Inside NCAA Ski Racing: Peter Dodge on Dartmouth, Coaching Champions, and the Path to the World Cup

Описание: What does it take to build one of the most successful programs in college ski racing?

In this episode of Fresh Corduroy, host Craig Zolan sits down with legendary Dartmouth coach Peter Dodge for a wide-ranging conversation about the world of NCAA alpine ski racing, athlete development, and the pathway from junior racing to the World Cup.

Peter grew up skiing in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, rose through the ranks of the U.S. Ski Team, narrowly missed the 1980 Olympics, and then spent nearly a decade racing on Bob Beattie’s World Pro Tour—winning Rookie of the Year and Pro Skier of the Year. He later spent 33 years as head coach of the Dartmouth ski team, helping develop generations of NCAA champions, Olympians, and World Cup racers.

In this conversation, Peter shares how collegiate ski racing really works behind the scenes—and what ski parents and young racers often misunderstand about the path to racing in college.
In this episode we discuss:

• How Dartmouth became a home for U.S. Ski Team athletes like Tommy Ford, AJ Hurt, Nina O’Brien, and Swiss Olympic gold medalist Tanguy Neff
• What parents and young racers get wrong about NCAA ski recruiting
• The real role of ski academies in the development pipeline
• The relationship between college programs and the U.S. Ski Team
• Peter Dodge’s coaching philosophy and how elite racers develop
• The story behind Dartmouth winning five consecutive NCAA slalom titles
• The future of collegiate ski racing in the United States

Whether you're a ski racer, ski parent, coach, or fan of the sport, this episode offers a rare inside look at one of the most important development pathways in American skiing.