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Phil Mahre

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Phil Mahre
Personal information
Born (1957-05-10) May 10, 1957 (age 67)
Yakima, Washington, U.S.
OccupationAlpine skier
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Skiing career
DisciplinesDownhill, giant slalom, slalom, combined
ClubWhite Pass
World Cup debutDecember 5, 1975
(age 18)
RetiredMarch 1984 (age 26)
Websitemahretrainingcenter.com
Olympics
Teams3 – (1976, 1980, 1984)
Medals2 (1 gold)
World Championships
Teams4 – (1976–82)
   includes two Olympics
Medals2 (1 gold)
World Cup
Seasons9 – (1976–84)
Wins27 – (7 GS, 9 SL, 11 K)
Podiums69
Overall titles3 – (1981, 1982, 1983)
Discipline titles7 – (2 GS, 1 SL, 4 K)
Medal record
World Cup race podiums
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Slalom 9 7 11
Giant 7 13 6
Combined 11 1 4
Total 27 21 21
Men's alpine skiing
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 Sarajevo Slalom
Silver medal – second place 1980 Lake Placid Slalom
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1980 Lake Placid Combined

Phillip Ferdinand Mahre (born May 10, 1957) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer, widely regarded as one of the greatest American skiers of all time. Mahre competed on the World Cup circuit from 1976 to 1984. Starting with the 1978 season, Mahre finished in the top three in the World Cup overall standings for six consecutive seasons, winning the title in the final three (1981, 1982, and 1983). His total of 27 World Cup race wins is fourth among Americans, only behind Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, and Bode Miller.

Early years

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Mahre was born in Yakima, Washington alongside his fraternal twin brother Steve (who is four minutes younger). Phil, Steve, and their seven siblings (four older, three younger)[1] grew up at a ski area; in 1964, their father Dave "Spike" Mahre became the mountain manager for the White Pass ski area,[2][3][4] 50 miles (80 km) west of Yakima on US-12, where they moved into a home near the base of the lifts.

By the age of 12, the Mahre twins' future was so promising that ski manufacturers were sending them free skis; the next year, Rossignol tried to sign them to a career-long contract, which their father declined. Eventually they would use skis made by an American company K2 throughout their career. The Mahre twins worked extensively with the company throughout their careers, developing custom race skis ideally suited to their needs.

Mahre graduated from Naches High School and also played football as a blocking back and linebacker for the Rangers.[5][6][7]

U.S. Ski Team

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Mahre earned a spot on the U.S. Ski Team in early 1973 at age 15. He was selected to the "A" team following the 1975 season and made his World Cup debut in December 1975 at Val d'Isère, France. Two months later he competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, taking fifth in the giant slalom at age 18. He made his first podium in March with a second in a giant slalom at Copper Mountain, Colorado,[8] and finished the 1976 World Cup season in 14th place in the overall standings. He won his first World Cup race the next season, a giant slalom at Val d'Isère in December 1976,[9] and followed it up with a slalom win in March at Sun Valley,[10][11] defeating the man who became his primary rival, the legendary Swede Ingemar Stenmark, with his twin brother Steve taking third. Mahre finished ninth in the overall standings for 1977.

In 1978 he placed second in the overall standings, followed by third in 1979, despite breaking his lower left tibia in early March at the pre-Olympic giant slalom at Whiteface near Lake Placid.[12][13] At the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, he took the silver in the slalom behind Stenmark,[14] along with a combined title (not an Olympic event in 1980, but official as a concurrent World Championship title).[15][16][17] He again finished third in the overall World Cup standings for 1980, and won the first of four consecutive discipline titles in the combined.

World Cup Overall Champion (1981–83)

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Mahre's career reached its zenith over the next three seasons. He narrowly edged out Ingemar Stenmark, who had previously won three consecutive overall titles from 1976–78, by 6 points to win his first World Cup in 1981. Mahre won primarily due to his results in the downhill and combined events, as Stenmark was uncomfortable in the downhill event.[18][19] In 1982, Mahre took the event titles in the giant slalom, slalom, and combined races as well as the overall title.[20][21] He had eight wins and 20 podium finishes, and his 309 points were well ahead of Stenmark's 211. In 1983, Mahre again beat Stenmark by a large margin for the overall title[22] along with a second straight GS title.[23]

1984 Olympics

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At the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Mahre again medaled in the slalom, taking the gold while Steve won the silver for a Mahre twin 1–2 sweep. Steve had led the first of two runs, building a half-second lead over Swede Jonas Nilsson with Phil in third place another two-tenths back. Phil skied a second run to grab the lead, then Nilsson skied next and faltered, dropping out of the medals. Steve skied down last, needing only a solid run to take the gold, but a series of mistakes dropped him into second place, and Phil became the Olympic champion.[24][25] Meanwhile, unknown to the racers, Phil's wife Holly had given birth to their second child, a son, in Arizona an hour before the race started. Phil did not find out about it until a TV interview after the race.[26][27]

The Mahres won two of the five alpine skiing medals taken by Americans, all from the Northwest. Portland's Bill Johnson (downhill) and Seattle's Debbie Armstrong also won gold, and Christin Cooper of Sun Valley took the silver for an American 1–2 finish in the women's giant slalom.

