River Radamus wows alpine ski fans with latest eye-catching hairstyle
The 24-year-old American continues his tradition of changing looks ahead of the opening event of the season: "I try to do it to remind myself that what I do isn't so serious," he said while showing us his new hairdo.
Alpine Skiing
Snow leopard spots, zebra stripes, and now flowers.
At the beginning of each new season, alpine ski fans wait with trepidation for the unveiling of River Radamus' latest haircut.
"The hairstyle has sort of become a tradition for me," the American tells Olympics.com while showing off his latest look, which features pink hair with flower patterns.
"The flowers this year were done by my girlfriend, Storm," the 24-year-old continued at his team hotel in Sölden, Austria, at the start of the 2022/23 season. "I've recruited my girlfriend, physios, coaches, and team-mates to help me with the hairstyles over the years. And so it sort of feels like a real team effort and it's something I enjoy doing."
Radamus loves eye-catching hairdos. It all started a few seasons ago with a blue and green colour style, followed by a mullet bowl cut, and a snow leopard-inspired look last year, a hommage to US speed legend Chad Fleischer.
"I guess four or five years ago at Sölden I started doing it, and now it's become sort of a thing of its own," he told us.
Zebras, flowers, and fast skiing
The two-time junior world champion went viral at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games where he sported a conspicuous zebra 'do.
It was a look that was seen as a lucky charm and saw him achieve his best performance in a elite race, finishing just off the podium in fourth place during the Giant Slalom event for Team USA.
Radamus also finished in the top ten three times (including two sixth places in Sölden and Alta Badia) in what has been his best FIS World Cup campaign so far.
"I think there seems to be more and more excitement about it (my hairstyle). You know, last year, I felt, was the first year people noticed, which makes sense. You know, nobody notices a crazy hairstyle if you come down in 40th place," he confessed.
"I try to do it to remind myself most importantly that what I do isn't so serious. You know, I love ski racing, I'm pushing to the limits," he said.
"But first and foremost, it's out of love and my enjoyment for the sport. And so I have to remind myself of that sometimes. And this is my way to do it, to kick off the season and remember why I do it."
The Colorado-born skier has a clear aim as he starts his fifth season in the sport's premiere competition:
"First and foremost, I have to remember that the skiing comes first, you know, and I can't let it overshadow the stuff I do on the slopes," he said.
"But yeah, it seems like everybody is super excited about hair and hopefully I keep it going and help my fans and people that spectate in on the process."