Valley skier eager to capitalize on breakthrough
When Jordan Kober hits the slopes today for a World Cup freestyle moguls event at Utah’s Deer Valley, he’ll be in good company as a member of the world’s top 10.
The 24-year-old Penticton resident’s firstever podium finish in Sweden in December rocketed him into the FIS rankings to 10th heading into this weekend’s event.
“That result in Sweden was pretty special, a bit unexpected but pretty awesome,” said Kober during a recent Freestyle Canada men’s mogul training camp at Apex resort.
“That was the first time I ever won a dual at a World Cup, so to go from no dual wins all the way to the small final was pretty cool.”
One of his biggest strengths on the course is speed, although he admitted, “Sometimes it’s more of a curse than a blessing.”
However, it paid off for him for much of the final day of the duals after finishing 20th the day before in singles.
Based on a flatter course and the snow conditions, he decided to reverse the mainstream strategy and do the faster jump at the top and get an early lead.
“You come in really fast and you almost absorb the jump and do a backflip, so instead of going high in the air, you just go straight down the hill,” said Kober. “A lot of times that’s how duals are won, you pass your opponent in the air and he’s going to have to take some big risks to try and catch up.”
The Kober family name is synonymous with international moguls skiing. His older brother, Josh, is a former national NorAm team member and current coach of the B.C. freestyle team. His younger sister, Chloe, was on the provincial roster.
His father Rob was also the head coach of the national men’s moguls team from 20022018 with two of his skiers winning Olympic golds. Rob won the Jack Donahue Coach of the Year Award in 2018.
The Canadian athletes only found out last Friday they would be competing in Utah this week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced increased travel measures due to COVID-19.
Many other planned races on the circuit this season have been cancelled.
Although he loves the competitive side of racing, for Kober, who started skiing when he was just three, there is an artistic component that is the big draw for him.
“There are a few skiers out there, you see the way they’re working their skis and they’re skiing as fast as anybody,” he said. “For me it’s just the endless pursuit of that mastery, so instead of just making it down the course, you’re using your skis almost as paint brushes.”
One of Kober’s biggest fans is his Freestyle Canada coach Jim Schiman who was also at Apex this week.
“It’s phenomenal, he’s such a great kid, I’ve worked with him for about three years and I don’t know that I’ve had an athlete who works as hard as he does,” said Schmian, who admits his charge does have a “crazy” side they call Dan.
“His work ethic, he’s the first one in and last one out, and whether it’s on the snow or in the gym — video review — it doesn’t matter, and personality wise he’s just a very genuine nice person.
“I think as a coaching staff we all knew he had it in him and could he do it.”
Todd Allison, director of high performance in moguls and aerials for Freestyle Canada, said he believes the Sweden competition may have been a pivotal point in Kober’s career.
“It’s always nice to see a skier break through and perform at the level they are capable of,” said Allison.
Kober will ski moguls on the first day and Friday it will be the head-to-head challenge of the dual moguls.