Samuel Bode Miller was born on October 12, 1977, in Easton, New Hampshire. As a youngster, his middle name stuck, and soon everyone was calling him 'Bode'. He was on skis at the age of four; almost every day there was snow on the ground. The Millers lived a simple life, without electricity or plumbing and this lifestyle affected Bode's education. He was home schooled until he was 10. By the time Bode started high school, he was an accomplished tennis player and a terrific football (soccer) player.

Over the next few years, it became clear that Bode had a possible future as a skier. The family sent him to Carrabassett Valley Academy in Maine and in 1995 Bode used his unorthodox carving skis during the US Junior National Championships.

A year later, he returned as a 19-year-old and finished third in the slalom, which qualified him for the National team. His motto was 'win or crash' and he has lived up to it to this day. Bode joined the World Cup Tour for the 1997-98 season and debuted on November 20 at Park City.

In the first run of his first race, he streaked down the mountain with a Top 25 time, a great result for the rookie from Franconia, and he finished the event in 11th position. A new star was set to shine thanks to his personal and creative skiing style.

Miller crashed in 14 of his next 20 races and participated in the first Major event in the 1998 season, the Winter Olympic games in Nagano, where he skied out both in the Slalom and GS. The US athlete never made the podium in the 1999-2000 season.

Miller collected the first top 3 placement in the next season, finishing 3rd behind Von Gruenigen and Schilchegger in the GS event held in Val d'Isere. Since the 2000 season he proved to be an all-rounder, competing at a high level in both the technical disciplines and in the speed competitions too, thanks to a six feet tall frame filled put by 200 pounds of muscle.

The 2001-02 season saw Bode reach the podium in nine World Cup races, winning twice, the first triumph happened at Val d'Isere in the GS. Miller was set to compete in all the five events in the Winter Olympic Games staged on home snow of Salt Lake City in 2002 but entered only three competitions (Combined, Giant Slalom and Slalom) and stunned the field by making a fabulous recovery in the combined event, one of the greatest, to claim a silver medal.

After the Olympics', Bode began to look for the World Cup crystal globe but first concentrated on the upcoming major event, claiming two golds and a silver medal in the 2003 World Championship in St. Moritz. The American sealed the win in the Giant Slalom and Combined, and finishing second in the Super G. He ended the season as runner-up behind Austria's Stefan Eberharter.

Miller restarted the 2003-2004 circuit in great fashion by winning six World Cup races and was the leader for much of the season. He finished fourth but he snatched the Giant Slalom globe, the first for an American skier in any category since Phil Mahre in 1983. Miller launched the attack to the World Cup overall title a few months later.

He won six of his first 10 events, and seven in total, securing an unassailable lead on December. He was crowned Champion in the Super-G, and silver in the Giant Slalom and Downhill and claimed the first crystal globe after the penultimate race, concluding second ahead of his rival Benjamin Raich of Austria and becoming the first American in 22 years (Phil Mahre was the WC King in 1983) to clinch the overall World Cup.

In the Worlds' at Bormio he starred with two won gold in the Super G and Downhill, the only American ever to win the Downhill at the Worlds and the first man to achieve the speed double since Hermann Maier in 2001. Miller was ready to leave his mark in the years to come, but he failed to win a medal in any competition at the Winter Olympic Games staged at Turin in 2006, a big disappointment for him and the U.S. Alpine Ski team.

On that occasion Miller was accused of living the high life before the races, but his reaction was immediate. He kicked off the 2006-2007 season with good results and triumphed in the downhill on the 'Birds of Prey' slope at Beaver Creek, plus a couple of wins at Hinterstoder.

He stunned the crowd in Wengen, crashing and sliding across the finish line to claim a spectacular win in the prestigious Lauberhorn downhill. Unfortunately he was written off for the overall title but at the end of the season he still captured the Super-G title. Miller shocked the Alpine Ski World in May 2007 when he split with the US Ski Team to build a team of his own called 'Team America'

He was on track again in the 2007/08 season, posting six wins, the first just before the end of the year in Bormio, followed by first place in Kvitfjell, Kitzbuhel, Chamonix, Wengen and Val d'Isere. He equalled Phil Mahre for the most World Cup victories by a U.S. skier when he went back-to-back in Wengen.

Secondly, he surpassed Mahre when he won the World Cup combined on January 20 at Kitz, making him the most successful U.S. ski racer with 28 World Cup victories. Miller finished a remarkable season after his split with the U.S. Ski Team by taking his second overall World Cup crown.

The 2008/09 season, though, proved to be a real disappointment for the America, continually disallusioned with the role of the media and the race organisers and far from his most competetive edge. No victories in the entire season was a surprise for everybody with his best results coming in his preferred downhill but he had started the season with a bang after finishing second in Levi's slalom classic.

His refusal to talk to the press over the last few years has alienated him slighlty from the sport that he has dominated like few others. He skipped the final part of the 2009 season, to spend time with his daughter and recover from a foot injury that had been bothering him all winter, and left the door open for a possible retirement from competetive skiing.

The Cowboy was the fifth man, after Pirmin Zurbriggen, Marc Girardelli, Guenther Mader and Kjetil-Andre Aamodt, to post wins in all five events. He had also wins in all four disciplines, downhill, Super-G, giant slalom, slalom, in the shortest time span, 16 days! Hated by coaches, adored by fans. This is Bode Miller, the best show on the snow.