Watch Jack Adams represent New Zealand in his second run of the Slalom at the 2021 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Congratulations again to SapphireOne-sponsored athlete Jack Adams on competing at the 2021 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. Held every two years, this event showcases the very best alpine athletes from around the world.
In the Giant Slalom, Jack placed 32nd in the qualifying race, narrowly missing the finals, and achieved an impressive overall ranking of 50th.
In the Slalom, Jack battled through a demanding Run 1 on a course that tested even the world’s elite, with 30% of the field recording a Did Not Finish (DNF). Jack advanced from 71st to 35th after the first run and lined up confidently for Run 2.
During Run 2, Jack was tracking towards a top-20 result before, just a few gates from the finish line, hitting one bump too many and joining the 70% of competitors who recorded a DNF on the challenging course.
Below is an interview with Jack, originally published by Snow Sports New Zealand in their February Alpine Newsletter.
Spotlight on Jack Adams
Hometown
Bondi, Sydney — with Coronet Peak as his home mountain in New Zealand.
Currently based
Race Center Benni Raich, Austria.
Skiing goals for 2021
- Achieve a top-30 result in Europa Cup next Northern Hemisphere season.
Top career results
- 25th in Slalom at the 2018 World Junior Championships
- Overall New Zealand Alpine Champion 2020
- 43 FIS points in an Austrian FIS Slalom race
Q. Most memorable skiing moment
A. “Definitely competing in Super G at the Junior World Championships in 2018 in Davos, Switzerland. I have never spent much time training or competing in speed events, but I was able to enter the Super G based off my GS points at the time and figured, why not. I have never been so scared in a start gate in my life…I was completely terrified.
The start gate was on top of a ridge only about four metres wide with B-netting on both sides, so you felt like you were in a narrow tunnel with a very steep drop on either side. The course began with about 20 metres of dead-flat skating before dropping into one of the steepest faces I had ever raced down. It was completely injected with water to make the surface rock-hard ice.
The way the gates were set meant you dropped into this pitch and then tucked in a straight line for about 20 metres before turning. There were then two turns before hitting a flat compression and going straight off a jump, which was also the biggest jump I had done in a Super G race before.
That was just the first 10 seconds or so of a 1 minute 10 second course. I didn’t achieve any sort of impressive result in that race, but skiing that course was one of the highlights of my life. It was so much fun and one of the races I will never forget.”
Q. How did you get started in ski racing?
A. “My parents are super keen skiers, so I was on skis from day one and have always loved it. When I started school, I did some races for school, then some training, and one thing led to another. Suddenly I was travelling all around the world to train and compete.”
Interview by Snow Sports New Zealand. Video edited by Steve Kantarelis and Adam B. Blog by Suzie Adams and Maddie Kent.
Three fun facts
- When I’m not skiing or at uni, you’ll find me in the water — I absolutely love the ocean and surfing.
- I have a random hobby of juggling and always carry juggling balls while travelling around Europe. I’ve recently nailed four balls and am now trying to juggle five.
- I’m a huge fan of old-school music — Elton John, Van Morrison and INXS, to name a few.