Sure, Tommy Ford could have skied cleaner and faster.

But his race was still easily his fondest memory of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

“I would say my favorite moment of the games was standing in the leader box and seeing my friends and family cheering their faces off,” Ford wrote in an email to The Bulletin this week. “Really felt the love there.”

The Bend native finished 20th in the giant slalom out of 110 skiers. He said he struggled with his equipment setup on his first run but made some adjustments and posted the sixth-fastest time on the second run.

After the games, Ford, 28, returned to Europe to continue competing on the World Cup circuit. Last weekend, he placed a career-best ninth in a World Cup giant slalom in Slovenia. That result qualified him for the World Cup Finals, set for Friday in Are, Sweden.

“I put two solid runs together,” Ford said.

Reflecting on his experience in South Korea, Ford said he enjoyed attending the opening ceremonies and watching the skeleton competition.

He called the opening ceremonies “special.”

“All of the athletes were together hanging out in a large space before we walked, so we could mingle, trade pins and take pictures with other athletes … really cool,” Ford wrote. “Then walking out to ‘Gangnam style’ (the international hit song by South Korean musician Psy) was hilarious and fun. Surrounded by new and old teammates was a reminder of how we are all in it together, which goes right along with the theme of the games.”

Viewing the skeleton competition in person, he noted, gave him a new perspective on that sport, in which athletes reach speeds of up to 80 mph while riding a small sled headfirst down an icy track.

“They are hauling down a narrow ice tube and you get to stand within five feet of the sliders,” Ford said. “Crazy to think that a human is trying to go that fast …”

The Pyeongchang Games marked Ford’s second Olympic appearance. He finished 26th in the giant slalom at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and he missed the 2014 Sochi Games while recovering from a broken right femur suffered while skiing in the French Alps in January 2013.

Ford returned to racing in 2014-15, and he boasted three top-15 giant slalom finishes in World Cup competition last season in Europe. He placed 10th at a World Cup giant slalom race in Beaver Creek, Colorado, this past December.

Ford said his time at his second Olympics was a “more connected and fulfilling experience” than his experience at the Vancouver Games. This time around he had more time to take in the entirety of the games, along with his girlfriend and U.S. teammate Laurenne Ross, also of Bend.

“Much more enjoyable all around,” Ford said. “Again lots of friends and family in Vancouver, but dang was I nervous and stressed (in 2010).”

Ford’s experience in South Korea gave him an appreciation for the behind-the-scenes work that goes into every Olympic event.

“And it is your responsibility to bring it when it is time,” he said. “It is cool to see people from all over the world come together and do their thing.”

Ford grew up skiing with the Bend-based Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation, along with Ross, who finished 15th in both the super-G and the downhill in Pyeongchang. He said he and Ross have been dating for more than two years, connected by their ski racing careers and their love of the outdoors in Central Oregon.

The couple was enjoying some down time in Prague, Czech Republic, this past week before Ford heads to Sweden for the World Cup Finals. He also said he plans to compete in the U.S. Championships in Sun Valley, Idaho, later this month before returning home to Bend.

An eight-time national champion, Ford said it is too early to start thinking about a possible third Olympic appearance in Beijing in 2022, when he will be 32.

“Plans for future games are dependent on many things,” Ford said. “For now, I am skiing on the World Cup and continuing to make progress.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0318,

mmorical@bendbulletin.com