After being a member of the national team for the past six years I was cut this spring due to the team’s financial constrains, despite the fact that last year I earned my own world cup spot in giant slalom for the 2012-2013 season. To be able to take advantage of the spot I have earned as an independent athlete, I am fundraising to cover equipment expenses and the logistical expenses associated with preparing for and following the world cup circuit next season! Teammate Hailey Duke (who is in a similar position) and I are forming a “team” called the Athlete Project with a coach and technician.  The Athlete Project has a mission to support the athletes when and where it really counts!  We have the ability to build and customize the ideal training environment to reach the peak of our careers next season but we need your help to raise support!  We are looking for donors and/or sponsors that can be advertised on our uniforms, websites and helmets.  All funds raised will go directly into the athletes’ travel, training and racing expenses.  Follow our progress on this blog and see what it takes to prepare, travel and race on the Women’s Alpine World Cup circuit. Witness the passion, love for skiing and the true spirit of competition in these two athletes.

You can directly donate to me by clicking the donate button below or contact me at skib...@skib about sponsorship ideas!

Thank you!!!

I have to start this entry simply saying that this was a strange season! Without much of a prep period due to injury the season started slowly and with only one world cup start, I started to worry that the season might pass anti-climatically.  I am proud to say that despite the odds, I ended the season winning the Noram overall giant slalom title which guarantees my world cup spot in every giant slalom next season and, in my last giant slalom race of the season, I scored my best point result of the year, a 9!  For those readers who don’t understand the FIS point system, every racer starts out with 990 points and tries to lower them by skiing fast. The best racer in each event has zero points so, scores below ten are exciting and help an athlete in terms of world rank.

2011-2012 Overall Noram Giant Slalom Podium

All of the Noram award plates won by the awesome girls on the U.S. europa cup team!

Noram finals in Le Massif, Quebec

When I first realized I was going to be doing Norams all season, it felt like a step back but I didn’t realize the enthusiasm of the younger girls and that the europa cup coaches were providing an environment that encouraged development in contrast to the world cup team.  This season, if nothing else, I learned to appreciate all the relationships I have made through ski racing and I love all my skier friends, new and old!

Dinner prepared by the new young rippers on our team! YUM!

Saying bye to one of our veterans ;-( Sarah I will miss you, your career is an inspiration to mine!

Seasons change, the U.S. ski team goes through phases and personal careers go through intense waves of success and struggle!

As I get ready for spring, I am feeling ready for a break but positive and hopeful for next season!

“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” -Marilyn Monroe

“Find your bliss, and don’t be afraid to follow it.”

Celebrating my passion for skiing with friends and family on the closing day at Park City Mountain Resort!

I have to start this entry simply saying that this was a strange season! Without much of a prep period due to injury the season started slowly and with only one world cup start, I started to worry that the season might pass anti-climatically.  I am proud to say that despite the odds, I ended the season winning the Noram overall giant slalom title which guarantees my world cup spot in every giant slalom next season and, in my last giant slalom race of the season, I scored my best point result of the year, a 9!  For those readers who don’t understand the FIS point system, every racer starts out with 990 points and tries to lower them by skiing fast. The best racer in each event has zero points so, scores below ten are exciting and help an athlete in terms of world rank.

2011-2012 Overall Noram Giant Slalom Podium

All of the Noram award plates won by the awesome girls on the U.S. europa cup team!

Noram finals in Le Massif, Quebec

When I first realized I was going to be doing Norams all season, it felt like a step back but I didn’t realize the enthusiasm of the younger girls and that the europa cup coaches were providing an environment that encouraged development in contrast to the world cup team.  This season, if nothing else, I learned to appreciate all the relationships I have made through ski racing and I love all my skier friends, new and old!

Dinner prepared by the new young rippers on our team! YUM!

Saying bye to one of our veterans ;-( Sarah I will miss you, your career is an inspiration to mine!

Seasons change, the U.S. ski team goes through phases and personal careers go through intense waves of success and struggle!

As I get ready for spring, I am feeling ready for a break but positive and hopeful for next season!

“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” -Marilyn Monroe

“Find your bliss, and don’t be afraid to follow it.”

Celebrating my passion for skiing with friends and family on the closing day at Park City Mountain Resort!

After Aspen, I wanted to keep practicing racing so I went to Jackson Hole with the Europa cup girls and had a blast!

I knew I had hit Wyoming when they were herding cattle down the middle of the road!

I want to thank everyone who keeps believing in me and going out of their way to help me with my skiing and on my journey.  The past couple of weeks and months these people have been all of the Park City Ski Team staff, Jeff Pickering, Trevor Wagner and Prado with the Europa Cup team, my parents, my boyfriend Cody and my team mate Hailey Duke!

So in an effort towards the Noram overall I did two super G’s and two downhills in Aspen.  Below are some photos I found online of my efftort-take note of the wide eyes! 

