American Downhiller Podcast: Wengen’s Lauberhorn race

In this very special episode, Lew, AJ, Daron and Marco talk about one of the most iconic downhills on the men’s World Cup circuit — the Lauberhorn in Wengen. This track has played a special role in the American Downhillers’ history. Bill Johnson shocked the world in 1984 and won the race with a crazy run in the snow that included going off the course and recovering to win by a small margin. It marked the first-ever win by an American male in the downhill discipline. Other U.S. winners have been Kyle Rasmussen, Daron Rahlves and Bode Miller. The boys break down what each win meant to the team.

Joining this week in a surprise guest appearance is NBC’s voice of World Cup skiing and fellow American Downhiller, Steve Porino, who shares his thoughts and insights on this legendary piste. Together the team talks about each unique aspect of this 2.7 mile downhill – the longest track on the circuit, which sometimes runs over 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

In addition to describing in detail every incredible section of the course, they covered Hundschopf Willy, missing the train, getting lost on the track, going over 90 mph and how the winners are transported to the awards ceremony. Tune in and learn about the history of this unique race and then watch this weekend as the fastest skiers in the world get two chances at becoming the next Lauberhorn winner.

Watch the video version exclusively here or find the audio version of the podcast on Apple or Spotify. The podcast runs 40 minutes.

Next week, the podcast will cover the most dangerous downhill on the circuit as the men’s circuit visits Kitzbuhel, Austria for the running of the Hannenkahm downhill. Daron Rahlves is the only American Downhiller winner of the Streif in the modern era. He will describe what that win meant next week.