"The crowds have disappeared and so has the sun, dipping behind the frigid Dolomites as another day of Olympic racing is in the books. This is the golden hour for the hidden heroes of the sport. You can find them in metal storage containers and dimly-lit concrete garages, warmed by space heaters and hunkered over skis that will carry their clients down harrowing hills, places where 80 mph is routine and a seemingly miniscule mistake can spell disaster."
"They scrape. They wax. They file. They meticulously pore over every detail, these ski technicians - commonly referred to as ski techs - whose work is graded in milliseconds. "There's no person in an athlete's quiver more important than the tech," said Stacey Cook, a retired American World Cup Alpine ski racer who competed for 15 years as a member of the U.S. Ski Team. "They work insanely long hours, but they are the athlete's greatest tool.""
Ski technicians perform detailed tuning—scraping, waxing, filing—and manage high-tech materials to maximize ski speed and stability. They work long hours in garages and containers, preparing skis for 80 mph runs where tiny errors can be decisive. Techs form deep partnerships with athletes, analyzing turns, riding chairlifts, and tailoring equipment to individual needs. Proper tuning can separate podium finishes from lower placements by hundredths of a second. Notable techs, such as Leo Mussi who works with Bryce Bennett and Sam Morse, combine mechanical skill with intimate racer knowledge to extract every performance advantage.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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