“There was a kid that two years prior to those games wasn’t even on the radar in some respects, and there he was. That was inspiring,” Mahre said. “That’s what it’s about.”

And thus, Mahre’s challenge began. Most of his races have come against teenagers, or those who know the Mahre name from Alex Mahre — a promising racer until a knee injury sidelined his hopes and turned him into his dad’s unofficial coach.

The sport has changed drastically from his last competitive race. Skis are now 40 centimeters shorter, and technology allows more racers to be competitive. Helmets now are required in every skiing discipline.

Unlike the 70s and 80s, strength training is no longer optional. Bigger and bulkier skiers aren’t just downhillers now.

“In my career I never lifted weights. I felt the best thing for skiing is skiing. To be the best you have to go out and ski,” he said. “Now you need to ski, but more importantly, you need to be strong to deal with the forces.”

The first step in Mahre’s two-year project was a mixture of success, flubs and culture shocks. At his first event at Mount Hood in Oregon, one racer looked to his dad and said, “Boy, Alex’s dad is a pretty good skier.”

Start areas were uncomfortable as the 49-year-old got prepared to race those 30 years his junior, with doubting teenage looks in their eyes. Some told Mahre they thought his efforts were inspiring. Others said they intended to break all his records.

“The kids have been very supportive about it. But you look around and go, ’I am old,”’ Mahre said.

He entered 23 races in the last year, placing in the top 10 eight times, including a first-place finish at Mount Hood in February. The season wasn’t without struggle. Outside the Northwest and against stronger fields in Utah, Mahre finished in the 40s and 50s.

To reach next year’s nationals, Mahre needs to be ranked in the top 13 in the slalom or giant slalom in the Western Region.

There’s plenty of ground to make up. In the latest U.S. Ski Association rankings, Mahre was 48th in the slalom and 56th in the giant slalom in the Western Region. In the Pacific Northwest region, Mahre was sixth in the slalom and seventh in the giant slalom.

“That’d be cool to have him around,” Ligety said. “He’s a legend in U.S. skiing and in the world skiing scene. That’s cool that he’s making a comeback.”

He has one sponsor signed up and hopes to find others over the summer so that five days a week can be devoted to training and competing. He’s confident that more time on the snow will lead to more consistent performances next season.

By late February 2008, Mahre will have a pretty strong indication if his goal will be met.

“I know I’ve got the 40-plus crowd. They are in my corner. The 40 and 50 year olds, they are all really into what I’m doing,” he said. “I’m just kind of lost in time. Twenty-three years has passed by since my gold medal and I’m still kind of lost back there.”

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