Daron Rahlves is competing in the Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver in freestyle skiing.
A three-time Olympian as an alpine skier, Daron Rahlves retired after the Torino Games, only to follow his competitive streak into the newest Olympic skiing event: ski cross. The 36-year-old now plans to make his fourth Olympic appearance in Vancouver, competing alongside former alpine teammate Casey Puckett. An avid surfer and motocross racer, Rahlves is also the father of two-year-old twins.
The 2001
Rahlves is acutely aware that his alpine skiing career didn't net him an Olympic medal, a fact that he refers to as "disappointing." But he doesn't see his new ski cross career as a one-dimensional quest for an Olympic medal in Vancouver. "You know, it'd be a nice way to cap my career as a ski racer," Rahlves says. "But it's not a redemption tour, by any means. It's more having fun and doing something different." With that said, Rahlves admits that his competitive side will be a factor. "I'm a guy that doesn't want to just show up and participate," he says. "If I'm there, I want to be there to do my best."
In making the switch from alpine to ski cross, Rahlves has become reunited with former alpine teammate Casey Puckett, who also competes in the new Olympic event. And if there's one primary thing he has gleaned from watching Puckett, it's the art of navigating a pack. "He's really confident skiing around other guys, and makes a lot of moves," Rahlves says. "Somehow, he's got this magical thing where he makes guys crash or fall in front of him, or make big mistakes. I think it's because he just has this relentless pressure. And he feels good... just looking for draft, and tapping tails with their skis, and saying, 'Hey, I'm here.'" Rahlves admits that he's still adjusting to the close quarters aspect of his new event. "I gotta get used to that. If there's one mistake in front, you know, some guy goes down, you can possibly get tangled up. So, that's a fine line. Casey's got it figured out, and I'm trying to learn," Rahlves laughs.
When Rahlves and his wife, Michelle, were married in the summer of 2003, the couple decided to play a unique prank on the wedding party. The marriage was taking place on Lake Tahoe, and the guests believed that Michelle would be making a grand entrance to the ceremony by boat. Instead, Rahlves had one of his friends dress up like Michelle in a wedding dress ("our stunt bride," he explains). When the boat approached, the stunt bride stood up on the back to wave at everyone, at which point the driver gunned the engine, sending her falling off the back. "Everybody was freaking out," Rahlves says. "I was trying to play it up a little bit. Everybody's yelling at me to go out and swim out to her and I'm like, 'I'm not getting wet.' It was a way for us just to break the ice and have a little fun with our wedding day."
Growing up on both coasts, Rahlves has always loved to ski. He was born in Walnut Creek, California (near San Francisco), and by age 8, when his family had moved northeast to Lake Tahoe, he was already focused on being the fastest down whatever run he was on. At age 13, he talked to his parents about racing, and his dad asked if he loved it enough to commit to it. Rahlves said yes, and the next fall, after completing ninth grade, he transferred to Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, Vermont, where he found himself among racers much faster and stronger. At 16, he was only 5-2, and 110 pounds so "For me to be fast, I had to turn better [than the bigger guys]," which was an advantage during his alpine career and remains an asset as a ski cross racer.
Becoming the father to two-year-old twins Miley and Dreyson has undoubtedly changed Rahlves' outlook on the extreme nature of his sports. "I think about my kids a lot, and my wife," he says. "There's people depending on me to be around, and I want to be around. I don't want to be doing anything that's going to put me in a position where I can't be helping out... I broke my wrist two years ago right when the kids were born, and it was a pain trying to change diapers." Rahlves has also become aware of impending expenses associated with encouraging the twins to take after his adventurous side. "I know [the cost of having children is] not anywhere close to what it's going to be, because I like to ride moto[cross], so I'm going to have to definitely get the kids bikes," he says. "To ski, they're going to have to have all the ski gear. They have little surfboards, little skateboards, little snowboards."
A three-time Olympian as an alpine skier, Daron Rahlves retired after the Torino Games, only to follow his competitive streak into the newest Olympic skiing event: ski cross. The 36-year-old now plans to make his fourth Olympic appearance in Vancouver, competing alongside former alpine teammate Casey Puckett. An avid surfer and motocross racer, Rahlves is also the father of two-year-old twins.
