Filip Flisar has spent more time preparing for the new season than ever. He has chosen a very diverse practice routine. The fact that he beat the Slovenian downhill skiers at a race in Chile speaks multitudes of his speed.
The moustachioed Slovenian free style skier won the World Cup in the 2011/12 season, but had a number of problems last year, which is why the season didn’t turn out as well as he had wished. He’s full of expectations before the first race of the season, which will take place on 6 December in Nakiska, Canada. He plans to use the trip to try out his luck as an alpine skier. He says he is going to participate in the official training run before the World Cup race in Lake Louis.

The season starts soon. How well are you prepared?
All is great and according to the plan, except for the shoulder injury. But these things happen. It could be worse, it could cost me the entire season if I had needed an operation. When I’m older, I’ll probably suffer the consequences but – that’s how it is.

How strongly have you been driven by the thought that you’re preparing for an Olympic winter?
Very strongly, especially considering all that happened last year. Falls, illnesses, problems with the equipment... I have trained from dawn to dusk this year because of these things as well as my desire to win an Olympic medal. Even when there were 40 degrees Celsius outside, I rode my bike like crazy at 7 in the morning. I’ve spent much more time training than ever, and I feel better prepared than ever. I’ve typically had 2–3 trainings per day.

Which is your most frequent type of workout in the summer? How do you work on your fitness?
You need to get good basic fitness first, and then you go on to doing specific exercises, i.e. specialization. The main thing when I’m working on my fitness is actually this versatility. I don’t focus on one thing only. I do it all, from acrobatics to skating, running, cycling, swimming…

The World Cup season starts on 4 December in Nakiska. What’s at the forefront of your mind, a crystal globe or an Olympic medal?
A medal, though I wouldn’t mind winning a crystal globe either. But the Olympics are the only thing that’s still missing. I feel I’m in excellent shape, but I don’t want to make any promises.

At the 2010 Olympics, you came close to the top and became some sort of a Slovenian attraction of the games!
That’s true. Considering how well prepared I am now, the prospects of winning a medal are even better.

Have you resolved all of the problems with your skis?
We had quite a number of problems last year, because we couldn’t find good coating for sliding. It happens. I don’t want to blame anyone. Partly the skis are to blame, and partly me. We’ve now resolved these problems and we’re awaiting the new season with calm.

Elan has named one of its models of skis after you, hasn’t it?
It’s a ripstick model of a pair of skis designed for me. There’s a factory version, too, yes. If ‘tourists’ used the kind of skis I use, they’d have gotten themselves killed.

For downhill skiers, Kitzbühel is number one. What about in ski cross, which race is the most prestigious one?
It’s different every year in ski cross. The downhill races take place in more or the same ski courses every year. But our courses keep changing, and new courses are being built. I know the Olympic course is going to be very cool. We had a test run there last year, it was great. They’re not tight-fisted there, they spent half a million on the ski course. The terrain is wide, the jumps are long, it’s one hell of a course in terms of the technical difficulty. It’s ideal for me.

Are you afraid there will be more competition this year, since it’s the Olympic season?
No. The rivals will be better, but so will I.