When Erik Arvidsson ’21 crossed the finish line in the Alpine Ski World Cup this past weekend, his reaction said it all. Arms raised, the Middlebury senior roared in excitement, having blazed through the course in 1:54.37. Arvidsson, who is from Woodside, Calif. and competes for Team USA, placed eighth overall in the downhill race.
The finish earned Arvidsson his first points in the World Cup, an event that attracts the world’s top skiers. He finished first on Team USA, too, a squad he’s trained with since November.
“It was a pretty mind blowing day,” Arvidsson told The Campus over FaceTime. “I’ve never been top 30 in the World Cup which is a huge milestone, so to go all the way to top 10 and be eighth like that… I didn’t expect it. Eighth totally blew my mind.”
Arvidsson’s finish slides nicely into his resumé, which includes a first-place prize medal at the 2016 World Junior Downhill Championship in Sochi, Russia.
“Our sport is pretty small and I was on the national team before I came to Middlebury, so I have a lot of history with a lot of these guys,” Arvidsson said. “We have a really strong team and we’ve had guys on the podium and in the top 10 all year.”
This winter, Arvidsson has also raced in the Europa Cup, a competition that sits a step below the World Cup. (It’s a “triple A” equivalent, for you baseball fans.) Arvidsson has won two Europa Cup races this season, ranking him third among all athletes in the competition. With upcoming races on Friday and Saturday, Arvidsson can push for the Europa League title, which is “a big deal.”
Arvidsson credits Middlebury, where he’s skied since 2018, for helping him get to this point. Since joining the Middlebury alpine team, Arvidsson is a two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association First-Team All-East selection and an All-American.
The Middlebury alpine team has an accomplished roster, including Justin Alkier ’21 and Ali Nullmeyer ’23, two skiers who are competing for Team Canada this winter. Michel Macedo ’22 is another member, a junior at Middlebury who has represented Brazil in the World Championships.
“We have a pretty cool culture and team dynamic at Middlebury that’s really helped me figure out how to get the most out of myself and have a ton of fun doing it,” Arvidsson said. “I'm forever grateful for Middlebury and Middlebury skiing.”
Arvidsson is wrapping up his Middlebury career this spring with two remote classes, positioning him to graduate in May. After graduation, he’ll start training for next season, aiming to build off of his recent accomplishment. Whenever he’s not training, though, he’ll aim to be in Middlebury.
When asked about his goals, Arvidsson quickly brought up the Olympics. The 2022 winter games will be held in Beijing next February.
“The Olympics next year is a huge goal and something you dream about as a kid, as an athlete and as a skier,” Arvidsson said. “So that’s first, and then hopefully moving my way [up] the top 30 in the World Cup.”
Blaise Siefer ‘23.5 is a sports staff writer.
Siefer is majoring in Sociology and minoring in Spanish.
For three semesters in 2021 and 2022, Siefer served as Senior Sports Editor. He also co-founded a Middlebury sports recap podcast, PFL Weekly, which is released on all major streaming platforms every Tuesday.
Siefer is also the Co-Founder and Co-President of Middlebury Club Soccer.
