Looking back, it is crazy to think that this is my 13th season racing at the FIS level. FIS racing started a year younger back then, and I was just a freshman in high school with no idea about the journey on which I was embarking. I came to GMVS as a junior in high school prior to my third year of FIS, but at the time it was a tough decision to commit to a full-year ski academy. At the time, I had been attending Waterville Valley Academy for three months per winter for three years and then returning home to play baseball in the spring and summer. I had very limited summer training and had spent just as much of my time focused on baseball, so I was very hesitant to give that up and focus fully on skiing. However, both sports require a lot of repetition and in order to take either sport to the next level, I decided that I needed to commit full-time. I chose skiing because I enjoyed the freedom, speed, and constant variation. While not knowing much about my school options, I knew that GMVS had a great group of skiers my age and a good academic program to support my chances for college.

I came to GMVS in the fall of 2010 at 17 years old and immediately did not know what I got myself into. I was out of my comfort zone with the two workouts per day, more intense academics than I expected, and my first trip outside of North America, but I knew that this was necessary for me to make a jump in my skiing. I trained alongside a fast group of skiers that season with coach Martin Guyer and I started to find more and more speed. Marty taught me mental skills and tactics that I had never before considered, and that led me to appreciate the process more and dig deeper into the sport. I ended the season with some solid races in GS and SG and upon returning to campus I was surprised to find out that I had qualified for the US Ski Team Development team. I didn’t even know what the criteria were or have this as a goal through the season, but at 17 years old I was very excited to take this next step in my ski career. I ended up playing four baseball games for Montpelier High School that spring but then had to leave for my first USST camp in Mt. Bachelor, thus completing the transition to full-time ski racer. In hindsight, I probably was not quite ready to make the jump to the demands of the USST at 17 and after only six months of skiing at GMVS. 

After my first stint with the USST, I returned to GMVS for a postgraduate year training with athletes Sandy Vietze, Thomas Woolson, Danny Duffy, and Drew Duffy, and coach Luc Robillard. We all pushed each other hard and enjoyed a really fun season, which resulted in fast skiing and a majority of us qualifying for the USST. That year on the C Team I represented the US at World Juniors and had some solid race results, though it was not enough to keep my spot on the team. Thankfully I had been accepted to Dartmouth during my time at GMVS, so I enrolled that spring and got started on a college ski racing career. This was not a super easy transition as I had recently focused on speed while skiing some GS and virtually no slalom.

It took some time to get the technical skiing going again, but by my sophomore year I was skiing some pretty fast slalom and after shoulder surgery, my GS got back on track as well. My third stint on the USST, the National University Team, also contributed heavily to my training outside of the college season. My senior season culminated with an NCAA Championship in GS and a NorAm Cup GS Title, including a World Cup start spot. These results led to invitee status with the USST World Cup GS Team for the 2018-2019 season, where I had some early success, scoring World Cup points twice and earning a spot on the World Championship team. I realized the need for changes in my skiing to become more consistent at skiing’s highest level. These changes proved more difficult and time-consuming than I expected, and I struggled between training and racing mode all season. I never regained my race line or speed, leading to disappointing results and season-ending knee and collarbone injuries in February. 

This season, I reached out to a familiar contact, GMVS alum, former GMVS coach, and current Head Coach of Global Racing, Paul Epstein. He is running a great program with fast GS skiers, so it has been a great opportunity for me. It has been a tough season for me returning from injury, trying to regain my world ranking, and fighting COVID and the accompanying race complications. I have returned to my mindset from my days at GMVS of focusing on good skiing, an efficient line, and a level-headed race approach, first taught to me by Marty and Luc, and now reinforced by Paul. I am also living with my GMVS teammates AJ Ginnis and Sandy Vietze in Austria, remembering the teamwork that started our ski racing paths. It is crazy how many of my GMVS friends keep appearing during my ski racing journey, and it really does feel like a family for life. My skiing is finally getting fast again and I am appreciating my journey and all of the support I have gotten thus far. My development has come full circle with GMVS ties, and I look forward to using that experience to push my skiing even further at the highest level.

Cortina, Italy, in the heart of the Dolomites, hosted the Alpine World Championships over a two week period, February 8-21, gathering 600 athletes from 71 Nations to compete in 13 events. Among those athletes competing for a spot on the podium were FIVE GMVS alumni, representing 5 different countries:

Charlie Raposo (‘14), British Alpine Team
Ali Nullmeyer (‘16), Canadian National Team
AJ Ginnis (11), Greek National Team
Ben Ritchie (‘19), U.S. Ski Team
Cristian Riis (‘20), Danish National Team

This year’s FIS calendar is packed with races, in mountain towns around the world, but World Championships stand out from the rest. “It’s the biggest single race of the season and an event that every athlete looks forward to qualifying for and competing in,” notes AJ Ginnis.

