On a frigid December day, the mountains of Tahoe stand stoic, craggy peaks coated with a blinding layer of pristine snow. But a closer look reveals a bustle of activity– young skiers and their families lifting to the top, racing down at top speed, hugging friends and shuffling around to stay warm. Among them, a small group of athletes take on an extra risk, vaulting off of rocks, stumps, and other obstacles in the snow. This is all happening on a normal afternoon.
Sophomore Jill Coleman learned to ski practically before she could walk.
“My parents were very good skiers when they were younger,” Jill said. “So they started to teach me when I was two.”
Jill’s mother, Tina, said that skiing was a big part of her life while growing up in Pennsylvania.
“[My husband] and I met through skiing, and we’ve always been really passionate about it,” Tina said. “So as soon as the kids could stand up on skis, we were pushing them down the mountain.”
Jill said she joined her ski team when she was seven, after her family bought a house in the Sierra Nevadas.
“During the winter, I go up every Saturday and ski from nine to three,” Jill said.
Jill’s friend, sophomore Zozo Tahawi, said that Jill’s schedule is always jam-packed.
“She does soccer as well, but she has to miss a lot of games,” Tahawi said. “Every weekend, she goes up and skis for her team, doing her homework in the car. I don’t know how she does it, honestly.”
The teams are divided up based on the kind of skiing that the athletes specialize in and prefer, Jill said. Her specialty is Big Mountain skiing, commonly known as freeride skiing.
“Freeride skiing is specifically off-course, in a part of a mountain that hasn’t been cleared of obstacles,” Jill said.
Normally, downhill skiers try to avoid stumps, rocks and other natural hurdles that occasionally appear on the course, Jill said. Big Mountain skiers, however, use these to their advantage, pulling off jumps that some would not even dare to attempt.
As exhilarating as it is, freeride skiing can be risky business, and accidents can leave even the most experienced athletes in peril, Jill said.
“I get really scared sometimes before runs,” Jill said. “Despite the risks, it’s just the most fun for me.”
Tina said that as proud of her daughter as she is, she cannot help but fear for her safety when she speeds down the mountain.
“I’m always happy when she walks through the door at the end of the day,” she said.
Jill has been in a number of hazardous situations while competing, a few of which ended in serious injuries.
“One time, she ran over a frozen waterfall and fell,” Tina said. “I was on a lift at the time, and it was terrifying to watch it happen and not be able to help”.
Despite the dangers, Jill loves Big Mountain skiing.
“The best part is when you’re coming up on that big rock or jump and you just feel yourself land it,” she said. “There’s nothing like it.”