Alison Owen Bradley Interview

Alison Owen Bradley won multiple World Cup races, finished 2^nd in the famous Holmenkollen ski festival race, competed in two Olympic games and 3 World Championships, and won 8 US National Championships. After competing, Alison went on to coach for 12 years in Sun Valley, Idaho very successfully and helped develop many US National Team skiers. This exceptionally successful ski racer and coach is also known for being a pioneer for women’s cross-country skiing in the United States. Alison won what was at the time was billed as the inaugural women’s Nordic World Cup which was held at Mount Telemark in Wisconsin. Alison also competed with the boys in the 1966 Junior National Championships because at the time, there were no girl’s races. There were the next year. Alison splits her time between Bozeman, MT and Boise, ID where she and her husband have a small farm.

I have done interviews with Bill Koch, Jim Galanes, Muffy Ritz, and Jim Fredericks for example all of whom competed at an elite level in the 70s and continued to inspire and influence for a great many years since including today even. This interview is in line with those others. Alison was not “just” a pioneer for women’s ski racing, but is also an exceptional athlete and coach. She has a sharp intellect and her perspective is one that you don’t want to miss. Our community should know Alison’s story and treasure her accomplishments and contributions.

We spoke about her vast and unique experiences competing in the early days, winning the first Women's World Cup and finishing 7th overall for the season, Rob Kiesel, her perspective and techniques in coaching, and asked her for her opinion on quite a few key topics that I think people will find informative and interesting. This is a must listen to if you are at all passionate about Nordic ski racing.