Mike Lafferty (alpine skier)


Michael McCormack "Mike" Lafferty is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. He specialized in downhill and had two World Cup podiums and eleven top ten finishes, all in downhill. His best finish in the World Cup season standings was in 1972: third in downhill and ninth overall.

Early years

Born in Eugene, Oregon, Lafferty was the third and youngest son of Paul and Jean Lafferty. His father Paul was a college ski team coach in the 1930s and an officer in the famed 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army in World War II.
Lafferty learned to ski at Willamette Pass and raced as a junior for the Bend Skyliners at Mt. Bachelor. Following graduation from South Eugene High School in 1966, he followed his brother Peter to the University of Colorado in Boulder. He raced for the Buffaloes for two years until named to the "B team" of the U.S. Ski Team in December 1968, then promoted to the "A team" later that month.

Racing career

Lafferty's first top ten result in a World Cup race was in December 1969, with a fifth place in a downhill at Val-d'Isère, France. At the Winter Olympics in 1972 in Japan, Lafferty finished 14th in the downhill. Two years earlier, he was 31st at the World Championships in 1970 in Italy.
Lafferty's best World Cup result was his first podium, a runner-up finish at Crystal Mountain, Washington, in February 1972, the first event after the Olympics. The next day he had a fourth-place finish in another downhill and ascended another podium in Italy a few weeks later. Before the Olympics, he finished just off the podium in mid-January with a fourth place at storied Kitzbühel.
His third-place finish in the World Cup downhill season standings in 1972 was the best by an American male until 2003, when Daron Rahlves finished second. Rahlves finished second again in 2004 and Bode Miller was also second in 2005 and 2008. Through 2014, a U.S. male has yet to win the season title in the downhill discipline.

After racing

Following his final season in 1974, Lafferty returned to Oregon to help manage the family's successful cold storage business in Eugene and Albany. He briefly raced on the pro circuit in North America.

World Cup results

Season standings

Points were only awarded for top ten finishes.

Top ten finishes

SeasonDateLocationDisciplinePlace
197014 Dec 1969 Val-d'Isère, FranceDownhill5th
197129 Jan 1971 Megève, FranceDownhill9th
197212 Dec 1971 Val-d'Isère, FranceDownhill6th
197214 Jan 1972 Kitzbühel, AustriaDownhill4th
197225 Feb 1972 Crystal Mountain, USADownhill2nd
197226 Feb 1972 Crystal Mountain, USADownhill4th
197215 Mar 1972 Val Gardena, ItalyDownhill3rd
197315 Dec 1972 Val Gardena, ItalyDownhill9th
19736 Jan 1973 Garmisch, West GermanyDownhill9th
19737 Jan 1973 Garmisch, West GermanyDownhill9th
197327 Jan 1973 Kitzbühel, AustriaDownhill8th