Alpine Skiing

Top athletes who compete against each other in high pressure individual sports are rarely the best of friends.

A guy like Tiger Woods may be buddy-buddy with a guy like Mark O'Meara, but he's certainly not going out for brewskis and wings with his super rival Phil Mickelson after The Masters wraps up. I don't think Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer would have been considered beer buddies during the height of their rivalry either. And I'm sure a Borg/McEnroe driving holiday through the English countryside after Wimbledon would have been a stretch during their heyday too.

In the world of ski racing, friendships between racers are not uncommon, but for the most part, they fit into the friendly acquaintance category more than the ‘bro-mance" department. Yes, skiers on most national squads are usually pretty good friends, case in point the Canadian Cowboys and the Canadian Speed Queens, but generally speaking, friendships are kept within national team boundaries.

Friendships between skiers on the Norwegian and Canadian ski teams are common knowledge in World Cup circles. But, in at least one case, it's more than just alpine diplomacy and the friendly sharing of knowledge and resources.

"Aksel knows I'm a sushi junkie so the last time I was in Norway, he took me out to an awesome sushi restaurant in Oslo," said Manuel Osborne-Paradis. "He doesn't visit North America that often, but one day when we're done skiing, I'll show him how to have a good time in Canada."

Aksel Lund Svindal, the 4th fastest downhill racer in the world last year and Osborne-Paradis who finished in 5th (based on World Cup standings), are both fierce competitors and could very easily be sworn enemies. But they aren't. In fact they are very close friends both on and off the slopes.

"Skiing is a unique sport in terms of friendship," said Osborne-Paradis. "At the bottom of the hill Aksel and I are buddies, we joke and hang out. But when we are in the start hut - it's a different story."

Aksel is a good man and he's got his head on straight. We think the same way on a lot of things. I think that's why we're such good friends."

The sentiment is echoed by Lund Svindal.

"You meet a lot of people when you travel the world skiing," said Lund Svindal. "With some people, like Manny, it just seems like you've been friends for a long time when you meet. Too bad it's such a long flight to get to Canada."

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Alpine skiers Manuel Osborne-Paradis (R) and Aksel Lund Svindal (L) talk during training in Portillo, Chile.

Michael Mastarciyan/CTVOlympics.ca

The reasons behind the closeness of these two racers may be related to similarities in their overall life experience. Osborne-Paradis, who is 25, and Lund Svindal, who is 26, each carry the family names of both their parents. Each one also had to endure difficult family situations while growing up. In Osborne-Paradis' case it was the divorce of his parents. In Lund Svindal's case, it was the devastating loss of his mother Ina Lund.

"I was 8 years old when my Mom died during childbirth," said Lund Svindal. After that, it was all up to my dad Bjorn, and he took great care of me and my brother. If it hadn't been for him and a lot of other great people, I would never have made it as a skier."

Both racers also had to leave the safety and comfort of home at an early age to chase their dreams.

When Lund Svindal was 15, he moved 400 km away from home to attend a high school with a special ski racing program. Similarly, at 16, Osborne-Paradis moved from North Vancouver to Invermere, B.C. to ski race and study.

"I didn't grow up in a typical ski area, and there weren't a lot of kids who were into skiing at my school," said Lund Svindal. "I wanted to race and I knew I had to ski with the best if I was going to eventually beat them. I have no doubts that moving was the right move for me."

Another similarity, and this might be the most important ingredient in the success of this friendship, is their collective ability to constantly smile and have fun - even when they don't win.

"Aksel won the last downhill of the season in Sweden and I lost my chance at finishing in the top-3 of the overall downhill standings," said Osborne-Paradis. "Whatever! He skied better than me and I lost. But I'll get him, you watch!"  The lynch pin of the relationship though, is the mutual respect and admiration each has for the other as racer and friend.

"It's hard not to have an admiration for a person who is training and racing as hard as you are, even if he's faster than you every now and then!"