BRETTON WOODS, N.H. (AP) – World Cup champion Bode Miller returned home to a hero’s welcome Friday, but remained unsure he wants the adulation that would come with an Olympic gold medal.

Last month, Miller, who grew up skiing in nearby Franconia, became the first American in 22 years to clinch the World Cup Alpine title. At the time he said he wasn’t sure he would compete in next year’s Olympics because a gold medal would rob him of any privacy he has left.

He already is bombarded by media and fans in Europe, where skiers are national heroes. It got so bad he couldn’t go out to dinner without being constantly interrupted by people who wanted to shake his hand or get an autograph, he said.

“I’ve seen it happen with other athletes,” Miller told The Associated Press, using Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong as an example. “If it gets that way, I’d be bummed out. Everybody needs private time.”

He said if he didn’t go to the Olympics, “it’s not the end all.”

Miller made the comments at a celebration in his honor at the Bretton Woods Ski Resort. Gov. John Lynch, who had proclaimed Friday “Bode Miller Day” in New Hampshire, said it was his pleasure to present “the best skier in the world,” which brought a rousing cheer from the crowd of about 100 people.

Miller told the crowd he was “at the pinnacle of what I had hoped for,” and then he signed shirts, helmets, hats, even a ski pole, while posing for picture after picture.

Later, Miller said he still hasn’t decided whether he will return to the World Cup next season, and that he still is considering starting a “supplementary” ski circuit, an idea he also brought up in March.

Miller said he has talked to business people who like the idea, and other World Cup skiers, who said they would consider it. He did not name names.