On Monday, Bode Miller, 38, announced his comeback to professional ski racing 听against Head USA in federal court in Los Angeles. In the lawsuit, Miller wrote that听he wants to compete in this season's World Cup races, which begin in October in听Soelden, Austria鈥攁nd he doesn't want to do it on Head skis.听
This is his “last real opportunity to competitively compete in the World cup racing circuit and attract lucrative endorsements needed to provide for his family,” the court documents read.听
For skiers, this is the equivalent of Lance Armstrong's bombshell 2009 announcement that he would听return to the Tour de France. (Armstrong placed third that year.) Miller, one of ski racing's wildest, loudest personalities, retired from the professional circuit听in 2015 after a rough season in which he sliced his leg open in the听super-G at Beaver Creek, Colorado. Since then, he's听been听迟谤补颈苍颈苍驳听丑辞谤蝉别蝉听and spending time with his family听at his home听in southern California. 听
Miller's return would make him one of the oldest racers on the circuit鈥攈e turns 39 next month. He became the oldest Olympic alpine skiing medalist when he won bronze in the super-G听at the Sochi听2014 Winter Olympics. He did intimate听last year that .听
Miller's lawsuit听asks the court to abolish a restriction in Miller's termination agreement with Head听that precludes him from racing competitively on another company's equipment听in order to allow him to compete on skis made by Bomber,听a听.
Miller entered into a two-year agreement听with Head in 2006, according to the court documents. The contract听stipulated that he would ski exclusively on the company's product during the length of the agreement. He signed an updated sponsorship deal with the brand in 2007, and another in 2012. In May 2015, he signed a termination agreement with the Dutch company, invalidating all the previous contracts and ending the business relationship. That agreement contained a restrictive covenant, according to the court documents, stipulating听that听Miller would not compete in a World Cup or World Championship ski race for two years from the date of signing.
Now, Miller wants the court to overturn that covenant, arguing that it violates听a section in the California Business and Professions Code that听prohibits agreements which would restrain anyone “from engaging in a lawful profession, trade, or business of any kind.”听In essence,听Miller's legal team is arguing that听Head is preventing the ski racer from doing his job听by restricting what equipment he can use. 听
Racing on Bomber skis would be an odd decision for the former听World and Olympic champion. Head makes some of the world's top alpine race skis at its factory听in Austria.听Bomber, meanwhile, is a tiny company that produces听high-end, handmade skis听in New York City.听Miller became an ambassador for the brand (filming ) after his 2015 injury, and has since assisted with product development,听according to the lawsuit. (Neither Miller nor Head was immediately available for comment for this story.)
If Miller hopes to compete, he'll have to hope that the case听is resolved quickly: the first World Cup race is scheduled for October 23.