Ski Racing Magazine highlighted our recent Q&A with Nolan Kasper in its January 13th issue. Enjoy!

Global Rescue, which will support the U.S. Ski Team at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, recently caught up with Nolan Kasper about coming back from his knee injury, his goals, and how he manages to hit the books when he’s not hitting the slopes.

How are you feeling after last season’s knee injury?

Right now, everything is feeling great.  After a few summer/fall camps, I’m fully confident with my knee and solely focusing on my skiing.

Can you tell us about your training regimen as Sochi nears?  Are you training any differently post-injury?

The only thing that’s different about my training post injury is that I had to take things a lot slower before getting into gates.  Other than that, I am on the same program as the rest of the team. 

Do you have any injury prevention advice for up-and-coming ski racers?                                 

No injuries are completely preventable, but being strong and in great shape going into the season is a good way to minimize the risk.

2011 was a breakout season for you.  Did you see that coming?

During the season, I knew that I was skiing well and just needed to be more consistent.  Once I took a step back and started finishing, I had great results and eventually landed on the podium in Kranjska Gora.

What are your goals for this season?

My goals for the season are to compete without pain, finish the whole year without injury, and continue to improve throughout the season.

How do you think the Sochi games will compare to the 2010 Games?

I’m not sure how the Sochi games will compare to Vancouver because I haven’t been up to Sochi yet.  Hopefully I’ll find out in February.

You’re currently enrolled at Dartmouth.  How are you finding the ski/school balance?

Taking courses at Dartmouth in the spring is a great way to shift gears after the season and unwind for a few months.  It allows me to focus on something else so that once summer training comes around, I’m ready to go.