The Mahre twins raced a limited World Cup schedule during the 1984 season, and retired from the circuit in early March at age 26.[28] Phil ended his career with 27 World Cup race victories, at the time second only to Stenmark's 79 wins among men's racers (who ended his career in 1989 with 86 wins), while Steve finished with 9 wins.

Post-retirement

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In 1985, Phil and his brother released their book No Hill Too Fast, which chronicles their childhood and World Cup careers and includes a series of instructional sections titled "How to Ski the Mahre Way". That same year the twins established the Mahre Training Center in Keystone, Colorado, and continue to run it to this day in Deer Valley, Utah. In 1988 Phil jumped to the World Pro Ski Tour, winning the slalom title in 1989. Both he and his brother Steve raced on the World Pro Ski Tour under the Coors Light banner.

The twins attended the Bob Bondurant School of Driving in the fall of 1988 and began competing in auto racing. They subsequently participated in the Grand American Road Racing Association Koni Challenge series in the Grand Sport class.

On February 9, 2010, Mahre was the U.S. torch bearer to carry the 2010 Vancouver torch across the border at the Blaine-Surrey Peace Arch.[29]

Comeback

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In 2006, at the age of 49, Phil Mahre came out of retirement and made another run at qualifying for the U.S. Nationals by the age of 50.[30][31] After nearly qualifying for the U.S. National Championships in 2008, Phil Mahre's 2008–09 season was cut short by a knee injury.

A longtime racer on K2 skis during his World Cup career, Mahre attempted to make his comeback using Volant, then Head skis.

World Cup results

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Season standings

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Season Age Overall  Slalom  Giant
 slalom 		 Super-G Downhill Combined
1976 18 14 7 10 not run — —
1977 19 9 12 4 — not
awarded
1978 20 2 3 3 —
1979 21 3 2 18 —
1980 22 3 12 9 — 1
1981 23 1 2 3 32 1
1982 24 1 1 1 26 1
1983 25 1 6 1 not
awarded		 18 1
1984 26 15 9 19 39 11

Points were only awarded for top ten finishes thru 1979, top 15 thru 1991 (see scoring system).

Season titles

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10 titles: 3 overall,
2 giant slalom, 1 slalom,
4, unofficial, combined

Season Discipline
1980 Combined
1981 Overall
Combined
1982 Overall
Giant slalom
Slalom
Combined
1983 Overall
Giant slalom
Combined
 

Individual races

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Season Date Location Discipline
1977 1976-Dec-10 France Val d'Isère, France Giant slalom
1977-Mar-05 United States Sun Valley, ID, USA Slalom
1978 1978-Feb-12 France Chamonix, France Slalom
1978-Mar-03 United States Stratton Mountain, VT, USA Giant slalom
1979 1979-Jan-15 Switzerland Crans-Montana, Switzerland Combined
1979-Feb-05 Czechoslovakia Jasná, Czechoslovakia Slalom
1980 1979-Dec-08 France Val d'Isère, France Combined
1981 1981-Jan-10 France Morzine, France Combined
1981-Jan-17 West Germany Oberstaufen, West Germany Combined
1981-Feb-01 Austria St. Anton, Austria Combined
1981-Feb-15 Sweden Åre, Sweden Slalom
1981-Mar-07 United States Aspen, CO, USA Giant slalom
1981-Mar-15 Japan Furano, Japan Slalom
1982 1981-Dec-08 Italy Aprica, Italy Combined
1981-Dec-09 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, Italy Slalom
1981-Dec-13 Italy Madonna di Campiglio, Italy Combined
1982-Jan-15 West Germany Bad Wiessee, West Germany Combined
1982-Jan-24 Switzerland Wengen, Switzerland Slalom
1982-Mar-14 France Montgenèvre, France Slalom
1982-Mar-19 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia Giant slalom
1982-Mar-26 Czechoslovakia Jasná, Czechoslovakia Slalom
1983 1983-Jan-23 Austria Kitzbühel, Austria Combined
1983-Feb-06 Austria St. Anton, Austria Combined
1983-Feb-11 France Markstein, France Combined
1983-Mar-07 United States Aspen, CO, USA Giant slalom
1983-Mar-08 United States Vail, CO, USA Giant slalom
1983-Mar-19 Japan Furano, Japan Giant slalom

