GEPA pictures/Mario Buehner-Weinrauch
The veteran coach on the Stifel U.S. Women’s Speed Team’s recent training: “We’ve always had the best seasons when we’ve had the toughest prep periods.”
ZERMATT-CERVINIA, Italy
The return of the longest-tenured Alpine ski coach in US Ski Team history to his most comfortable position thrills racers, as he provides expertise and guidance to those who have thrived under his leadership.
Alex Hoedlmoser – who has more than two decades of experience with the U.S. Women’s Ski Team – is again at the helm of the ladies’ World Cup speed team. After a one-year stint with the Austrian women’s speed team, the 55-year-old Austrian-born coach returns to the U.S. squad for the 2023-24 season.
Hoedlmoser coaches a trio of U.S. racers into this weekend’s World Cup speed season-opening downhill races in Zermatt-Cervinia. The new ‘Gran Becca’ track is scheduled to host consecutive downhills on Saturday and Sunday. The Stifel U.S. Ski Team starters, all athletes who have formerly worked closely with Hoedlmoser, are Breezy Johnson, Isabella “Bella” Wright and Jacqueline Wiles.
Athletes welcome Hoedlmoser back
The well-traveled coach is undoubtedly excited about the work and challenges ahead, a feeling that is very much mutual.
“Alex has been there for me since the beginning of my World Cup journey,” says Wright, who made her World Cup debut in December 2019. “He kind of brought me uphe was with me for a couple of years and is now again with me this year.
“I’m so grateful to have him back. I trust his opinions and he communicates extremely well on race day and in training. I’m just grateful to have had him with me since the beginning of my World Cup career.”
Hoedlmoser – a former racer on the Austrian Ski Team – says that his continued motivation after decades of coaching across many levels is relatively simple and rewarding.
“Honestly, it’s the group of athletes that give so much back to me,” Hoedlmoser tells Ski Racing Media in Cervinia. “I get so much in return by seeing them succeed, and that’s really the motivation that I have.”
Wiles, who missed all of last season due to injury, even quipped about the perfect timing of Hoedlmoser’s return
“I didn’t miss a beat – the year I took off, he was gone,” Wiles said. “I’ve come back and it’s like nothing has changed.”
An Impressive Resume and Early Season Strategy
Hoedlmoser previously worked with the U.S. Alpine Ski Team as a coach on the Europa Cup team, the World Cup downhill team, and as head coach of the women’s program. He helped develop Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso into Olympic champions. He also worked as Vonn’s personal coach from 2017 to the end of her career. He has received the U.S. Alpine International Coach of the Year honor multiple times.
Italian Daniel Dejori, who previously served in the assistant’s role from 2018 through 2022, is again joining Hoedlmoser this season as an assistant coach. Dejori also worked as an assistant to Hoedlmoser with the Austrian women’s speed team last season.
Hoedlmoser provided insight regarding the decision to bring only three U.S. women to the new location, season-opening speed races, which start in Switzerland and finish in Italy.
“We have a small team here on purpose because we wanted to keep the younger ones training in Copper,” he says. “They have great conditions and we knew we would have tough conditions here.”
Less Than Ideal Training and Perseverance
The experienced and successful coach elaborates on the difficulties and frustration of finding suitable and sufficient training blocks this off-season. From Kvitfjell, Norway, to Mammoth, California, two training camps in South America, and most recently in Zermatt, the weather has not been conducive to productive skiing and training.
“In general, we had a really tough preparations periodwe’ve had very challenging weather conditions wherever we were,” Hoedlmoser said.
“The plan was then to come here to Zermatt early and get four good days of training before the official training runs started, but unfortunately, as we saw last week with the men here, we really couldn’t get anything done,” he said, referring to two men’s downhill cancellations in Zermatt-Cervinia due to persistent snowfall and fierce winds.
“We’ve been keeping our spirits up, but it’s been hard because the girls want to ski and train,” Hoedlmoser said.
However, the knowledgeable and savvy speed coach finds an encouraging and positive aspect to the training setbacks based on his wealth of experience.
“It’s been difficult, but I have to say from my past experiences with preparation periods, when we’ve had the toughest prep periods, we’ve always had the best seasons, so I’m hopeful.
“We’ve trained a lot in not-so-great conditions, so I think we’ll be ready for flat light or whatever is thrown at us, so that makes me feel positive.
“The girls have been doing a great job, very dedicated, training hard and skiing well. We might not be completely ready here. It’s early, but I feel very positive for this season.”
It all seems like old times with Hoedlmoser.
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