The World Cup Finals were a little uneventful, with the exception of Bode clinching the overall title. I think the Downhill being cancelled knocked the wind out of everyone’s sails. The Super-G had some tough snow conditions and The Head skis seemed to cause problems for one of the few times this season. Bode never found his groove and had difficulty with the grip and feel on his skis. Watching the SG globe evaporate out of Cuche’s hands was surprising as he has skied hard all season, even in traininig runs. I have never seen him back off like that in 12 years. I doubt I will ever see it again.In the Giant Slalom Bode put a solid run together on the 21 GS skis, which had a slight modification to prevent the ski from bending in reverse camber. Not sure we will be patenting this particular idea but we will continue to move in the same direction. Bode won the first run, which he’s had the speed to do all season. It was more a matter of finding appropriate tactics and putting a run down without too many mistakes. The second run started off a bit ragged as Bode was skiing too straight and missing the groove created by the previous 29 skiers. He was still in the hunt but bashed his hand on the base of a gate, knocking him off balance, and then his inside ski hooked up and his knee struck him in the chin. He said it disoriented him and that before he could react he was out.

The following morning Bode could not even hold his pole and I think he may have broken something. He was bummed but decided he would not be able to ski the way he wanted since he was incapable of planting his pole. It was unfortunate as Bode worked extremely hard in SL and put himself in a good place to compete in the last 2 slaloms. It’s always frustrating when injuries prevent someone from competing.

All in all it was a ground-breaking season and we both learned a lot. There were unique challenges and advantages to being on our own. We had an awesome crew and I could not have asked for a better group of people to work with. I would like to thank all our fans and supporters — and even the doubters — who helped provide inspiration.

For me, the season was defined by a number of missed opportunities and some out-of-this-world performances by Bode. He clearly proved that he is the best overall skier in the world.

Bode worked hard the whole year. He held himself more accountable to in- and out-of-season conditioning, better nutrition, more efficient hydration and a season without a drop of booze. He is absolutely one of the best athletes I have encountered in my life. His unique and fresh approach to competition, sport and life has taught me a lot. I am extremely proud to have had a small part in his journey for the past 12 seasons. I know he will have many more inspirational performances and continue to shock fans and competitors with his abilities. Team America has been a really cool experiment and there is potential for us to make it even better. I look forward to what the future brings for Bode. I hope he finds peace of mind, joy and fulfillment in life and sport. Cheers to you CEO, you are a legend. Peace to all. I hope the blogs at least informed and entertained a few of you. Johno

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