Skiing drunk 'not easy,' Bode says
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It’s like driving drunk, only there are no rules about it in ski racing,' he says
Bode Miller is not afraid to say he's skied under the influence of alcohol. "Try and ski a slalom when ... you hit a gate less than every one second, so it’s risky," he said.
Updated: 3:31 a.m. ET Jan. 6, 2006
NEW YORK - Bode Miller knows he puts his life at risk when he skis drunk, but the outspoken Olympic favorite admits he may try the dangerous activity again.
“Talk about a hard challenge right there. ... If you ever tried to ski when you’re wasted, it’s not easy,” Miller told “60 Minutes” for a segment that will air Sunday. “Try and ski a slalom when ... you hit a gate less than every one second, so it’s risky. You’re putting your life at risk. ... It’s like driving drunk, only there are no rules about it in ski racing.”
Asked if the risk meant he would never ski drunk again, Miller replied “No, I’m not saying that.”
In the interview, the 28-year-old Miller acknowledged that his partying has affected his performance in the past.
“There have been times when I’ve been in really tough shape at the top of the course,” he said.
Miller, the defending World Cup overall champion and a two-time silver medalist at the Salt Lake City Olympics, was also blase about the possibility of winning gold in Turin.
“Whether somebody wants me to get five gold medals or whatever it is, I sort of feel like they are all other people’s concerns and issues, not really mine. ... I don’t really care what everybody else says,” he said.
Miller has drawn attention — and criticism — for his outspokenness before. He has called drug rules in skiing that he deems too strict “a joke” and was fined last month for refusing to take a boot test after a World Cup slalom race.
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