Thank you to Sue Haas McJames, Scott Mcjames, Kevin McJames, Bill McJames, Cody Marshall, Patrick Andrews, Heli Krug, POC, Leki, T2 Foundation, Swix wax, Lange, Lauren Loberg, Margie Lapanja, Ryan Cornish, Wizbang hats, Podium Ski Service, Park City Ski Team, Rowmark, Snowbird Ski Education Foundation and all my friends, individual donors and sponsors who made an exciting season possible by believing in me and my skiing. As the North American Cup Overall winner  for the season, I have my own world cup spot in every event next season and that makes the 2014 Sochi olympics a real possibility!  So, now what?!  ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!…..details on my plans to follow as I am able to put them together

Noram Overall Podium: (left to right) Jackie Wiles, Me, Abby Ghent
So excited!

Sharing the National Championship GS podium with some amazing skiers: (left to right) Mikeala Shiffrin, Julia Mancuso and Me

Thanks to Mom and Dad for coming to Squaw Valley to give me their support!
A little apres ski on the beach of Lake Tahoe!

Ski Racing: McJames proves point winning overall NorAm title

Also, I am sending healing vibes to all the tough ladies dealing with injury and health issues after this ski season!  I can’t wait to be ripping with you ladies again soon!

This mid-season Europe trip was different than any I have taken before; we raced a lot and it felt like we were constantly loading and unloading the van.

Building confidence, working hard, finding my love of ski racing, tears, pain, fast runs, slaying mental demons and over coming challenges!

On the road again…..
somewhere in Sudtirol.

Beautiful morning training in Reiteralm!

FIS SL in Gaal
Photo Credit Robert Roschmann

FIS GS in Gaal
Photo credit Robert Roschmann

Tough europa cup field!
-Shruns

Podium

World Cup fans! -Maribor

Now for a few off days of eating American food and then off to race in Vail!

Ski racing, as with life, is a mix of good and bad days.  In this past month I have had some good results in super g and slalom but have had to put some extra time in figuring out my giant slalom.  Sometimes it is best to just take a step back, start from the beginning and, of course, take sometime to celebrate my favorite time of year with friends and family.  A little powder skiing never hurts anything either

Winning always feels good and was a needed confidence boost!                                                                      -Super g, Copper Mountain Noram                                                                                             Check out Katie Hartman in 3rd, Go ISR!

“A little town called Aspen”

Independent Ski Racing’s first annual Thanksgiving!

Family powder day!

Merry Christmas!

Getting creative….

I love cheese fondue!

A special thank you to Cody Marshall, Snowbird Sports Education Foundation and Podium Ski Service for getting me dialed in before I head back over to Europe for January!  Wishing everyone a healthy and happy holidays!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Chelsea Marshall is back! First super g race of the season, hanging out with our biggest fan!

Uller the snow god!

Hanging with great friends (Hailey Duke and Chelsea Marshall)!

Anyone who has ever partied with ski racer chicks would never call them ladies. A woman who can squat 400 pounds and shin gates at 50 miles an hour is not a lady, she’s a Motherfu**** Amazon Warrior. -PowderMag

As we head to Aspen this weekend for my second world cup of the season, I am thankful for this opportunity to follow my ski racing dreams.  Thank you friends, family and supporters AND Happy Thanksgiving!

Independent Ski Racing spent the month in europe training hard for the quickly approaching ski season!

We were on the search for snow when we arrived and I was excited to end up in a place I had never skied, Stelvio, ITA.

The road to get up to the Stelvio glacier was crazy!

But the mountains were breath-taking!

It is usual to have varied conditions during fall training and we did some training and some playing!

The beautiful girls of ISR!
(Hailey, me, Katie)

We then moved to the Stubai glacier to prepare for my upcoming World Cup by training on the steeps!

Giant Slalom Training, Stubai
(Hailey, me, Katie)

And then the season began with the World Cup Opener in Solden, AUT!  Anyone who has seen the results knows that mistakes were made and that it was not my best result but, regardless, the season with my new team has begun and I am very excited!  I am home for a week to regroup and rest up before we head out to Colorado for more training and racing.  The goal for the next month is to bring my skiing from training in to my races!

I was very thankful to have my mom in Europe with me to cheer me on during the race!

She had never experienced the World Cup race scene in Europe and we went up to watch the boys race on Sunday.  I was taking notes on Ted’s impressive skiing, CONGRATS on the big win!

Mom cheerleading at the men’s race.

If you haven’t checked out Independent Ski Racing’s article in SKIING magazine please do: http://www.skinet.com/skiing/articles/independent-ski-racing

Marcus Caston Photography

Good luck to Hailey Duke in Levi!!!

Time flies when you are chasing your dreams and this summer was full of fundraising, mountain adventures and baking!

Independent Ski Racing LLC. is organized and all members are gearing up for the winter season!!!  We have four athletes (Hailey Duke, Katie Hartman, Lena Andrews and myself), two ex-Swedish national team coaches (Helmut Krug and Jonas Lind) and a technicion/team manager (Pat Andrews).

Our first training camp together as a team, Mt. Hood, OR.

Great conditions to get a lot of repetition on the new GS and SL boards!

Outdoor hike and ice bath, Mirror Lake, OR
(left to right: me, Hailey, Lena and Katie)

After earning a giant slalom world cup spot for the upcoming season and feel that I owe it to myself to take advantage!  For me, Independent Ski Racing LLC. is about making fast turns, pure and simple.  I have worked my whole life for an opportunity on the world cup and to give myself the best chance for success against international competition next season I have been fundraising, working out, meeting with a sports psychologist from Pyramid Performance consulting and traveling to Mount Hood for on-snow training camps.  My ultimate goal is to compete at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.  To do this, I will need to re-earn a world cup spot for the 2014 season by scoring world cup points next season or winning another title on the North American Cup circuit.

Fundraising….  

I have been working really hard this summer to make the financial side of this this project possible and I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me and my teammates so far!  ”It’s a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together.”

Since Independent Ski Racing is a limited liability corporation we are fundraising under the Athlete Project and each athlete is shooting to raise $50,000 to cover the equipment and logistical expenses involved with traveling the World Cup Circuit this upcoming season!  All funds raised go directly to our travel, training and racing expenses.  If you haven’t already, please check out http://athlete-project.com/megan-mcjames/ to learn more, donate or share sponsorship opportunities! *Donations of $250 or more are tax-deductible!

Thank you to all of the Park City ladies who attended my two Salaam Clothing Trunk Shows and my mom and Margie for their help organizing these events.  We had a blast trying on cloths, drinking wine and eating appetizers!

Raffle winners at show #1!

Mom and I sporting our new shirts at show #2!

Thank you to Whizbang hats!

Representing ISR at the ABC4 walk-a-thon event to “Shake Obesity in Utah”!

Kids with dreams and ISR hats!
Speedy’s shop, Mt. Hood

Mountain Adventures…

Zion’s National Park
Checked the Angel’s Landing hike off my bucket list!

Thank you Beasley family for the day on Portland river!

Crest Ride, UT

Made it to the top of Mount Olympus, UT

Baking…

My other passion is baking so I worked at a high end bakery this summer and learned a lot!

Look what I can do:

Yum!

Wedding Cake anyone?

These were turned into 32lbs. of strawberry jam!

The next move will be to Europe for prepare for this season’s world cup opener in Solden, AUT on October 27th!

The bad a** ladies of ISR are ready to ski!

The Athlete Project

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 skibebe87@hotmail.com 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!