Prior to World Championships, Ali Nullmeyer returned to the Mad River Valley to train in the Kelly Brush Race Arena, experience the NEW high-speed T-bar, and prepare for her biggest races of the season. In between sessions she even carved out time to connect with current GMVS athletes to talk about her experiences racing, returning from injury, and staying calm, cool, and collected even when in the spotlight on the world stage.

In Ali’s words, “It was a great experience to be at World Champs again! It’s always a fun event and you never know what can happen. I didn’t ski up to my expectations, but I was excited to be on a new race hill and gain more experience amongst the best in the world. Leading in to World Champs I came back to Vermont to train at GMVS, which was nice to get some turns in closer to home before heading back over to Europe. Looking ahead, I am excited to get in some more training before our next race in Jasna (Slovakia) to finish the season strong.”

Ben Ritchie, a Waitsfield, VT native, had a challenging season leading into World Championships with a series of disqualifications and DNFs, but it was only a matter of time before he put together two strong runs. Just at the right moment, the week leading into World Championships, in Meiringen Hasliberg, Switzerland at the European Cup Slalom, Ben put those pieces together and landed on top of the podium with gold. Seizing the moment, Ben carried the momentum from Switzerland to Italy and landed a career best 13th place finish in the men’s slalom.

“It felt great to get the opportunity to race at the World Championships” says Ben. “My goal going in was to try to ski my best and let the results take care of themselves. I try to get in the mindset like it’s any other race, to eliminate the nerves.”

With the success of World Champs under his belt, Ben is looking ahead to World Juniors in Bansko, Bulgaria March 3-10. Ben notes, “I am feeling confident going into the rest of the season, with World Junior’s coming up at the beginning of March.” We’ll be cheering for you, Ben!

Joining Ben in the Men’s World Championship slalom race was AJ Ginnis, a Greek National who experienced early season success, earning the title as the first Greek skier to earn World Cup points with a career best finish in Flachau, Austria.

AJ shared these thoughts about his experience: “Representing my country at World Champs was an honor. Going into the event my expectation and goal was to showcase my best skiing ability. My team and I crafted a solid ‘prep plan’ leading into Worlds which included training at challenging venues such as Niederthai, Austria and Toblach, Italy with other national teams. It’s always good training with other top level athletes in order to push yourself–[and] it’s especially fun when those athletes are some of your best friends. I was very fortunate in that sense to get in some training days with fellow GMVS alum Ben Ritchie; it’s always a blast being on the hill with him.”

AJ continues, “Ben and I usually spend some quality time together on race day, from inspection to warm ups to the start gate. We discuss the course and the conditions after inspection and in the start we usually start back to back which is awesome because although skiing is an extremely individualistic sport it’s nice to have your buddy next to you.”

As the slalom season is coming to a close for the World Cup athletes, they’re reflecting on the season. AJ notes, “Although I might not have had the greatest results on black and white this season, with the exception of an 11th place finish at the Flachau WC, I am extremely proud of the skiing my team and I showcased. Showing speed and good skiing in all the World Cup races this year and a green light on a split at World Champs was all I could have asked for after making the decision last season to ski for Greece. My coach, Sandy Vietze and I (with no experience whatsoever) took a swing at competing against the best in the world on our own terms and I must say I’m extremely proud of where we stand today. We started training late in the off season and made a ton of mistakes along the way, but we also did a lot of things right.”

AJ and Sandy were close classmates, teammates, and friends at GMVS. Sandy grew up racing at Mad River Glen and then attended Green Mountain Valley School for the inaugural 7th grade program. After graduating from GMVS in 2011, he continued to pursue his passion, traveling the world with the U.S. Ski Team, then racing for The University of Vermont, and the Redneck Racing Team. This year Sandy and AJ navigated the challenging race season together, and developed a new coach-athlete relationship that lays a strong foundation for the future.

While the World Championships have come to a close, AJ and the others are looking ahead to the remainder of the year and beyond. “I’m very excited to finish off the World Cup season in March and I’m even more excited to get to work with Sandy this off season and improve on the base we built,” notes AJ.

Congratulations to all of the GMVS athletes who have earned themselves a place on the world stage. We’re proud of each and every one of you and we’ll continue to cheer you on. Go GUMBIES!

Green Mountain Valley School (GMVS), in Fayston, Vermont, announces the purchase of a residence and additional 6.4 acres adjacent to the campus, expanding the existing 14-acre campus by 45%. As part of an ongoing commitment to continually evolve and improve the academy’s infrastructure, the new property just west of campus includes a three-bedroom postcolonial structure that will become the residence for Head of School Tracy Keller, her husband, and two young children.

In addition to allowing the Head of School to become even more integrated into daily campus life, the property’s spacious backyard will be a quiet sanctuary for communal campus gatherings, while the unfinished indoor spaces offer opportunities for housing, new classrooms, or quiet meeting spaces.

“This expansion provides GMVS with solutions that address near term infrastructure needs, allowing us to reimagine how we utilize all campus spaces, as well as an opportunity to engage in strategic long-term planning for growth and success,” states Head of School, Tracy Keller.

