Erik Arvidsson

Alpine skier Erik Arvidsson, a native of the West Coast of the United States, began his racing career with the Bear Valley Ski Education Foundation and continued it with the Squaw Valley Ski Team. He quickly came to the attention of the US Ski Team, helped by the fact that he won the 2012 J2 National Championships’ combined and slalom crowns. In 2014, the competition was expanded to become the U18 National Championships, and Arvidsson did not disappoint, winning another slalom championship. He also demonstrated some versatility in his performance by placing sixth in both the downhill and super G. He received an invitation to the U.S. Development Team for the 2015 season after placing in a few NorAm top 20 finishes and producing some strong FIS results.

Following a knee injury, Arvidsson joined teammates Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Tommy Biesemeyer, and Resi Stiegler early in the 2016 season to participate in a return-to-snow programme with coach Bernd Brunner. He went on to win the World Juniors downhill in Sochi, Russia. Arvidsson, a regular on the NorAm Cup podium in speed competitions, dominated the downhill course at the 2014 Olympics, skiing the course deftly to win by two-tenths of a second. He joins the group of previous US Junior Worlds champions, which also includes Tommy Moe, an Olympic gold medalist, and current World Cup competitor Ryan Cochran-Siegle. Arvidsson placed third overall with his NorAm SG and combined titles, earning the ability to compete in the World Cup in the 2016–17 season in downhill, super G, and combined.