Steven Nyman is an Olympic downhill skier who spends his days speeding down an ice-coated racecourse at more than 90 145 kmph. A member of the US Ski Team, he was ranked #7 in the world in 2015. Yet, despite the extreme nature of his lifestyle, Steven does not consider himself an adrenaline junkie. Instead, he revels in the ongoing challenge of pushing himself to new levels of mental and physical prowess, both on and off the slopes.
Did you ever consider doing anything other than skiing?
I didn’t. Skiing was my life growing up. My dad ran the ski school, my mom taught me to ski, my three brothers all ski. We lived right outside Sundance Resort in Utah and spent all of our time exploring the resort. I learned to love it, and despite all the challenges of this career path, I still love it.
What do you love most about the sport of ski racing?
Ski racing is clean. There is no power, no engines, and no judges. It is just you and your skis trying to get to the bottom of a mountain as fast as possible.
Have you ever been afraid when standing in the starting gate?
I remember standing in the starting gate at Kitzbühel, the Mecca of ski racing courses, my first year on the World Cup. I had never been afraid of skiing before, but I stood there thinking, “I do not want to do this right now.” But here’s the thing:, when you are at the top of a hill and are about to huck your carcass down an icy mountain, you have to have confidence in yourself and what you are doing. I do, so I went.
How do you “get back up” after a crash or injury?
I’ve had a lot of issues with injuries: blown-out backs, torn Achilles, broken legs. The thing is, a year later you find yourself back competing in that same arena where the injury happened. You remember crashing into that fence, or catching an edge and piling it. These thoughts build into instilled negative memories. To be successful you have to get over it, and the only way is to just do it again. You need to push yourself through the hesitation.
Your job involves flying down a mountain at 80 miles an hour on a weekly basis. Does the rest of your life seem a little less exciting in comparison?
For me, skiing isn’t about the adrenaline. It’s true that I do a lot of sports, and will do big gnarly things if I need to, but I don’t yearn for it. As crazy as it sounds, I get the same thrill from problem solving that I do from ski racing. I’m currently developing an app for fantasy ski racing, and I get the same high from making it work. Really, I just like just challenging myself, pushing myself to new levels both mentally and physically.
What happens now?
My goal is to be the first American man to win the Olympic downhill title. After that? I don’t think about it. I would rather focus on the now, and right now my focus is all on skiing.