Board Chair Jamie Preston adds, “The opportunity afforded by this acquisition is something we’ve set our sights on for a long time. Having the Head of School on campus is now a goal achieved, and while we’ll proceed in a measured approach on other uses of the property, the expansion cannot help but enhance the GMVS campus and experience.”

Since its humble beginnings in 1973 within the home of Al and Jane Hobart on Bragg Hill, to its current campus on Moulton Road that started out as just a farmhouse, the academy has now evolved to a world class, elite training facility with exceptional academic programming. In addition to producing numerous World Cup winners, Olympians and NCAA All-Americans, GMVS consistently places students in top colleges and universities around the country.

Al and Jane Hobart note, “We are thrilled at the news of a major addition to the GMVS campus. From the start of the school 48 years ago in our own home and a rented ski chalet, the campus has grown and changed according to the school’s needs, the availability of land, the imagination of our leaders, and the generosity of our donors. Acquiring the property will fulfill a long-held dream: a chance to have our Head of School on campus, which will give her the opportunity to connect with students in a new/meaningful way that supports their academic and athletic pursuits.”

Home to 135 students, 72 of whom live in dorms on campus, GMVS is a premier ski academy for Alpine and Nordic racers from around the world. Today’s campus consists of four dormitories, state-of-the-art academic facilities, a dining hall, theater, and student center, and the newly-built Racing Performance Center. “Today’s campus supports our student athletes, while this is an opportunity to dream for the future,” states Keller.

Skier. Athlete. Wife.

These were some of the identities members of the GMVS community shared during an event led by author, athlete and diversity trainer, Mirna Valerio. Valerio was the point person for a day of exploring how we match up the outer and inner versions of ourselves and how we present them in the world.

Valerio kicked off her time with GMVS sharing her unlikely rise from teacher to sponsored athlete. Her path to becoming an ultra runner started with a 2008 health scare. Her cardiologist told her in no uncertain terms that she had to take better care of herself or her life was at risk. Running had always been a passion of hers and that’s where she restarted her focus on getting healthy. She worked her way from 5ks to 50ks and started a blog “Fat Girl Running” to chart her progress. She reminded the GMVS crew that “You can do incredible things with your body” and not to take this for granted.

Thanks to her strong storytelling in both pictures and words, Valerio built a huge following on social media (check her out on instagram @themirnavator) and turned her passion project into a career. She now speaks about bringing diversity to outdoor sports and organizations. She has expanded her reach with high visibility contracts with brands like Leki, L.L.Bean, REI and most recently, Lululemon.

Originally from Brooklyn, Valerio now calls Montpelier, Vermont home. She’s well aware that as a plus-sized, Black Vermonter, she stands out when she’s hiking, biking and trail running. And she uses this to start conversations. Seeing a plus-sized Black athlete become the face of huge brands is a momentum shift and just might be the impetus for new young athletes to feel included and invited. She’s comfortable in her role as an ambassador for the outdoors and for outdoor athletes that have been ignored or underserved. “I appreciate life and the ability to move,” said Valerio, she’s one to see opportunity, not obstacles.

“We can choose to be stagnant, or we can live our lives to the fullest,” said Valerio. She led the Gumbies in conversations about identity and inclusiveness. As a mom and former teacher (she spent 18 years working in New England private schools), Valerio had ease talking with both young athletes and the professionals who coach them at GMVS. With characteristic charm, she quickly had the groups sharing how they defined themselves and diving into how identity shapes our world view.

Students reflected on what they learned from Valerio. “Don’t let negativity bring you down,” said one 10th grade student. Another chimed in, “Be aware of your privileges, don’t take them for granted.” A third shared that, “It’s really important to bring in outside voices to GMVS.” As it turns out, only by knowing and naming our identities and blind spots, can we be good friends, teachers, parents, and community members.

To learn more about Mirna, check out her website HERE

Born from ice, Bode Miller, is a New Hampshire native who grew up racing on the Eastern slopes, and eventually became one of the greatest ski racers in U.S. history. With 33 World Cup wins, two overall titles, four world championships, and six Olympic medals, he is known as the most decorated male in U.S. ski racing history.

On a cool fall day, a group of GMVS boys traveled through the Eastern hills and windy roads of Vermont and neighboring New Hampshire to visit the iconic Bode Barn, to experience training the Bode way. The barn is situated on family property and houses a home-made contraption that was designed to help Bode build strength and muscle mass through eccentric movements, ultimately translating to power and speed on on the hill and in the race course. Channeling their inner Bode, the GMVS boys worked through one of Bode’s workouts, lifting heavy, slowly, and with focus on speed in the race course this season.

In the words of Matteo Bassi, GMVS U19 Boys Coach, “To travel over there is like a field trip to an iconic slice of U.S. skiing history. This was the place where a lot of blood and tears were shed by arguably one of the greatest skiers ever.”