Shortly after Christmas, Tom Johnston, a soft-spoken Wyoming cowboy, will leave his sprawling ranch, saying goodbye to his wife, his cows and his quiet, solitary life. He’ll make the 20-hour trek to South Korea, where he’ll spent the next two months caring for a mountain, tending to its curves and its bumps.
Johnston is a snow guru and is tasked with readying the Alpine racecourse at the Pyeongchang Olympics, a simplistically complicated job that means Johnston is essential but far from the spotlight. He carries the nondescript title “chief of race for ski events” and has been prepping for the Winter Games for more than two years.