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Bardonecchia, Italy — Travis Mayer's skiing career has been predicated on his ability to make adjustments.

Nine days after his seventh-place finish in the men's mogul event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy, Mayer is beginning to contemplate some of the biggest adjustments he will make in his life. He knew coming into the Olympic Games that these would be the final runs of his skiing career, and now the time has come for him to plot a future outside of World Cup skiing.

"My favorite part of skiing has been the opportunity to do the sport I fell in love with as a kid and to compete at this high level," Mayer said Friday in Italy. "There are a lot of people who never get the opportunity to do that, and I'm grateful."

Throughout his career, Mayer has changed his skiing to stay on the cutting edge of the sport. When his career began, he was one of the best technical skiers. When the sport shifted its emphasis to speed, he became one of the fastest. Most recently, big tricks have won the major events, and once again, Mayer is among the elite.

The Steamboat Springs skier burst onto the scene in 2002, when it seemed like he came out of nowhere to win a silver medal in Salt Lake City.

But his rise to the top began when he was a member of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. He got his big break when he was selected as a discretionary pick for World Cup action at the beginning of the 2002 season.

He made the most of that opportunity, finishing in the top 10 of a World Cup event in Tignes, France. He backed up that performance by placing second at the Sprint U.S. Nationals in Steamboat Springs. With his ticket to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games already in the bag, he continued his run by winning the Gold Cup (the Olympic qualifier in 2002) in Park City, Utah.

The highlight of his career came a few weeks later, when he won silver in front of a largely American crowd.

Since that day, Mayer has continued to change with the sport and has remained among the elite members of the U.S. Ski Team. He prefers to remain in the background, and he lets teammates such as Jeremy Bloom, Toby Dawson and Travis Cabral grab the attention.

The adjustments Mayer has made in his skiing helped him post several top World Cup finishes this season, but he was not rewarded the way he had hoped at the Olympics.

"I'm proud of the my performance here," Mayer said. "You can only control a certain percentage of the outcome, and I took care of my part."

Mayer said pulling off an upright 720 is something he only could have dreamed about as child in upstate New York, and it is something he will remember for the rest of his life.

"I think that was the best run I've had since I added that jump," Mayer said about his final Olympic run. "I felt like it was pretty strong."

Although the maneuver isn't as flashy as some of the new-school tricks, it is considered one of the most difficult in the sport because the skier must maintain perfect position throughout the jump. Mayer said it's easier to throw off-axis tricks because judges don't notice the skier's body position as much.

"The sport changed so rapidly when I was in it, and luckily I was able to reinvent myself to keep up with it," Mayer said.

With competitive skiing fading in his rearview mirror, Mayer's plans include returning to Cornell this fall to complete his final year of college. He also hopes to work with Winter Sports Club skiers who have shown great potential but need a little help to get to the next level.

He also will attend at least one more meeting as the athlete representative to the International Skiing Federation. Mayer anticipates that the meeting, which will be held in Portugal, will not be fun. Mayer said it is key to shaping the future of the sport, and he feels a duty to attend.

"I appreciate the opportunities that this sport has afforded me," Mayer said. "I think I have some responsibility to give something back where I can."

-- To reach John F. Russell, call 871-4209

or e-mail jrussell@steamboatpilot.com