World championship results

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  Year    Age   Slalom   Giant 
 slalom 		 Super-G Downhill Combined
1976 18 18 5 not run — —
1978 20 DNF1 5 36 —
1980 22 2 10 14 1
1982 24 DNF2 DNF1 — —

From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.
At the World Championships from 1954 through 1980, the combined was a "paper race" using the results of the three events (DH, GS, SL).[16][32]

Olympic results

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  Year    Age   Slalom   Giant 
 slalom 		 Super-G Downhill Combined
1976 18 18 5 not run — not run
1980 22 2 10 14
1984 26 1 8 —

Racing record

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SCCA National Championship Runoffs

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Year Track Car Engine Class Finish Start Status
1991 Road Atlanta Oldsmobile Cutlass Oldsmobile GT1 1 1 Running

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mary Ellen Mahre". Ellensburg Daily Record. (obituary). July 6, 1993. p. 14.
  2. ^ "Mahre twins' father had confidence all along". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. March 23, 1980. p. C1.
  3. ^ "Third Mahre challenges mountain". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. UPI. May 29, 1981. p. 13.
  4. ^ "Mahres close family". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. April 4, 1981. p. 11.
  5. ^ "Mahre twins in Olympics". Ellensburg Daily Record. January 28, 1976. p. 17.
  6. ^ "Yakima honors hometown ski heroes". Spokane Daily Chronicle. March 31, 1982. p. 36.
  7. ^ Anderson, Dave (December 3, 1981). "Mahres needed nothing but snow – and each other". Spokesman-Review. New York Times. p. 27.
  8. ^ "Ski racing's "old lady" nears title". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. March 6, 1976. p. 11.
  9. ^ "Bad weather doesn't halt Mahre". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. December 11, 1976. p. 12.
  10. ^ "Stenmark wins at Sun Valley". Deseret News. UPI. March 7, 1977. p. B3.
  11. ^ "Swede leads field in World Cup skiing". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. March 7, 1977. p. 21.
  12. ^ "Phil Mahre breaks leg". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. March 5, 1979. p. 17.
  13. ^ "Mahre criticizes". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. March 13, 1979. p. 18.
  14. ^ "Stenmark takes second ski gold". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. February 23, 1980. p. 18.
  15. ^ "Phil Mahre takes title". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. February 22, 1980. p. 23.
  16. ^ a b "Mahres won't ski for combined trophy". Ellensburg Daily Record. UPI. December 24, 1981. p. 10.
  17. ^ "1980 World Champion". Skiing. (advertisement). October 1980. p. 69.
  18. ^ "Mahre wins World Cup championship". Deseret News. Associated Press. March 28, 1981. p. A3.
  19. ^ FIS-ski.com – 1981 men's overall standings – accessed 2010-12-27
  20. ^ "Phil Mahre captures slalom for third World Cup ski title". Montreal Gazette. March 27, 1982. p. H4.
  21. ^ "Phil Mahre clinches third world ski title". Ottawa Citizen. UPI. March 27, 1982. p. 17.
  22. ^ "Mahre wins third straight World Cup skiing crown". Deseret News. Associated Press. March 8, 1983. p. B-2.
  23. ^ "Phil Mahre captures GS title". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. March 20, 1983. p. D10.
  24. ^ Yake, D. Byron (February 20, 1984). "The Mahres save their best for last". Spokesman-Review. p. 17.
  25. ^ Sons, Ray (February 20, 1984). "Mahre finally shows his mettle". Reading Eagle. (Chicago Sun-Times). p. 23.
  26. ^ "His new baby a bigger thrill than ski win for Phil Mahre". Montreal Gazette. UPI. February 20, 1984. p. C2.
  27. ^ "Mahre finally meets baby Alexander". Lawrence Journal World. Kansas. Associated Press. February 22, 1984. p. 13.
  28. ^ "Stenmark wins; Mahre twins retire". Montreal Gazette. UPI. March 8, 1984. p. D5.
  29. ^ "Yakima's Phil Mahre Carries Torch Into U.S." KEPR-TV. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011.
  30. ^ Vinton, Nathaniel (January 15, 2007). "A New Hill to Descend: Mahre Returns With Big Goal". New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2007.
  31. ^ Jennings, Bill (March 20, 2007). "Mahre's race". Spokesman-Review. p. C1.
  32. ^ "Phil Mahre takes aim at world ski title". Montreal Gazette. UPI. January 26, 1982. p. 24.

Bibliography

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