski Team provides $5,000/year scholarships to college students on the team), and been lucky enough to open up for Train and the Doobie Brothers at the New York City Ski Ball (courtesy of the Foundation entertainment coordinators), all of which I am grateful for. USSA even helped distribute my CD, "Road Sodas," which is on their online store, again I am grateful. So how can someone like me, who has received a lot of support over the years, be so upset with their handlings? I'll give you one word...accountability.

Who is held accountable for these decisions, and why isn't the board aware of most of these decisions? I make this claim in light of Gary Black Jr.'s attempt to bash my previous post by saying that Marolt's salaries were nowhere near what I proposed. If "nowhere near" means I'm way off then support your claims with the real facts you speak of. As a board member and friend of Marolt's I'm sure Gary knows what Marolt makes so lets hear it. If not, then there is an obvious fundamental problem that exists in the communication between the board and the executives. Either way, I stand by what I said until proven wrong, and if I'm wrong it doesn't change the fact that USSA needs to make some fundamental changes, specifically with athlete funding.

The athletes are ultimately held accountable for their own performance on the hill, but my question is who can the athletes rely on to fully fund, manage, and provide the necessary resources needed in a program that claims they are "best in the world?" Nobody seems to know who has the answers to our questions and if we do get a chance to meet with Marolt or Jesse Hunt (Alpine Director) our questions are rarely answered directly. Instead they tend to dance around them and give us vague political responses that leave us with more confusion than resolution. This lack of communication and state of confusion is a big reason why the situation perpetuates itself and athletes like Erik Schlopy, Dane Spencer, Jake Zamansky, Caroline Lalive and I are wondering where it all went wrong, who ultimately makes these decisions, and why they make them. Again, I cannot speak for everyone but this type of communication is upsetting, which leads to frustration and is the fundamental reason why these problems exist.

The good news is, since my last post I was told that the C-Team is now fully funded and will not have to pay $10,000/each to ski this year. This is a great step in the right direction and I am happy to hear that athlete funding is starting to take more precedence. I also want to reiterate the fact that USSA has made an amazing turnaround during Marolt's tenure, which has set a strong foundation and accounted for great successes. Again, my intentions are to ignite positive change by raising awareness to the situation at USSA. I welcome all supporters to help see these changes through and keep up communication, whether it be on yardbarker, ski racing magazine forums (although I prefer yardbarker), or directly with the organization. Finally, I would like offer an alternative to those of you who would like to donate DIRECTLY to the athletes called the SFI Foundation. The SFI Foundation is an 501 (c) 3 tax exempt organization that Erik Schlopy and I started. The organization is dedicated to providing the necessary funding and resources to high level skiers both on and off the National Team. If you are interested in participating in our next fundraiser I attached the information below. If you cannot attend and would like to help out donations can be made through paypal on the Mens Alpine Team page (www.mensalpine.com) or by check to:

SFI Foundation

P.O. Box 682632

Park City, UT 84060

Tax ID # 20-4647706

I hope to hear from everyone soon! Thanks for listening....

Bryon

As they say, History repeats itself, and once again the U.S. Ski Team cannot afford to fund their athletes, including me. After one of the best seasons in the history of U.S. Skiing (2 overall World Cup Titles, 3 discipline titles, 15 World Cup wins, and 37 Podiums) the National Team, led by Alpine Coordinator Jesse Hunt, does not have the financial backing to fully fund their team. What's wrong with this picture? As of now the athletes who are not funded include Erik Schlopy, who happens to be one of our best skiers and a 3-time Olympian, 7-time National Champion, World Championship Bronze Medalist, and 3rd place overall World Cup G.S. skier...again, what's wrong with this picture? Dane Spencer, also one of our best skiers, is coming back from a near fatal injury and happens to be a 2-time Olympian and National Champion. Oddly Dane was not even named to the team, even though this was his first year back after breaking his neck and crushing his pelvis. Dane and I were both given access to train with the National Team on our own dime, which is proposed to cost between $20,000 and $30,000 for the Season. Furthermore, Jake Zamansky (currently ranked 5th in the U.S. and 54th in the World in G.S.) who earned a World Cup spot by winning the Nor Am G.S. standings has been ostracized from the U.S. Ski Team and is not even allowed to pay his way to train with the World Cup Team...once again, what's wrong with this picture? Just wait; there's more. Recently the entire Men's C-Team was told they have to pay for the competition portion of their season, which will cost each of them $10,000. The C-Team includes the best up and coming athletes in our country including Will Brandenburg, who is ranked 1st in the World for his age, and Travis Ganong, who is one of the best 4 event skiers I have seen since Bode Miller. Do I dare say it again...what's wrong with this picture?

