This is why other skiers consider downhillers insane:
The signature point in the middle of the $20 million Kvitfjell alpine course is called the Russi jump. A racer comes into the jump between 65 and 75 m.p.h., unable to see the landing on the approach.
The drop is roughly equivalent to eight floors.
“That’s why I ski-race,” said Tommy Moe, considered America’s best hope for an Olympic medal in Sunday’s downhill. “I love the speed and danger. It’s really a test of your skills. It takes a lot of strength and aggressiveness.”
Moe, who celebrates his 24th birthday Thursday, never has lacked those qualities throughout an uneven career marked by periods of self-indulgence, frustration and inconsistency.
Emerging as a prime prospect at 16, Moe joined the U.S. national team, but was dropped for smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol. Moe has been down this treacherous road before, when he was 13, influencing his father’s decision to move from Missoula, Mont., to Palmer, Alaska.
Moe returned to Alaska after the second incident, finding his father’s patience exhausted. The elder Moe employed Tommy building foundations in the cold rain. As Tommy labored, his father asked: “Where would you rather be right now? Skiing in Argentina or being down here working for me?”
The daily grunt work changed Moe’s perspective regarding priorities, allowing him to dump the personal baggage he termed “crazy stuff” and focus on skiing.
“It was a lot of mental torture,” Moe said. “I needed that lesson or I wouldn’t be at this level in this sport.”
More lessons were forthcoming, reflecting Moe’s need to mature in other ways. Pleased with the easy nature of his development on the slopes, Moe struggled after moving on the World Cup race circuit full time in 1989. He was no longer America’s fastest, watching teammate AJ Kitt consistently post better finishes.
After a 27th-place finish in a World Cup race in Japan in January 1993, Moe decided to drop off the tour indefinitely. He took 10 days off, spending time free-skiing with his brother, forgetting about the demands of racing.
“It was the toughest decision I ever made as a skier,” Moe said.
Upon his return, Moe established himself on the circuit by finishing fifth in the world championships in Morioka, Japan, and second in a World Cup downhill race in Whistler, British Columbia. His efforts were rewarded by the U.S. Ski Team, which named Moe its 1993 Alpine Skier of the Year.
“Before the start of the (Whistler) race, I told myself, `I’m going to go out. I don’t have anything to lose. I’m going to search for speed all the way down the course,’ ” Moe said. “That was a big turning point for me.”
Besides downhill, Moe will compete in the super-giant slalom on the Kvitfjell course in Lillehammer. The Super G is a hybrid of the downhill and giant slalom, marked by long, sweeping high-speed turns.
The imposing Olympic course is designed by Bernhard Russi, noted sculptor of Olympic courses in Calgary and in the French Alps. Kvitfjell is 3,035 meters long-the length of more than 30 football fields-and has a vertical drop of 838 meters. It is expected to provide an accurate measure of speed and ability.
Moe finished 12th and 26th after practice runs Thursday and Friday, although practice times do not measure the confidence of a man who seems to have found peace, both personally and professionally.
“I feel really confident,” Moe said. “And when I get on top of the mountain, I know that I can ski as fast as anybody in the world.
“When you have the skintights on and you’re on top of the mountain going down as fast as you can . . . it’s hard to explain how fast you’re going and the feelings you get.”
Insane, perhaps? Tommy Moe wants it no other way.
