No one took turns like him: With his unique style and his uncompromising willingness to take risks, Bode Miller became world champion and Olympic champion. In conversation with Skiservice Magazin, he looks back on his successes and thinks about the future of skiing.
“I felt that people there were just like me,” says Bode Miller about the Engadin. “We're all made of the same thing; we share the joy of skiing and do everything we can to pass it on to our guests and children.”
Bode won his first major titles in St. Moritz: “I drove against Maier, Eberharter, Walchhofer, Kjus, Aamodt. They were all better than me. I was the new guy and I knew I had to go all out if I wanted to win without compromise.”
Sport has changed since then, there were no exceptional athletes: “You could only beat people like Hermann Maier or Alberto Tomba if you squeezed the most out of your body and material,” Miller muses. “They took the whole sport to a higher level.”
“The quality of craftsmanship is decisive.”
Bode hasn't raced since 2015. As a family man, he has other priorities. “The most important thing for me is being there for the four kids. They're all skiing, but I'm not forcing them to. They should discover sport and enjoy it.”
Sport is a school of life that has shaped Bode: “You don't grow from your victories, but from defeats; pick yourself up again and again, come up with a new plan and implement it. No one can teach you that; you have to experience it yourself and learn from it.”
At the end of his sports career, the Olympic champion turned to two small manufacturers, which he shaped as co-owner, innovation manager and ambassador: Aztech Mountain and Bomber Skis. “I can actively change something here and help ensure that only the best products reach stores,” he describes his role.
Aztech Mountain has set itself no less goal than to make the best skiwear in the world. “Skiing is movement: Your clothing shouldn't restrict you under any circumstances. It should be waterproof and keep you warm in winter, but not too warm.”
There are many textile brands that advertise themselves as lifestyle products, says Bode. “But most simply aren't. A part of your lifestyle is only part of it if you like to wear it in every situation. You can also go out in the evening with our jackets - simply because you feel so comfortable wearing them.”
“Today, everyone just wants to produce cheaply and cheaply — and in the end, everyone just produces scrap. The quality of craftsmanship determines whether our customers enjoy using our products. Bombers and Aztech therefore produce in Italy. It comes at a price, but the quality is right.”
“We need to start with the kids.”
Skiing has shaped Bode — and Bode has shaped skiing. Sport is close to his heart, and you can feel that in every sentence he makes. “If we want to promote sport sustainably, we have to start with the children,” the champion is convinced. “Younger children shouldn't have to pay for tickets. If they experience the joy of this sport as children, skiing will always be a part of their lives.”
This article by Christian Gartmann was published in Skiservice Magazine 2018:
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