U.S. Ski Team speed skiers Bryce Bennett and Ryan Cochran-Siegle lead the way into Birds of Prey World Cup

Bryce Bennett is excited for March 22.

March 22 is the day of the World Cup Finals downhill in Sun Valley, Idaho — the first time the best skiers on the planet will congregate for the annual season-ending finale on American soil since 2017.

More importantly, March 22 is the due date for his wife, Kelley, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child.

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“Everything is going to change,” the 32-year-old aptly stated. The 14-year U.S. Ski Team veteran is coming off arguably his best season ever. The 6-foot-7-inch speed star snagged a World Cup win in Val Gardena on Dec. 14. He followed it up with his fourth-ever podium two days later en route to a career-best fifth-place finish in the downhill season standings. But success at the Birds of Prey World Cup, which kicks off on Friday, has remained elusive lately.

“I’ve been struggling at Beaver Creek the last few years,” Bennett said after Tuesday’s training run, adding that he’s “adjusted his game plan” as a result. “I’ve been doing this for a long time and sometimes you get set in your ways a little bit, and they were holding me back and you just got to recognize that.”

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Bennett tweaked his setup over the summer.

“When you put that much time and effort into your setup and skiing, you want to make sure you’re bringing that skiing here and not reverting back to old habits. You want to make every training run count,” he continued. “I messed up some things tactically (on Tuesday), but the feeling on the skis is what’s important.”

A two-time Olympian, Bennett is a cornerstone piece for one of the larger U.S. men’s speed teams in recent memory. Nine athletes took to the slopes for Tuesday’s training run, and all but River Radamus are expected to compete in Friday’s downhill event. Another veteran, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, said the squad has “pretty good momentum” coming off of the 2023-24 campaign. The 2022 Olympic super-G silver medalist joined Bennett in the top-10 of the downhill standings, finishing eighth.

“We’ve got a lot of guys right in the hunt. I think we’re in a good place,” Cochran-Siegle said. “It’s definitely a fun atmosphere, but that’s all based on really being driven every single day and always trying to bring our best every day. It’s a competitive atmosphere and I think we’re all enjoying that challenge of trying to beat each one of us in training and hoping that carries on to good quality skiing.”

Cochran-Siegle — who has been on the U.S. Ski Team since 2011 — said the group’s camaraderie starts with the staff, which was largely overhauled following the 2023 season.

“Just working together as a team I think is really powerful,” he said.

Such teamwork was evident at Tuesday’s downhill training run, where Kyle Negomir posted the seventh-best time of the day. With an abundance of early-season snow creating larger-than-normal features on the Birds of Prey course, Sam Morse’s report to Negomir at the top of the hill prior to his run was especially helpful.

“He said conditions were good and it was a day to push,” said Negomir, who said he’s been skiing with Morse for 10 years. “He warned that the second-to-last jump, Harrier, was going 20 meters further than normal. That was I think a little bit of a shock to people.”

“To have the guys who just did the course say, ‘hey this is how it’s going to feel — it’s going to feel faster than you expect in this section, there’s some bumps that you can’t really see coming in here’ — I think it’s another level of trust,” Negomir continued. “Especially when you’ve been training and skiing together all year, so you have a similar barometer.”

When asked about his three keys to the 753-meter slope, which starts at 11,424 feet and averages a 31% grade, Bennett — who has competed in seven Birds of Prey World Cup downhills, with his best finish of ninth coming in 2018 — started with the top flat.

“Everyone just seems to not think that’s important. You can lose the race in the first 25 seconds,” he said. “You need to carry good speed and then you need to carry speed into the pitch and through the pitch.”

Carrying velocity through Russi’s Ride is also critical in his opinion.

“You’re not getting your speed back,” he said regarding the preceding flatter section. “So it’s important to bring all the speed you can into Golden Eagle.”

Having spent a decade on the World Cup, Bennett said the toughest part of his ski racing career is living out of a suitcase all winter. He said he spent 230 days in Europe last year.

“Away from your wife and family,” he said before contemplating how much longer he’ll stay in the game. As of right now, he hasn’t lost the fire.

“It’s funny — I love skiing and I love ski racing. It’s been a part of my life for the entirety of it. You know, the challenge I get from ski racing, I still have that,” he said. “I can get a little bit better, I can learn a little bit more. I think as soon as that starts to fade, I’ll pull the plug.”

On or around March 22, his opinion might change.

“It’s my everything, but it’s not my everything at the same time,” he said. “So I just take it year by year.”