For most of us, the only experiences we have with FIS World Cup races are what we see on our screens of inspirational athletes skiing at faraway European venues. However, once twenty years or so, the FIS World Cup comes to America. For many of us, the idea of attending a World Cup race is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity – and that is how we felt when we were generously invited by Salomon to join their corporate team to attend the races in Minneapolis last February.
While we knew we’d have an awesome time, we didn’t know how up-close we’d get to be with the athletes. As part of their gracious invite, Salomon put us up at the same hotel as all of the World Cup athletes, and invited us to the World Cup welcome reception, where all of the athletes and sponsors gathered to ceremonially kick off the weekend. A highlight for us was chatting with Kikkan Randall about the adventures of training with motherhood!
When it was time to head to the race venue, we were once again awestruck that we got to ride the athletes’ shuttle buses with them for the weekend. They’d load their duffel bags and board in their puffy coats, seating themselves all around us and getting into the zone, or chatting with teammates or competitors. We would sometimes hear several different languages being spoken, making it feel like we’d stepped into a different place altogether.
Just like any big sporting event or concert, there is the buzz of excitement from the cumulative high vibrational energy and anticipation from all the forty thousand (!) spectators who traveled from near and far to cheer on the athletes, most of whom would be competing on American soil for the first and only time. This buzz was palpable from the moment we first stepped off the shuttle, and continued as we pre-skied the course, which included inclines every bit as steep as you’d imagine, tight curves, and a meticulous trail surface. While challenging, the crowds sure did make us ski faster!
The entire weekend was infused by the excitement of being in the close physical presence of these celebrity skiers, who we’ve only ever seen before on a screen. Jessie Diggins, Johannes Klaebo, and so many more athletes that every spectator had a chance, with the right amount of determination and patience, to get a picture with or get an autograph. With a smile on his face, Klaebo, after winning Saturday’s sprint race, met the huge crowd who had waited patiently after the awards ceremony to sign EVERY autograph that was asked of him. It was much more than anyone would expect after a full day of sprints.
The obvious crowd favorite was Jessie Diggins, the World Cup leader going into the weekend, and America’s seemingly only realistic chance at getting on a podium. The cheering was deafening, but not just for Jessie; the crowd produced bombastic energy and volume for all the races. But before Jessie’s podium performance on Sunday even started, the unthinkable happened, and the spectators lost their minds. Gus Schumacher (Alaska), whose previous best WC performance was an 8th place in 2021, put together the best race performance of his life, winning 1st place that Sunday. The entire US team was freaking out. The crowd was freaking out. We were freaking out. It was the cherry on top.
For the most part on this trip, we played it cool and didn’t blow our cover as giddy fans. We would just whisper to each other in the lobby or on the bus “Oh my gosh, I think that’s {insert celebrity athlete name} sitting in front of us”. However, everyone was so pumped after Sunday’s races, that we couldn’t restrain ourselves any longer… spotting Gus across the lobby, Stu asked, “No one can say ‘no’ to a celebratory shot of tequila after winning, right?” Right. Mariah ordered some shots of Patron from the hotel bar, walked into the sphere of the US Team, and presented Gus with a shot of tequila. He accepted, and the group of us toasted with him. We’re still celebrating him and the entire US Ski Team, and are invigorated by the spirit of all the athletes and support staff who make the World Cup possible.
