Jared Goldberg made some great strides last season: He went from being just a member of the American Ski Team to part of the US team at the Olympics Games. Goldberg made three top twenty results last season with a best of 11th in the Super Combined at Kitzbuehel and a 12th in Wengen. Talking at the Vail Beaver Creak World Championships press meeting, Goldberg is keen and ready to go for this season. ...
"Kitzbuehel is probably my favourite race," the 23 year old from Utah, explained, adding "because it is the most scared I have every felt on skis! I also like Val Gardena for all the jumps and Beaver Creak." It was in Beaver Creak in 2012 that Goldberg made his first World Cup points in the Super G, taking 30th spot.
While the points and results have come in the speed races to date, Goldberg harbours ambitions to challenge for the Overall title in the long run. This season he will be looking to race in all five disciplines "but maybe not the slalom, just the Super Combined Slalom," he explained. "I would like to be on the podium at the World Champs this year, I have high hopes for everything in skiing."
With both Ted Ligety and Bode Miller on Head in the US Ski Team, Goldberg is able to pick the brains of the rising talent. While both racers have years of experience in developing how they want the ski to be for them, Goldberg gets the benefit of this experience. While he agrees that it is tough learning his trade on the World Cup, he uses this as a learning experience: "It takes a while and a lot of learning."
Goldberg is a level headed and looks at other super stars from outside of the world of ski racing. While he grew up watching Bode Miller, who is expected to be racing at his second World Championships in Vail in February 2015, it is the likes of the surfing super stars Kelly Slater and Seth Morrison from the world of freeskiing that grab his attention.
After having made the break through last year, Goldberg feels that he "is starting off where he left last year" after all the summer training. "All my equipment is dialled and I have started working with Chris Kraus and Shinti (two of the Head Servicemen) and the stuff has never felt better."
After results last season, Goldberg has seen his status within the Head roster of racers has grown. "I love the kit and it seems to be the best equipment for me. I am a heavy and strong guy and I want the kit that is going to be stable through the bumps."
Goldberg may only be 23 years old but he is wise and recognises the fact that he is a few years behind the likes of Miller when it comes to setting up his skis. "Bode has been setting up his skis for year but I am still working on the base set up. Pretty soon I will be able to tweak things and test things but basically both of them have been around for a while and have tested a lot of things so I will listen and make a decision on what is going to work for me."
Goldberg swapped to Head five years ago as he joined the US Ski Team and has not looked back. It is this complete trust and faith in his kit that he feels is one of the reasons he has made such jumps recently. "I was with other brands but had not really found what I was looking for," explained Goldberg, "It was a really, really good decision."
With Goldberg looking to get his ranking into the top thirty across the four main disciplines he will be competing in, Goldberg will have his work cut out to make this next jump up.
Picture: Jared Goldberg competing at the Winter olympics in Sochi. Credit Zoom Agence - all rights reserved