Beyond the legend, Bode Miller.
At the heart of the sport there has always been something magical, an energy that goes beyond mere competitions and results.
That is where the legendary Bode Miller lives, a name that has written pages of history in alpine skiing with his extraordinary skill and boundless determination.
To fully understand the greatness of Bode Miller, we must look beyond the trophies and medals, beyond the records broken and the honors achieved.
We must dig into the soul of a man who embodied passion, resilience and tenacity like few others.
That is where the legendary Bode Miller lives, a name that has written pages of history in alpine skiing with his extraordinary skill and boundless determination.
To fully understand the greatness of Bode Miller, we must look beyond the trophies and medals, beyond the records broken and the honors achieved.
We must dig into the soul of a man who embodied passion, resilience and tenacity like few others.
Bode was born in Easton, New Hampshire, on October 12, 1977. Raised with four siblings by (hippy) parents in a house near the forests of Franconia, New Hampshire, without amenities such as electricity and running water. Bode and his siblings did not attend traditional schools, but their mother was responsible for their early education. At age three he "knows" skiing, instant feeling and love at first sight.
He skis in a free and creative way, always more interested in the pursuit of speed than in the perfection of technique, and this leads him to develop his own innovative and unconventional style of "skiing."
He began entering the world of racing at the age of 11 and made his World Cup debut at 20.
Comparable in winning mentality and spectacular style to Alberto Tomba, but very different from the Emilian in other respects, in fact Bode is totally a free spirit who loves to listen to reggae, travel the world, stay in a camper and above all detests worldliness and luxury. In the somewhat traditionalist and stuffy ski environment, he is considered a nut or an alien from another galaxy.
He skis in a free and creative way, always more interested in the pursuit of speed than in the perfection of technique, and this leads him to develop his own innovative and unconventional style of "skiing."
He began entering the world of racing at the age of 11 and made his World Cup debut at 20.
Comparable in winning mentality and spectacular style to Alberto Tomba, but very different from the Emilian in other respects, in fact Bode is totally a free spirit who loves to listen to reggae, travel the world, stay in a camper and above all detests worldliness and luxury. In the somewhat traditionalist and stuffy ski environment, he is considered a nut or an alien from another galaxy.
He is one of the last versatile, capable of excelling in all specialties.
Iconic was his "two days" between Val d'Isère where he won the giant and shortly after 24 hours in Madonna di Campiglio he managed to win the slalom.
There followed, amid injuries, much madness and pauses for reflection another 31 World Cup victories.
Iconic was his "two days" between Val d'Isère where he won the giant and shortly after 24 hours in Madonna di Campiglio he managed to win the slalom.
There followed, amid injuries, much madness and pauses for reflection another 31 World Cup victories.
He loved beer and evenings, so much so that in 2006 he candidly admitted that he had already competed in an "inebriated" state: "On some occasions my performances were affected by alcohol, sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. It is not easy to face a Slalom like that...." An anti-conformist, between tests he spent time in his "Bodemobile," a caravan equipped for all eventualities and with which he traveled the world. So many iconic moments in his career, and not just victories. Memorable was the number on the tarpaulins in Kitzbühel, unforgettable the Downhill valid for the Combined faced in Bormio on February 3, 2005, when he lost his left ski after only 15 seconds of the race and completed the course, with passages that give normal people the creeps, on one leg. All while smiling and stealing the show from those who later took the rainbow medals. Long live "Miller-mania."
In 2013, he mourned the passing of his younger brother Chelone (aka Chilly), who died in his sleep at only 29 from a seizure. He was a promising snowboarder aiming for the 2014 Olympics. And it was at the Sochi Games that Bode experienced strong emotions, especially when he faced the crowd of journalists after winning bronze in the super-G. "Today I had asked him to help me, and he did, the cents were on my side. You can call it luck, but I think it's something else. Does this medal repay me for all the suffering? Absolutely not, I would have preferred to have my brother back."
In 2018 she experienced another tragedy by losing her 19-month-old daughter, who drowned in a swimming pool.
Despite his misfortunes today he continues to live his life fully, in a different way than in the past, enjoying with his seven amazing children and his beautiful wife the different mentality of Montana, between ranch life, cowboys, small communities and boundless nature, a return to his roots.
Bode was our symbol of being a free spirit, a living legend always on the edge, inventing trajectories in races that others had never thought possible, and most of all he taught us that when you do something, whatever it is, do it "to the hilt," having fun and making it fun.
Thank you Bode.
In 2018 she experienced another tragedy by losing her 19-month-old daughter, who drowned in a swimming pool.
Despite his misfortunes today he continues to live his life fully, in a different way than in the past, enjoying with his seven amazing children and his beautiful wife the different mentality of Montana, between ranch life, cowboys, small communities and boundless nature, a return to his roots.
Bode was our symbol of being a free spirit, a living legend always on the edge, inventing trajectories in races that others had never thought possible, and most of all he taught us that when you do something, whatever it is, do it "to the hilt," having fun and making it fun.
Thank you Bode.