Time is on my side

Wengen is a small village in the heart of the Bernese Alps and living proof that the romantic notion of an idyllic mountain paradise is not just a dream. After parking the car down in the valley and boarding a narrow-gauge railway, we entered a fairytale world of our grandfathers and grandmothers. The Swiss clearly have a remarkable sense for preserving the best of the past and tradition and subtly combining it with 
the comforts of modern times.

Wengen is surrounded by mighty peaks including the Eiger (3967 m), the Mönch (4110 m) and the Jungfrau (4158 m), but it became famous around the world for the Lauberhorn world cup ski races that have been held there since the mid-1930s. Wengen is home to the world's longest downhill ski run, all four and a half kilometers of it, and the best racers blast through at an average speed of over 100 km/h with top speeds reaching up to 160 km/h. The slalom course is renowned for its extreme difficulty and steepness that only the greatest of masters can take on successfully. The Wengen slalom is also intertwined with the history of the Elan brand and Slovenian skiing. In 1980, Bojan Križaj achieved the first ever Yugoslavian and Slovenian World Cup victory there and went on to repeat his feat the following year despite only finishing tenth after the first run. Ingemar Stenmark also made his mark on the course, adding a couple of Wengen victories to his and Elan’s trophy cabinets.

Wengen lives and breathes skiing, and it is the home of the Olympic ski cross champion Ryan Regez. It is actually interesting that a place with such a rich skiing tradition did not produce more top skiers. Local man Karl Molitor reigned supreme over the Lauberhorn slopes in the 1930s, along with two other Olympic medal holders, but their time in the limelight ended before the Second World War. It wasn't until 2022 that Ryan Regez brought gold back home to Wengen. 

We visited him on a rather gray day in late March, when the snow started to lose its brilliant sheen and the green grass started boldly claiming back the hills. If the weather had been as bad on the day of the legendary downhill race, the heroes of the Lauberhorn would not have been allowed on the track, but would have stayed in the chalets and enjoyed traditional Swiss fondue. But that is how it goes. Sometimes the mountains hide away in the fog. 

Hanging out with Ryan in a town of around 1,300 inhabitants was a special experience. Everyone knows him and everyone loves him. The kids look up at him with big eyes, the adults greet him and pat him on the back and the girls steal glances. After making our way back from Männlichen to Wengen and getting off the gondola, Ryan quickly invited us into the tourist office: "Let's go say hi to my crystal globe!". His most precious trophies are on display in a glass case at the office, except for his Olympic gold medal. "It's in my house and I caress it often," Ryan adds. 

Ryan is not actually all Swiss. His mother is English, so he speaks English with a typical gentleman's accent. But if you are born in Wengen, you're destined to ski. If your father is a ski coach, your fate is just about sealed. In Ryan's case, skiing was never a compulsion, but the noblest of loves. "I have magical memories of my childhood and growing up. We were protected here from many of the negative influences of the modern world. There are no crowds here, no traffic, no hurry. As a child I got used to living in harmony with nature. My friends and I played for endless hours in the forests and in the hills. Since then I have always loved adventures in nature. It is an important part of who I am."

Ryan was put on skis at a very early age, when he was two or three years old. "My father was the coach who taught me my first steps on skis. I remember we often went skiing after school. It was at least four times a week. And of course we also watched the Lauberhorn world cup races every year. As kids we were obsessed with collecting autographs from the best skiers in the world. Hermann Maier was my number one hero. Members of the Wengen Ski Club often trained on the Lauberhorn's downhill and slalom courses and I have very fond memories of the 2011 downhill race when I was still a teenager and they entrusted me with the role of one of the forerunners."

Ryan Regez has been a member of Elan's international ski cross team for many years. He was still a teenager when the skis from Begunje caught his eye. "I've always been a bit different in a way. I never wanted to ski on the skis that everyone else had. When I was changing skis in 2007, I wanted to try Elan skis because I’d heard so much about them, and I also knew that their innovations had a very strong influence on the development of skiing. I clicked with the skis immediately and have been skiing on Elans ever since. The Elan racing team with Blaž Lazar at the helm is like a family to me. We get along great and we have lots of fun, but at the same time we also talk a lot about developing and improving the skis. The guys in the development department are amazing experts who always listen to our ideas and build skis that make us better and faster."

Skiers are a special group of people. They are a mix of savages, heroes, and daredevils. Many of them often cross the thin line that separates success from disaster. Ryan had his wild years as well, hanging out with friends and partying hard. "When I switched from alpine disciplines to ski cross, I made a conscious decision to fully commit to the sport. I gave it my full attention and focus. From then on, I didn't want to leave anything to chance, and, above all, I didn't want to jeopardize the work and sacrifices I put in by making stupid or reckless decisions. I gave up many sporting activities that I used to love very much. I stopped playing football and other contact sports that have a relatively high risk of injury. But that doesn’t mean that I just ski and work out in the gym all the time. I love tennis and beach volleyball, I enjoy mountain biking..."

Ryan started off his 2021/22 season with a win in Innichen, South Tyrol. Just before the Beijing Olympics he scored two consecutive victories in Idre Fjäll, Sweden and took on the role of the main favorite in China. "When a TV journalist asked me about my Olympic goals, I said I would be happy with any medal. But that was a complete lie. In reality, I only wanted the gold medal. I visualized the Olympic run countless times, and at the end of each run they hung the gold medal around my neck." And then the moment happened that changed everything. "I often still remember that final heat and I get goosebumps every time. I remember not having the best start, but fortunately none of the other three guys got off to a good start either. When I took the lead on the first set of waves, I said to myself: 'Oh my God, I'm in front.' I managed to hang on to the lead until the last corner. The sun was low and I could see the shadows of the guys behind me all the time. But then the shadows slowly disappeared and I couldn’t hear anything anymore. I knew that I had a good margin on the others. My heart started pounding wildly in my chest even before I crossed the finish line. It's a feeling that can’t be described by words."

When he arrived home in Wengen, he was given a grand reception. “A friend was with me when we took the train from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen. When we got off the carriage, I couldn't believe the number of people that gathered at the train station and on the main street. Only then did I realize just what I had achieved. I was also delighted to see that my friends, relatives and neighbors shared my success."

After that, nothing was the same anymore: “Changes were good and bad. It's nice when people recognize you on the street and congratulate you, but sometimes I wish I had a little more privacy."

When top athletes reach their peak, some often face emptiness and a lack of motivation while others commit and work even harder. “The battle for the crystal globe began shortly after the Olympics, and I wanted it just as much as I wanted that Olympic medal. With three competitors evenly matched in the fight, there was no time to rest on laurels." In the very last race of the season Ryan managed to achieve his next goal and won the crystal globe, the one now on display in the glass case at the tourist office in Wengen.

Unfortunately, Ryan also learned first-hand about the unpredictable aspects of sport. He injured his knee in one of the first races of the 2022/23 season in Arosa, had to undergo season ending surgery. "I heard a strange sound when I fell. At first I thought it was the bindings releasing, but when I saw both skis were still attached to my legs, it became clear that the sound come from something else. After the operation I started the period of rehabilitation and I had a lot of time to think. I also used the time to study business finance and passed a good number of exams while also training systematically in the gym. When things got tough, I thought back to the feelings I had after winning the Olympic medal and the crystal globe. I had no choice but to move forward with optimism. I am truly confident that I will come back stronger and that time is on my side."