As a kid, many of us had sports heroes or people we idolized for their amazing skills and accomplishments — whether it be a hockey player like the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, or Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. We were fans, their posters covered our bedroom walls, and we knew all their stats and tried to mimic their style.
I think having an athlete or mentor to look up to can be a good thing in many ways. Studying their technique and training routines, for example, can help young athletes elevate their game so they can achieve higher goals.
As a young wannabe freestyle skier, I had several ski idols I looked up to over my career, like Airborne Eddie Ferguson, Wayne Wong and three-time world champion Bob Howard to name just a few. Over the years, I've been lucky enough to personally get to know them. Those first introductions and the time I was able to spend with each of them gave me an even greater appreciation for them as athletes but even more so as people. You spend a few hours with someone in their element, such as skiing, and you get to know the real person.
Last winter I was fortunate enough to spend a half of a day skiing with three Winter Olympians at Deer Valley in Park City, Utah. This is through a program called Ski with Champions, which three-time Olympian Kris "Fuzz" Feddersen created and runs.
Fuzz competed in freestyle skiing-aerials at three Winter Olympics — the 1988, '92 and the '94 Games. He was a member of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team for 16 years and had over 30 podiums on the World Cup circuit. After he retired from competition, Feddersen went into coaching, once again representing the U.S. at the '98 Nagano Olympics as the aerial coach, where the U.S. men's and women's teams each brought home gold medals.
After his competitive days, Feddersen started getting requests by corporations to give talks or ski with groups. That's when he got the idea for Ski with a Champion.
"At first, I started doing it solo, bringing in some of my Olympic friends into corporate gigs and skiing with groups," says Feddersen.
Seven years ago, Ski with a Champion integrated into the Deer Valley program. According to Feddersen, "It's not really a ski lesson, it's more for people that just want to hear the Olympic stories, your experiences and ski with an Olympian."
There are six other Olympic athletes in the program who you can request to ski with for a full or half day: Jillian Vogtli, Kaylin Richardson, Shannon Bahrke, Chris Waddell, Trace Worthington and the latest addition to the squad, Ashley Caldwell.
On the morning I was there, two-time Olympians Worthington and Vogtli joined Feddersen and I as we explored the mountain. Deer Valley is home to Vogtli as well as where she competed in her first Winter Olympics in 2002. The freestyle skiing disciplines of moguls and aerials were both held here at Deer Valley.
As we were riding the Empire Express Chair, Vogtli explained the Ski with a Champion program: "It's a unique experience to see the mountain through our eyes. I aim to meet the needs of the individuals so that they walk away feeling a little taller in themselves and feeling a little more improved in who they are as a person and as a skier. I love what I do," she said with a smile. "We give you a fun and memorable experience that hopefully you'll be talking about for years to come."
Our first run was off the Northside Express chair, where we warmed up with some nice cruising runs on beautifully manicured corduroy. After a few laps off there, we ventured over to the Empire Express, where we had a variety of terrain and conditions from moguls, groomers and some soft crud. These three Olympians who've been out of the competitive limelight for quite some time still have impressive skiing skills as you could see from the deep trenches they left in the corduroy and in their rhythm skiing the bumps. They even got a little air!
I don't know what I liked better, skiing the manicured runs that Deer Valley is known for or listening to all the stories on the chair lift rides.
Trace Worthington has an interesting background outside of competing in two Olympics, having 79 World Cup podiums, 39 of those being first place. In addition to the Ski with a Champions program, Worthington works in television broadcasting as a sports commentator. He's done the play-by-play role for NBC at seven Olympics, and in the summertime, Worthington commentates for the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
What I find interesting and funny is that Worthington also calls dog shows, and he's going on his 18th season hosting the Incredible Dog Challenge presented by Purina. According to Worthington, it's one of the highest-rated programs he does.
Worthington, who's been skiing at Deer Valley for over 25 years, had this to say: "The Olympic background is nice to have, but that's not necessarily the primary reason. It's also about embracing and understanding the Deer Valley culture. My resort knowledge along with the other champions is super important to the program. All those little tricks I've learned over 25-plus years of skiing at Deer Valley come into play. You need to know the mountain, the secret stashes, what runs are groomed daily, and when and where to slide into lunch before the crowds get there."
One thing I found spending the morning with these three is their willingness to show you a good time while skiing at Deer Valley, but it may be their banter with one another that's the most fun to listen in on.
I asked Vogtli about the two guys, and she said with a laugh: "They're always entertaining and make me laugh. I watched them compete before I was on the ski team, and for the first few years — they wouldn't know this now — but I was too nervous to even speak to them!" ♦
To reserve your own champion for groups up to six people, visit deervalley.com/things-to-do.