The 2001
super-G world champion, three-time world championship medalist and 12-time winner in World Cup events, Rahlves retired from alpine skiing following his third Olympic appearance in Torino. Though he didn't miss the traveling aspect of being on the World Cup circuit, he did find himself missing something during his newfound time off. "Worst thing [about being retired] is just missing out on freshly scrubbed downhill tracks, where no one is in your way," Rahlves says. "You can go as fast as you can possibly go." Still determined to race but looking for a new challenge, Rahlves became involved in ski cross, which is making its first appearance on the Olympic program in 2010. He made his World Cup debut as a freestyle skier in February 2008, placing fourth, and won gold at the 2008 X Games. Rahlves also finished ninth at the World Championships in 2009.
Rahlves is acutely aware that his alpine skiing career didn't net him an Olympic medal, a fact that he refers to as "disappointing." But he doesn't see his new ski cross career as a one-dimensional quest for an Olympic medal in Vancouver. "You know, it'd be a nice way to cap my career as a ski racer," Rahlves says. "But it's not a redemption tour, by any means. It's more having fun and doing something different." With that said, Rahlves admits that his competitive side will be a factor. "I'm a guy that doesn't want to just show up and participate," he says. "If I'm there, I want to be there to do my best."
In making the switch from alpine to ski cross, Rahlves has become reunited with former alpine teammate Casey Puckett, who also competes in the new Olympic event. And if there's one primary thing he has gleaned from watching Puckett, it's the art of navigating a pack. "He's really confident skiing around other guys, and makes a lot of moves," Rahlves says. "Somehow, he's got this magical thing where he makes guys crash or fall in front of him, or make big mistakes. I think it's because he just has this relentless pressure. And he feels good... just looking for draft, and tapping tails with their skis, and saying, 'Hey, I'm here.'" Rahlves admits that he's still adjusting to the close quarters aspect of his new event. "I gotta get used to that. If there's one mistake in front, you know, some guy goes down, you can possibly get tangled up. So, that's a fine line. Casey's got it figured out, and I'm trying to learn," Rahlves laughs.
When Rahlves and his wife, Michelle, were married in the summer of 2003, the couple decided to play a unique prank on the wedding party. The marriage was taking place on Lake Tahoe, and the guests believed that Michelle would be making a grand entrance to the ceremony by boat. Instead, Rahlves had one of his friends dress up like Michelle in a wedding dress ("our stunt bride," he explains). When the boat approached, the stunt bride stood up on the back to wave at everyone, at which point the driver gunned the engine, sending her falling off the back. "Everybody was freaking out," Rahlves says. "I was trying to play it up a little bit. Everybody's yelling at me to go out and swim out to her and I'm like, 'I'm not getting wet.' It was a way for us just to break the ice and have a little fun with our wedding day."
Growing up on both coasts, Rahlves has always loved to ski. He was born in Walnut Creek, California (near San Francisco), and by age 8, when his family had moved northeast to Lake Tahoe, he was already focused on being the fastest down whatever run he was on. At age 13, he talked to his parents about racing, and his dad asked if he loved it enough to commit to it. Rahlves said yes, and the next fall, after completing ninth grade, he transferred to Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, Vermont, where he found himself among racers much faster and stronger. At 16, he was only 5-2, and 110 pounds so "For me to be fast, I had to turn better [than the bigger guys]," which was an advantage during his alpine career and remains an asset as a ski cross racer.
Becoming the father to two-year-old twins Miley and Dreyson has undoubtedly changed Rahlves' outlook on the extreme nature of his sports. "I think about my kids a lot, and my wife," he says. "There's people depending on me to be around, and I want to be around. I don't want to be doing anything that's going to put me in a position where I can't be helping out... I broke my wrist two years ago right when the kids were born, and it was a pain trying to change diapers." Rahlves has also become aware of impending expenses associated with encouraging the twins to take after his adventurous side. "I know [the cost of having children is] not anywhere close to what it's going to be, because I like to ride moto[cross], so I'm going to have to definitely get the kids bikes," he says. "To ski, they're going to have to have all the ski gear. They have little surfboards, little skateboards, little snowboards."
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