I'll tell you what's wrong. Our organization, or "company" as upper management likes to call it, has lost site of their core values. To put it bluntly, Jesse Hunt (our Alpine Coordinator) summarized it best by saying "the organization is not going the direction of the athlete/individual." This was a direct quote that I received from Hunt when I asked for help in my recovery from my injury. If the organization is not going the direction of the individual (keep in mind skiing is an individual sport, not a team sport) then where is it going? I'll tell you where. It's going to the pockets of the upper management, specifically CEO Bill Marolt, who egregiously recorded a $300,000 bonus this season on top of his already high $700,000/year salary (up from $559,880 in 2004). That's right, over $1million dollars for the CEO of a non-profit organization that can't even afford to sufficiently fund their own athletes...that's what's wrong with this picture! (Although I cannot find this year's accounting information as of yet, I have a reliable source within the organization that backs this claim). Either way you look at it, Marolt is overpaid, and although he is entitled to a good salary due to the stellar results the Team posted this year, his athletes are suffering.

What makes the problem worse and harder to swallow; is that all of us were told by Hunt that the Ski Team is downsizing because he believed it was best for "everybody." By everybody I'm assuming he meant executives like himself and Marolt, so they could cut athletic funding yet maintain his astronomical salary for a non-profit organization *(I make this claim in light of study done in 2007 by Charity Navigator, which keeps an eye out on non-profit organizations, and found that the average salaries for non-profit executives fell around $145,270). Hunt's poor excuse for a cover-up did not resonate well with current Ski Team members, as none of them agree with his philosophy to downsize. Furthermore, every single named athlete protested Hunt's decision to cut Dane Spencer, Jake Zamansky and myself because it was unethical and downright illegal in Zamansky's case. I say illegal because Zamansky actually made the Ski Team's published criteria for his age, and is entitled to a spot on the team regardless of any individual criteria he was given. That's what's wrong with this picture!

So, to answer any questions about my position with the team here it is. I am not a named athlete, but I am able to train with the World Cup Team on my own dime, and compete for World Cup spots next season. My plan is to solidify my comeback and attend to the unfinished business I left on the hill after my injury. If you are interested in joining my comeback I welcome any and all support.

Thanks for listening...

Bryon

Just wanted to share a short documentary on Heal The Snow with everyone...my music is actually featured in it too so let me now what you think.

Hey everyone...I wanted to tell you about a really cool organization that is dedicated to helping ski areas and companies within the industry become more environmentally friendly. The organization is called Heal The Snow, and their first project was the Shred Wagon. I will attach photos so you can get a better idea, but the Shred Wagon is basically a mobile hostel powered by solar energy and bio diesel. It's purpose is to travel from resort to resort and provide affordable lodging for ski bums who can't swing resort prices, all the while keeping it environmentally friendly. It's a great alternative for young skiers and the Shred Wagon followed a lot of Freeride and Big Mountain competitions throughout the winter. It even came to my last race series in Mammoth, California where I got a chance to hang out and play some music for a couple hours. Their website is www.healthesnow.org, so check it out and let me know what you think!

Well...the season is finally over and I'm happy to say that I won another Downhill in Mammoth, California, my last race of the season! The conditions were great for being Spring, the snow was rock hard, the sun was shining, and the wind was calm. It's great to end my comeback year with a win...hopefully it will set the tone for next year.

It feels like the Winter swept past me without warning but I'm excited to take a break. It's time to put the skis away, pick up my guitar, get on my surf board and enjoy some time off snow. I will be posting more pics and videos from the season soon, as well as some from our spring and summer camps. Have a great weekend...

Hey all...just wanted to let you know that I have been skiing fast and won my first downhill of the season in Mammoth, California. It was a two run downhill, which is quite unusual as they are usually only one run, but I won both runs and secured the lead by over half a second. Believe it or not, half a second in ski racing is a lot so I was pleased with my performance! It's great to be skiing fast again and I hope that my results will be proof enough the the National Team that I am rehabilitated and ready to get back onto the World Cup full time next season!

