Ted the Shred Ligety and 36-year-old Bode Miller ruled last weekend’s Birds of Prey giant slalom race in Beaver Creek with the first 1-2 World Cup finish for American racers since 2005.

Ligety has been dominating giant slalom racing, so his victory by more than a second came as no surprise.

But Bode Miller is 36 years old and nearing the end of a brilliant but injury-plagued career. He took the entire season off in 2012-13 to rest his injured knee and recuperate emotionally from the death of his brother, snowboarder Chelone Miller.

Starting from 31st position in the Lake Louise GS, Millier was definitely a longshot in the Beaver Creek GS.

But you can never count out Bode. Even when he loses a ski, he can still find a way to finish. He has won more World Cup races than any U.S. skier in history, with more than 90 podium finishes in World Cup races. He is also one the few big-name athletes to have the courage to speak out against Vladimir Putin’s no-gay-stuff-during-the-Olympics law, calling it “ignorant” and “absolutely embarrassing.”

Ligety, who runs a summer racing camp on Mount Hood, has a strong chance of winning multiple medals at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. And now Miller also has to be considered a front-runner. A healthy rivalry is building between the two training partners, made all the more interesting by their drastically different racing styles.

Ligety is Mr. Smooth in all conditions, racing like Roger Federer plays tennis or Kevin Durant plays basketball. Every move he makes seems effortless.

Miller, on the other hand, is as wild and powerful as ever, at times downright flailing, always pushing it to the edge and beyond. He’s closer to Rafael Nadal or Charles Barkley in style. Or Franz Klammer. Maybe even a touch of Mike Tyson.

Take a look at this video from USSA Network, especially the slow-motion sequences in the second half, to get an appreciation of just how good these guys are.

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Last modified: December 10, 2013