Three years after the crash that altered the trajectory of his skiing career, Tommy Ford is still recovering.

But back home in Bend this past summer, Ford said he trained “smarter,” so now he can take on twice as many runs and get more volume in his training as his 15th season on the World Cup circuit for the U.S. Alpine Ski Team gets underway.

The three-time Olympian said he knew what he needed to do on Oct. 27 at the World Cup giant slalom opener in Sölden, Austria.

“I skied really well,” Ford said during a recent interview in Bend. “It was solid, consistent skiing. It feels good to know a little bit more now. It’s like, ‘OK, this is how to move forward,’ rather than just being kind of lost.”

Ford finished 21st.

“Even though the result was mediocre, it feels like a good spot to continue to build from,” Ford said. “Last season was a little more like rolling the dice on each turn.”

Now Ford, 35, prepares for a World Cup giant slalom race on Sunday in Beaver Creek, Colorado, the site where he claimed the only World Cup victory of his long career five years ago.

A devastating crash in 2021

Ford was in the midst of a banner 2020-21 season on Jan. 9, 2021, posting four World Cup top-10 results in giant slalom. But at a World Cup race that day in Adelbolden, Switzerland, a horrific crash left him with severe injuries to his head, right knee and left wrist. He tore two ligaments in his right knee, broke his tibial plateau and tore his meniscus.

Perhaps the injuries to his head were the worst part. He lost consciousness and has no memory of the rest of that day. But after four knee surgeries, he rallied to make it to his third Olympics, finishing 12th in the giant slalom in February 2022 at the Beijing Games. He was also part of the mixed parallel slalom U.S. team that finished fourth.

“After three years, I’m still kind of shaking off whatever happened there,” Ford said of the Switzerland crash. “Last year my knees were still hurting quite a bit, and this year it’s a lot better after the summer. It was also the mental fatigue from having to push through all that pain. I was pretty freaked out for a while. Just rebuilding has been slow. I’ve had a lot of life changes, so navigating that with a crumpled brain, it was hard.”

Spending important time at home

While Ford often returns home to Bend for training in the spring and summer after traveling to World Cup stops through the winter, this year he had an even more crucial reason to be home. His mother, Mary Ellen Ford, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzeimer’s six years ago, and Ford needed to help his father move her into the Touchmark memory care facility in west Bend in May.

“It’s just progressed and progressed,” Tommy said. “It’s like losing your mom even though she’s alive. It’s tough, it’s weird. She’s an anchor, you know. It’s sad, it’s hard.”

Mary Ellen Ford coached a group that included Tommy when he was a young racer for the Bend-based Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation. Tommy said that both his parents have made it clear that they want him to continue ski racing.

“I’m trying to balance that, and the guilt of it,” he said. “That’s been slow but we’re working together. My brother came out, my dad came out, and we were able to move her into Touchmark. She never wanted to be there. It’s been a hard move for her, for my dad, for all of us. But to keep my dad healthy, we had to do it. It’s just full-time care.”

With a heavy heart, Ford has managed to be there for his family while also continuing to train and race.

Smarter training

This past summer Ford worked out at MBSEF and at the Athletic Club of Bend. He spent time mountain biking, climbing and backcountry skiing, even climbing and skiing Mount Jefferson.

“It was really nice to have time to get out in the backcountry and ski in a different way in my hometown,” Ford said. “I haven’t been that deep in the wilderness here just because I haven’t had time.”

Ford said that taking a step back this past offseason and not pushing himself as hard in training will benefit him this season. He still had pain from the knee injury, and his pain tolerance had increased so he was not allowing himself enough recovery.

“I didn’t realize that so I just prolonged the pain,” Ford said. “So this summer I just took a step back and said, that’s enough. I let myself recover, and it’s been so much better.”

Ford has much to be excited about this season, including two World Cup races on American soil: Beaver Creek on Sunday and the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho, March 22-27.

“It’s nice to have Beaver Creek back,” said Ford, who has three World Cup podium placings in his career. “It’s been five years since we raced there, so I was the last person to win there. I think the more races in the U.S., the merrier. The last couple years Tahoe and Aspen have been really good.”

Ford said he plans to continue his racing career at least through the next Olympic cycle and attempt to make his fourth Olympic team for the 2026 Winter Games in Milano-Cortina, Italy, which are a little less than a year away.

“I’ll try to get through that and then just keep reassessing each year,” Ford said. “As long as I’m enjoying myself and I’m able to have speed, I’m going to keep at it.”

Skiing and art

After the Beaver Creek World Cup, Ford and the U.S. Ski Team will travel to France to start the European circuit. Ford enjoys drawing and sculpting, and he leans into drawing as a hobby during his travels each winter.

He recently partnered with Head Skis on a four-minute video feature at Mt. Bachelor about how his art is connected to his skiing.

Ford does not know when his racing days will come to an end, but he sees potential for himself in coaching when they do.

“I’m open to whatever comes,” Ford said. “I’ll probably be in the industry in some way, maybe a coach. I have so much knowledge in this sport now that it’s hard to not share it.”