READ BROTHERS CARVING OWN PATH
Legendary Crazy Canuck is staying out of the way while sons ski World Cup circuit
Erik and Jeff Read skied onto Canada’s national team decades after the tracks left by their father Ken and mother Lynda were wiped clean. The brothers are on the squad neither because of — nor in spite of — their famous last name. Ken moved on from his job as Alpine Canada president once Erik climbed the ranks, and both parents are still careful to stay out of the way, both on the hill and in the media. Ken, one of the legendary Crazy Canucks, turned down all interview requests last winter as Erik headed into his first Olympics in Pyeongchang, where he announced his arrival with an impressive 11th-place finish in giant slalom, tops on the Canadian team. As the first racing season of a new quadrennial beckons, youngest brother Jeff joins Erik on the World Cup loop, at least part-time. Jeff is a downhiller, while Erik veered off to the technical side in slalom and GS, so they won’t be competing against one another. But the brothers Read will nonetheless be sharing the journey, and will be afforded the time and space to carve their own paths in the snow. “Our parents have always kind of steered us in the right direction, but never forced us or imposed their will on us,” said Erik, who at age 27 is six years older than Jeff. Kevyn, the middle brother, skied for Dartmouth but has transitioned into a career in finance in Boston. The Reads skied together as a family and the pursuit has always occupied an important place in their lives. But there is neither need nor desire for the parents to keep on living the national team life vicariously through their sons. “I’m in it for me,” said Erik, who has been on the World Cup circuit since 2011. “Obviously, my dad has had great success and my mom was also on the national team, but I’m on the tech pathway and I have already achieved better results than my dad ever had in slalom and GS. I’m kind of carving my own path. It’s a blessing, not a curse, having the Read name.” Jeff shares the latter sentiment, but is in a slightly different space because he’s a downhiller, just like his dad, who won five World Cups and made the podium 14 times from 1975 through 1983. Jeff has European Cup experience, but just one World Cup race on his resume. He crashed last year at Wengen, Switzerland, site of one of his father’s victories, with his dad on hand to see it. “I’m following in my dad’s footsteps in speed, so wherever I go I am the son of Ken. And you can kind of see the legacy he leaves everywhere, definitely in Europe. He has left a pretty big impression. I definitely see everybody has a lot of respect for my dad everywhere I go. He set an example that both of us strive to achieve. But we’re not feeling pressured.” They feel supported and they don’t always feel unique, given the offspring of Pirmin Zurbriggen, Christian Neureuther and other former stars are racing on the World Cup circuit. That’s a product of good genes, early exposure to the sport, and a general quest for excellence. “My parents always had us very engaged in various sports, as well as keeping up with our studies,” Erik said. “I gave hockey and skiing a fair opportunity until I was about 10, when I went to skiing. That was my passion.” Almost two decades later it still is and will be in 2026, if the Olympics revisit Calgary. “For most people it takes time and that age just keeps getting pushed higher and higher,” said Erik. “My dad retired at 27. And I just went to my first Games right before I turned 27.” Lynda was out of the sport even younger, at 21, and things have changed dramatically. The parents are careful to leave the coaching to the pros, because inserting themselves hasn’t gone so well. “I’ve had experiences where my dad got too involved after I didn’t have a good race,” said Erik. “He tried to say something to me and it went the wrong way.” Jeff is more expressive on the topic. “Nowadays our parents try to stay out of it as much as they can because they know how annoying it can be having them yapping in our ear,” he said. “But with me there is a little different aspect. My dad raced all the downhill tracks in his career and a lot of them haven’t changed a whole lot since then, so he actually has some good words of wisdom out there for each track. My first World Cup stop in Wengen, he had a few things to say. Those are taken happily, of course. “He tries not to say too much. I find it helpful. Going forward I’ll start at lots of World Cups that he’s experienced, so it will be good to have a little side commentary from him.” But that’s all it will be, Ken said. “They have both done an exceptional job managing their family background and I’ve learned how much I prefer working quietly just like any other racer-parent, helping out where we can.”
Our parents have always kind of steered us in the right direction, but never forced us or imposed their will on us. ERIK READ, slalom skier