Because these were my first speed races in a long time, the speed felt really intense at first but got more managable as the week progressed.  I was working on evening out my pressure and I think that, if anything, this focus will benefit my giant slalom and I am glad I did it!

To nurse my fears, I made sure to visit the bakeries of Aspen in the afternoons.

This is a picture of Aspen from town. The downhill is the run that comes into view in the upper right corner and drops all of the way down to the base and takes about one minute and forty seconds to ski!

Technician extraordinaire and I at the start getting ready!

I took this picture of myself in an effort to show off my lululemon shirt from DataXtreme and thank them for all of their support!

Many professional athletes, from Tiger Woods to my inspirational teammate Julia Mancuso, have been able to turn periods of struggle in to motivational performances in their sport.  Athletic careers can be a roller coaster and I have found that the highs re-confirm my love for skiing while the lulls make me question my passion for racing.  I just completed my first world cup giant slalom of the season and am left wondering, “where did my speed go?”  I have been doing everything right; I feel physically strong, work with a sports psychologist that I trust, train on-snow hard, watch video after and am staying positive through the minimal support of our team environment.

The coaches told me it looked like I was skiing conservatively down the icy slope in Kranska Gora, Slovenia and I am confused.  Although I watched video that confirms I was hooking the end of each of my turns and thus slowing me down at every gate, I wonder why skiing slowly takes so much work and when I am skiing my best it feels so effortless?

Sometimes I want to sleep in and skip the risk of failure but deep down I know that then I would also miss an opportunity to succeed!   The next step towards finding my speed and my confidence are the Noram cups in Vail, Colorado.  I hope that there are more good results in my skiing future but success can be defined differently depending on whom you ask.  Until then I am going to keep watching my Disney and Pixar films because they always have a happy endings and help me remember to BELIEVE!

Highlights from my January trip to Europe include rodeling and a fondue dinner!  Below are some nice pictures from my three week adventure over seas……….

The women's world cup tech team training slalom at our new European home base, Solden, AUT (left to right: Resi, Me, Sarah, Hailey, Lindsay our physical therapist and Mikaela)

Powder skiing! Solden, AUT

Hailey Duke showing us how it is done!

FIS giant slalom in Oberjoch, GER. More new snow!

Some of the festivities at our world cup race in Kranska Gora, SLO

Saying goodbye to our awesome physical therapist, Lindsey! ;-( Until next year lady!

Food, family, friends and skiing!

Sunshine at Park City Mountain Resort

My little brother and I out ripping!

Family ski day on Christmas morning!

My first gluten-free baking experience came out pretty good. Yummy pumpkin roll for Christmas dessert!

My biggest fan and I at the pre-Christmas night slalom in Steamboat. Thanks for joining me on my road trip mom!

Cody and I at the torchlight parade in Alta (my favorite place on earth) on New Year’s Eve!!

Now I am off to Europe for three weeks to continue the ski racing journey!

Although I did not feel like I had had enough training since my injury to race the season opener in Solden, AUT, I have been at home enjoying the last bits of fall and getting excited to go to Colorado and train this November.  Meanwhile, I joined the speed team girls for a ten day dryland camp in Park City that included pre-season physical testing as well as a lot of fun games and activities!

The greatest group of ski racer girls that I know getting ready to ride the mid-mountain trail at our pre-season dryland camp!

The best/scariest pumpkin I have ever carved! Couldn’t have done it without my carving partner Cody Marshall!

Me, feeling ready, refreshed and excited to start another winter of ski racing! YAY!

Also, our album Out of Bounds is open for download from October 15-December 15th and all the proceeds go to help fund the women of the national team!  If you haven’t done so yet go to www.hopealivemedia.com/alpinesupport, support a good cause and download some new music!

Hello everybody!

The bands Axis Armada, Rubblebucket, Giant Panda Guerulla Dub Squad, Bryon Friedman, The Prickers, Ghosts of Jupiter have paired with Hope Alive Media  and the girls of the U.S. Ski Team (Hailey Duke, Kiley Staples, Megan McJames, Brooke Wells and Julia Ford) to try and help raise the $20,000 each athlete has to pay to be a member of the national team.  Download the album for $10, get good music and help support the dreams of these athletes.

Check it out at: http://hopealivemedia.com/alpinesupport

You can also donate to the cause here on my website anytime!

Thank you to everyone for your time and support!

Also, I thought I’d post some pictures of what I have been up to lately because a fan asked me too and it made me feel like someone is visiting this blog and that people care!

The view of the sunset from our hotel room in Chile! Photo credit: Hailey Duke

Photo by Hailey Duke

Being silly with teammate Resi Steigler, and again, photo by Hailey Duke

After Chile, I flew home and since then I have been enjoying fall!!!!

Living room rocks, Park City. Check out all the fall colors!

Dog Lake!

Thank you Cody for the yummy birthday cake! I am 24 years old!

Putting all my new POC mountain biking gear to use, thank you POC!

Leaf peeping in Vermont with Cody Marshall!