Two overall World Cup crystal globes, six World Cup discipline titles, six Olympic medals, five World Championship medals, 33 World Cup wins, and a whole lot of fun along the way. The career of Bode Miller was many things, but boring definitely wasn’t one of them.

 

Brash and controversial at times, Miller’s approach to the sport of ski racing was a much-needed breath of fresh air for fans around the world so used to the machine-like precision of the juggernauts of the sport during the 1990s and early 2000s.

 

Now 40, Miller officially retired from the sport at the start of this past season and left behind a legacy that forever changed the landscape of World Cup ski racing. A shy, skinny kid from the backwoods of New Hampshire transformed into one of the most recognizable international sports personalities in the world during the height of his career.

 

Looking past the controversial interviews, questionable off-hill antics, and on-hill fireworks, Miller revealed himself to be an athlete intensely dedicated to his craft, obsessed with chasing the perfect race, the perfect run, and the perfect turn, with little thought placed on results or record books.

 

“I certainly cost myself a lot of races by my behavior and stuff that I did in my life,” he admits. “But winning was not the only thing I was focused on and I think that’s confusing for a lot of people. If you think of your own life, you’re not solely driven by one thing, you’re driven by a lot of different things.”

 

In episode six of American Downhiller by Ski Racing Media presented by POC, Miller and his family, teammates, and coaches open up about just what made him the most successful male U.S. ski racer of all time. For the full American Downhiller series, visit SkiRacing.com