Swiss Alpine skier Daniel Yule joins The Next Turn this week for a conversation you won’t want to miss. Yule talks about his talent as a big event skier and about how he feeds off the energy of fans. He also reflects on his favorite venues, shares thoughts on World Cup sets, and discusses what he's focusing on technically in his own skiing, and in his equipment. As a member of the Swiss ski team during an era of dominance in every discipline, Daniel sheds a little light on his teammates, as well. As always, hosts Martin, Cara and Jeff share their “SWIX Thoughts of the Day”.

The Next Turn is thrilled to sit with the most successful French skier in World Cup history, Alexis Pinturault. His wife, Romane, joined the conversation, offering a unique behind the scenes look at the life of a World Cup athlete. Alexis shares insight into his somewhat shocking announcement that he will no longer be starting World Cup slalom races, instead shifting focus to GS and speed events, and he speaks to the learning curve involved in making that switch. He sheds light on the pressing issue of climate change and the role played by FIS in scheduling races. During our conversation, the couple also shares some happy news, possibly inadvertently revealing the gender of their upcoming addition to the Pinturault family. Don’t miss this amazing conversation. As always, hosts Martin, Cara, and this week’s guest host, Tom Kelly share their “SWIX Thoughts of the Day.”

What better way to kick off our fourth season than to host two of the greats. Ted Ligety and Bode Miller join us at The Next Turn, speaking to their respective journeys and how they pushed the limits, address and reflect on the stark contrast between themselves, and discuss how their techniques and approaches defy categorization. They talk through the grueling reality of life on the World Cup circuit, and the mental and physical toll it takes on athletes. Moving into their post-competitive lives, both open up about being parents and reveal their thoughts on whether their own kids will grow up ski racing. As always, hosts Martin, Cara and Jeff share their “Thoughts of the Day.”

In a conversation with two important and influential leaders in our sport from opposite corners of North America, Johnny Crichton Vice President of British Columbia Alpine and Sam Damon of US Ski & Snowboard Eastern Development Manager join The Next Turn to share their thoughts on everything from cost of sport, ski IQ, skier development and big picture thinking. They give us ideas on the challenges we face and where the solutions may lie. As always hosts Martin, Cara and Jeff share their “SWIX Thoughts of the Day”.

Joining the Next Turn this week is sixteen year World Cup veteran Ilka Štuhec. A three-time Junior World Champion (in three different disciplines) and two-time Downhill World Champion from Slovenia, Štuhec has battled multiple injuries and has managed to claw her way back to fighting shape, time after time. She’s stood on the top step of the podium twice this season, a full four years since her last win. In this honest conversation, Štuhec talks about what she needed to change both in herself and in her team as she’s evolved and also speaks to equipment and sponsor changes as well. Her most recent victory was at the final downhill of the season in Andorra, showing she has found her top form, yet again. As always, hosts Martin, Cara, and Jeff share their “SWIX Thoughts of the Day”.

Greek-American alpine athlete AJ Ginnis joins The Next Turn this week along with his coaches (and former athletes themselves) Sandy Vietze and Gaby Coulet. Ginnis, who skied for the US for seven years before making the decision to move to the Greek team, discusses the impetus for the switch and the resulting impact on sponsorship, funding, and his coaching team. Ginnis discusses his confidence, along with what is working for him and what he feels like he needs to work on. The trio cover their tactics, AJ’s first World Cup podium, his World Championships medal and yes, they also address “the straddle”. As always, hosts Martin, Cara and Jeff share their “SWIX Thoughts of the Day”.

The Next Turn is lucky enough to be joined by Italian powerhouse Federica Brignone this week, along with her brother and coach, Davide. We had the opportunity to speak with Fede early in the season, before she’d found her groove, and part of this conversation revolves around what’s changed for her since then, as she’s clearly hit her stride and has been having an incredibly successful season. In this interview Brignone talks about patience in finding what she describes as “the feeling” again. Davide is a former ski racer himself, and as a supporting member of Fede’s coaching staff, he has valuable insight into what it takes to keep her performing at her best. Together, they talk about Fede’s ups and downs, her season to date, and the elements that lead to her performing at the highest possible level. As always, Fede is an open book and gives us a clear look into her process; we are so blessed to get to sit down with her again. As always, hosts Martin, Cara and Jeff share their “SWIX Thoughts of the Day.”

We are joined this week by Kathy Okoniewski and Pierre Ruel, two coaching professionals who have spent the majority of their careers working with high-level athletes, as well as coaching coaches. In this conversation they talk about the characteristics of a good coach, as well as the changing job description that many ski coaches are experiencing. They talk about adaptability, interacting with parents, and moonlighting as sports psychologists. They also delve into the importance of evolving and continuing to hone one’s coaching skills. As always, hosts Martin, Cara and Jeff share their “SWIX Thoughts of the Day”.

In part two of our athlete parents series, we are joined this week by three fathers of established World Cup athletes, Angus Crawford (Jack and Candace Crawford), Hugh Merryweather (Alice Merryweather) and Mark Moltzan (Paula Moltzan). These three experienced “World Cup Dads” share valuable insight, including how they handle the highs and the lows of ski racing, the often prohibitive cost of the sport, the critical importance of training groups, the nuances of parental involvement, the ins and outs of qualifying criteria, and overall athlete mental health. As always, hosts Martin, Cara and Jeff share their “SWIX Thoughts of the Day”.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport, Anouk Patty, joins The Next Turn for a fascinating discussion about the organization’s development initiatives, the process of talent identification, and both the certification and education process for everyone from clubs, to coaches, to high performance athletes. Along with being a world-class ski racer, Patty has worked in corporate America, during which time she got her MBA at Harvard Business School. She’s been able to leverage her experience in the financial and tech industries in her current role, and this interview explores the various ways in which she’s done just that. Patty also speaks to athlete development pathways and talks about working to create an environment so that the athletes can best achieve their dreams. As always, hosts Martin, Cara and Jeff share their “SWIX Thoughts of the Day.”