As I write, I'm sitting in my hotel overlooking "Narrow Gage," the run we are racing on this week at our National Championships in Sugarloaf, Maine. Although Sugarloaf is considered a big mountain on the East coast, it's fairly small compared to what we see in the West. Regardless, "Narrow Gage" is a great run for racing and has us going 70 to 80 mph in the Super G and Downhill. The course has a lot of flat sections mixed with terrain as well as two steeper sections and a long flat that takers you to the finish. The most intimidating section of the course is called "Headwall" where the run drops into an icy bowl as the hill falls away and eventually spits you out of a gully and into the fastest section where we are clocked at upwards of 80 mph. Even with a great course set and ready to go, the races were off to a shaky start due to bad weather. We sat around in our hotel rooms 4 days straight wondering if we were ever going to get chance to race. After getting pounded by snow, rain and wind the weather finally cleared and the temperature dropped considerably, which set the snow up perfectly for the speed events. Now here comes the good news!

Although its been a long and at times frustrating season I can finally say I've turned the corner and found the speed again! In skiing there's a fine line between skiing well and skiing fast, and I'm fired up to say that I'm skiing fast again with a 2nd place in the Super G at the U.S. National Championships. It was a tight race as I was only .11 of a second behind the winner Kevin Francis and just ahead of world cup winner Marco Sullivan. It would have been nice to win another National title but I'm pleased with the result and can't wait to find more speed in the Downhill tomorrow.

Once again Bode Miller has proved his critics wrong. After leaving the U.S. Ski Team to pursue his racing career privately, Miller arguably posted his best season to date winning the Overall, Super-Combined, and placing 2nd in the Downhill standings. He has won more World Cups than any other American skier and has shown that it's possible to be the best without the National Team's resources. As a former teammate I'm proud that he won on his own terms and is enjoying his career more than ever. The only accomplishment that alludes Miller's trophy room is an Olympic Gold...where he will have a shot in Vancouver 2010.

With only 3 races to go in the World Cup season, Bode Miller is leading the overall World Cup standings and has a good chance to win it all for the second time of his career. Unfortunately race organizers cancelled the last Downhill of the season in Bormio, Italy, which puts Miller at a disadvantage to maintain his lead. He was not very happy about the organizers' decision to cancel the race, and claimed it was strategy on the parts of the Austrian and Swiss coaches in order to give their athletes a better chance to overtake him for the overall crown. Both Didier Cuche of Switzerland, and Benjamin Raich of Austria are vying for the title as well. Check out what Bode had to say and the decision!

I have some disturbing news regarding Austrian skier Mattias Lanzinger. For those of you who haven't heard, Lanzinger crashed in a World Cup Super G in Kvitfell, Norway and broke his left leg severely. The injury was so severe that it required immediate surgery, but there was no helicopter on site (a major mistake on Kvitfell's organizing committee), and he was forced to wait hours until he was finally transported to a hospital in Oslo...those few hours proved to be critical. During the delay he experienced massive swelling, which cut off the blood flow to his lower leg and caused poor circulation. Upon arrival he underwent emergency surgery but the doctors couldn't restore circulation to his leg and were eventually forced to amputate. This hits a little to close to home for me as I had a similar injury 3 years ago but was flown to the hospital quickly where my doctors performed surgery right away and saved my leg. Although it took me two years to recover I didn't realize how lucky I was until now.

It breaks my heart and makes me sick to my stomach that one of my competitors can no longer walk on his own two feet due to the ignorance, not only of the Kvitfell Organizing committee, but of the FIS (Federation of International Skiing). One of Lanzinger's doctors was quoted saying that if he was brought to the hospital right away the amputation could have been avoided. This is clearly a breach of safety regulations and has caused a great deal of controversy in the Alpine Skiing world. I certainly hope someone is held accountable for this tragedy as Lanzinger deserves some answers!

Out of respect for Lanzinger I am not going to post his crash but if you would like to view it here is a link:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V28GKbLN3pE

Off the subject of skiing, this is an email I received from a friend about a paralympic hopeful named Rohan Murphy. The video tells all...if you feel inspired by Rohan pass it along.

'Amazing awaits. It awaits in athletes like Rohan Murphy, a Paralympic hopeful and student athlete at Penn State University, who has one goal in mind: Competing in powerlifting at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China.



Murphy is defying the odds. Born with a birth defect resulting in the amputation of both of his legs, Murphy doesn't know the word "can't." He also doesn't make excuses.



Murphy's athleticism and can-do attitude is now being featured in a new Nike commercial themed "No Excuses." The video can be found on the attached web-link – www.usparalympics.org. Please join us in distributing the link to friends, family and business partners in an effort to identify and increase the number of persons with physical disabilities active in sport by making them aware of what's possible.'



Amazing awaits!