Three-time Winter Olympian Steve Lee is a legend of alpine ski racing. Three months ago, on September 6, Steve suffered a debilitating stroke that has left him hospitalised, paralysed on his left side and with a hard fight ahead. As we sit out the next month, keeping some winter faith for the upcoming ski season, here’s the story of a skier who has inspired a generation, both on the grand scale of competitive skiing and on a more personal level.
Steve Lee grew up in Falls Creek, a ski resort in Australia’s Victorian Alps. Aged 14 he was selected by Snow Australia to train overseas and by 16 Steve was chasing the FIS circuit around Europe, independently, as a solo Australia skier. He achieved his first major result on the World Cup circuit placing tenth in the 1983 Hahnenkamm downhill event in Kitzbühel, Austria.
Lee is one of just three Australians to have taken victory on the World Cup circuit, winning SuperG gold in Furano, Japan in 1985. His career in competitive skiing spanned 25 years and included three consecutive Winter Olympic Games – Sarajevo 1984, Calgary 1988, Albertville 1992 – followed by a decade on the pro circuits. He retired in 1992.
Post-racing life has included coaching the Australia national team, stints with the US and British ski teams, commentating on Alpine Freestyle events at subsequent Winter Olympics, stuntman gigs in movies starring Roger Moore and Jackie Chan, and co-founding freeski publication Chillfactor. It’s fair to say Steve Lee has contributed no ends to the sport and the ski industry.
All his life Steve has been skiing the backcountry. I heard him recently share the unorthodox but winning warm up to his Furano World Cup victory back in ‘85: a freeride fresh powder run, pulling backflips off a home-built kicker.
Over the past decade Steve has run backcountry tours both in his native Falls Creek and in Hakuba Valley, Japan, creating a year-round winter straddling the Northern-Southern hemispheres. It was this year in Japan that I had the privilege to ski with Steve Lee and see out Winter 2019-20. It was a game-changer of a trip, one that has shaken up my experience of skiing. Enduring moments were made following in the tracks of this skiing powerhouse and exploring the vast Hakuba backcountry, marked ultimately by the unrelenting enthusiasm, passion and energy Steve has for the game.
Many others have shared their tales and appreciation – the impact this man has had on their own ski stories. Tap in hashtag #steveleefightback to social media (or visit Facebook page Steve Lee Support Tribe, set up by friends and family) for some more as the ski community rallies together in support of Steve and his Herculean task ahead. In these low-key, grounded times it’ll at least bring some pride and a surge of that deep love we share for winter sports.
Steve’s medical prognosis is far from ideal. He is currently in Wangaratta hospital where he is starting rehabilitation on a long road to recovery, one that’ll require great determination and grit, of which he has plenty. What is needed from the outside is some financial support.
His family and friends have launched a fundraising initiative to raise money for the next phase of his fight, to cover ongoing treatment and long-term assistance. It’s been a hard, hard year for everyone. But if you can muster any amount to donate, no matter how small, it would mean a helluva lot. The cost of an apres beer… It all adds up. Steve has invested so much in people and in the sport, and needs a little back.
To donate visit http://bit.ly/SLFightback and to follow his medical updates visit Facebook page Steve Lee Support Tribe. If you have any experiences or stories to share with Steve, please post your photos and videos on your socials with #steveleefightback and tag the Steve Lee’s Support Tribe facebook page.
