Allie Resnick: Taking the fastest line

The shortest route in life isn’t always the fastest … even in Alpine skiing.

U.S. Alpine Ski Team member Allie Resnick, even at the ripe age of 21, knows a paradoxical tension exists between the patience required to navigate often winding developmental paths in a sport which rewards the speed and stoicism of the most direct line. The SSCV and VMS alumna and USST member since 2020, has chiseled out her career in the NorAm and Europa Cup circuits for three seasons, living out of a suitcase all winter and training all summer — and risen from falls and injuries to stand on podiums. After winning the 2022 overall national championship in the giant slalom, she earned herself starts in all eight World Cup GS events, beginning Saturday in Soelden (AUT).

“It’s been kind of crazy,” Resnick said over the phone Friday during a brief break between meeting with reps, training and of course preparing for her fifth career World Cup start, which goes off at 2 a.m. MST on Peacock TV. At this stage in her career — an athlete bridging the gap between the continental and European development realm to the big stage — balancing wide-eyed excitement with a job-like approach is tricky. “It’s like, ‘oh my god, I’m racing tomorrow,'” Resnick laughed.

The Soelden venue itself, the first place she ever saw a World Cup in Europe, is helping her channel her emotions. “This race is very special for me,” she said. “It’s the opener — it has a really different vibe — and also, it’s like, you know, everyone worked really hard over the summer and it’s finally time to go against each other again.”

“But overall it’s super exciting,” she summarized. “Honestly I’m lucky to be here right now.” 

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Crash course

On Aug. 29, Resnick hit the deck hard during a giant slalom at an Australian New Zealand Cup. She knew immediately it was her knee, “but I wasn’t sure how bad it was,” she said. “I’ve done my ACL before and it didn’t feel the same, but I was definitely nervous that I was going to be out for this whole season.”

Upon returning to Vail, an MRI with Dr. Tom Hackett at The Steadman Clinic revealed a partially torn LCL and a few bone bruises. She received a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection, which she credits to accelerating the healing process enough to get her on snow. A day later, she had moved back to Park City to train and rehab. From there, she landed in Europe 12 days after her teammates, where she’s been on snow for about two weeks.

“I physically feel really good. My strength numbers were great, I passed all the return to snow testing and my knee feels really good. The part that’s harder to overcome than the physical injury is mentally,” she said.

“Going through a hard crash and feeling that, it’s really hard to want to let yourself go all the way, go really fast again, and kind of be on that edge. That kind of line — the fastest line — is a little more risky and takes a little more guts.”

Working through physical setbacks during her career has taught Resnick to have faith and patience in a sport where concreteness and speed are the name of the game. “I think it takes time, but it also takes trust in my own body and my training — maybe not just the last two weeks, but all the years I’ve been doing this,” she said.

“When I wake up every morning and I go in the start gate, I know the risks I’m taking and I also know that I’ve trained so much for this,” she continued. “And, we crash — not all the time, but frequently enough — and we’re OK, so it’s just this few times that I’ve been unlucky. So, I’m trying to stay in that mindset where, ‘I know how to ski, I know how to get down the hill, and if I crash, odds are I’m going to be OK.’ It always takes one crash after an injury and then it’s like, ‘OK, I’m totally fine, I’m good to go.’”

Sometimes a fall is just the precursor to a breakthrough. Last season, Resnick had a big crash in Andorra right before the Europa Cup Finals, but recovered and returned to the states to wrap up her overall GS title at U.S. Nationals in Maine. Of course, Sugarloaf Resort is a different stage than Soelden. “I might not be the most prepared I’ve ever been for a race,” Resnick opened up regarding the World Cup opener. “But I also have nothing to lose.”

Learning the ropes

Resnick’s four previous World Cup starts were a DNF in Lech/Zuers (parallel) in 2020, a DNQ in the Killington slalom last fall, and DNF’s at both the Kranjska Gora slalom and Kronplatz GS last January. Her results have made her aware of the mental fortitude required to simply stand in a World Cup gate — and the time and sweat required to get there — and also realize what’s necessary to take the next step as well.

“I know I’m going to have lots of opportunities to go out there and try to get a second run, but in order to get a second run, you have to, like I said with the injury thing, take some risks and put everything out there … it’s really hard,” she said. “I think going into this season, I want to try my best to be able to stand in the start gate of a World Cup and say, ‘OK, now I know I have the ability to get a second run,’ and then hopefully things will come from there.”

Resnick said Paula Moltzan has been a mentor, but she receives advice from all her teammates. “I feel super lucky that I feel so close to my teammates,” she said. “We’re basically family off the hill and on the hill I learn so much from everyone – from the youngest girls on the team to the veterans.”

On Friday, with weather preventing an on-hill practice, Mikaela Shiffrin messaged the girls and asked if anyone wanted to talk about strategies and tactics. “When we are in the same place, she’s really good at reaching out and checking in and being there to offer advice and I really appreciate her reaching out,” Resnick said of Shiffrin. “So, it was so nice of her to come over and kind of give me a little bit of insight on what it’s going to feel like and things I can do to try and make up times here and ski smart in other places.”

Strategically, she believes the top and bottom flat sections of the course are “equally, if not more important than the skiing on the steep.” “You really can’t give up any time there,” Resnick said of the top. “I think Soelden is such a cool hill, but it’s also a bit deceiving.”

For Saturday’s race, the 21-year-old isn’t prioritizing an outcome per se. “To be honest, for tomorrow I think I’ll be really happy with myself if I can just push out of the gate and just be there in the moment,” she said.

But, it’s a long season, and she has the right to adjust her goals, turn by turn.

“I think that as I get more time in gates, and the next races,” she continued, her voice quieting. “Then I’ll probably have a different answer for you.”