Interview with Hans Knauss
December 3, 2004, Beaver Creek, Colorado.
by Stan Petrash
Author's Note: Since this interview has been recorded, a lot has happen to Hans Knauss, which led to his eventual retirement from the sport. He was not the first skier to become unwilling victim of undisclosed banned substances in otherwise legal drugs (one can remember Alain Baxter's debacle). We publish this inteview in hopes that our readers will get a glimpse of Hans as he is known to many of his friends: an honest, straighforward person who will never intentionally do anything unethical. It has recently been reported that Hans Knauss has sued manufacturer of dietary supplement that contained banned substance. We wish Hans success in his latest battle and belive that truth will finally come out and he will be able to completely clear his reputation. Nothing will keep him from the sport he loves: this season he will work as a commentator for ORF, the Austrian national television broadcaster.
Q: Hans, you switch from Atomic to Fischer… […] What is the difference between the Fischer and Atomic skis?
HK: It is a little hard for me to say, because I didn’t [directly] test Atomic against Fischer…But the difference is, the difference is in the feel of the bindings, in plates, you know… I started with [already existing] downhill, SuperG skis, and it wasn’t a bad feeling, that’s why I switched. Then we said: OK, let’s build something new, what works for me. And if it works for me, it will work well for the rest for sure…That’s what we did. My brother switched with me, and he knows a lot what’s going on, how flex[ible] ski [needs to be], all this stuff… Then we tried to make the ski that is comparable to Atomic, but that is better, that is easier to turn, [and at the same time] that there wouldn’t be so many problems with the ski, and that’s [exactly] what we did.
Q: What do you think was better in Atomic that you want to bring to Fischer?
HK: You know, on the downhill side, they have, I think, 40% of all the racers, so if there is one training run there, they can test ten different skis… and that’s the difference. We have Ghedina, Strobl, Fattori and me, and that’s it…just four people [that] can test something [new], [so] it takes much longer time to test, it’s not like [in] Atomic, we cannot make too many different skis, we have to find the right one…
Q: They call you “Papa”… Coming in to Fischer, do you feel [a lot of] pressure to develop a winning ski [for them]?
HK: Yeah, for sure. I did it by myself, too… My brother, too, you know… he also, before the season, he was unbelievable, he knew what’s going on, you know… Because, in the speed events, the problem is, you can’t test it before the WorldCup begins… Where? There is no chance… We had some good tests in New Zealand, but it is not at the limit, you know… and there was a lot of pressure on me, but this is good, I like to work with pressure, but the good thing is, it’s a positive pressure…
Q: Do you now feel that the Fischer has an advantage, because Atomic went after the stars, that may ski well, but may not provide for them a good development platform?
HK: Hmm, I don’t think so… I think Bode Miller is better for the development department than Hermann [Maier], I know that Hermann don’t like to build something new.
Q: Do you like to build something new?
HK: Yeah, I like it
Q: So the real reason Fischer brought you in is not only for the “star quality”, but also for the “brain quality” that you can provide…
HK: Yeah, for sure… Everybody in the ski business knows me, because I spent a lot of time at the WorldCup, so it is a good thing for Fischer… Also, I bring my brother with me, and everybody knows that we did a good job at Atomic…
Q: Sounds like you have a lot of respect for your brother… Is he then the smartest one in the family?
HK: [Laughs] You know, there is another brother [Bernhard Knauss], he is the racing chief of Volkl, so it is hard for me to say [laughs]…We worked together for a long time and this is a good thing, we know what’s going on, and there is a lot of respect he have for each other… And especially in the speed disciplines, we have to compete with Atomic, and you can see that it works…In [the last] two downhills, I was in fourth place [Lake Louise], and in sixth place [Beaver Creek], so it is good…
Q: Do you fell a certain disappointment, when Bode [Miller] shows up, all the kids follow him around, because of his personality, because of his flashy technique, whereas you were working on your technique for the long time, and, although you are very well-respected in professional circles, you not as well-known [to the general public]?
HK: Yeah, but Bode is a really cool guy, I have to say it…
Q: You think you are not cool?
HK: Oh, I’m cool for sure… [laughs] but in a different way… I like his style… This afternoon, we’ve heard that he went out for a beer last nights, and I said: “you know, that’s cool”… that’s his style, I like it, it’s relaxed, you know, it’s not like, you know…
Q: Not very uptight?
HK: Yeah..., not like some other guys…
Q: So, you wouldn’t go for a beer the night before the race?
HK: I did it also, but nobody noticed… [laughs] He is really relaxed, I like his style of skiing, he skis with a lot of feeling… You know, I know him for a long time, and it is nice to see how he skis.
Q: Fischer is involved a lot in the development of the junior [racing] skis, and many people say that the best junior racing skis come from Fischer… Would you recommend, 12-13 year old to try and emulate Bode Miller, or you would want them to emulate you?
HK: [Laughs] The first thing that my coach said to me at this age is: “don’t look at your brother, don’t look at Marc Girardelli… just look at yourself…” That’s what Bode did, that’s why he’s fast, that’s what I did…That’s the first thing Body has to tell kids…
Q: So, self-confidence is really important?
HK: Yeah…and also, the self [individual] technique… My arms maybe not as long as Bode’s arms, or maybe legs, I don’t know… It’s all… [looking for the right word]… leverage, different leverage, so everybody has to find his own style, that’s very important.
Q: Do you look at other [racers], do you look at Bode, do you look at Rainer [Schoenfelder]…
HK: Sure, we look every day, on video […] maybe five-six different ones, in the downhill training, we look for the fastest line, fastest style, but I almost always look at the line, this is the most important…
Q: Thank you very much for the interview.
