At the time of writing, St. Olaf Women’s Alpine Skiing is in the midst of competing at the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) National Championships. The championships are being held in Lake Placid, N.Y., a familiar place for the skiers on the team who competed there in the 2023-24 National Championships.
The St. Olaf Women’s Alpine Skiing team has had a strong season leading up to the USCSA National Championships. Competing in both USCSA and International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS)-sponsored events, the Oles have placed well both individually and as a team. The St. Olaf Women’s Alpine Skiing team finished second out of 13 teams at their USCSA Regionals meet on Feb. 14 and 15 in Marquette, Mich. Jessica Stanton ’26 finished third in women’s slalom while Eloise Backer ’29 and Winter Johnson ’26 also secured top-10 finishes. Stanton, Backer, and Johnson all had top-20 finishes in the women’s giant slalom.
The St. Olaf Women’s Alpine Skiing team was scheduled to compete in the FIS Mid-Am Series meet at Snowriver Mountain Resort from Feb. 27 to March 1. However, it was cancelled, leaving nearly a month in between the National Championships and the last meet the Oles competed in. For some skiers, having the unanticipated break was useful.
“[Not competing] at least gives you time to relax and take a breath,” Johnson said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “I feel like race days are not the time to work on things. So I feel like it actually allows you to focus and narrow down on things that you need to improve upon, rather than doing it in a high-stress environment.”
For Stanton, having extra time to practice without worrying about competition has allowed her to be more specific about what she works on in preparation for nationals.
“Now, it’s like, how can I make the most out of this run?” Stanton said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “What is going to be most beneficial for my mental state [and] for my body in this training block?”
Johnson and Stanton, both seniors, entered the 2026 USCSA National Championships having made multiple trips to nationals in previous years. So has Eleanor Robb ’27, albeit in different circumstances.
A native of Woodbury, Minn., Robb skied for her first two years of college at the University of Maine-Farmington, but an unstable team environment led her to leave the team after her sophomore year. Returning to Minnesota to ski at St. Olaf has been a breath of fresh air for Robb, who has enjoyed skiing with her new teammates, despite suffering a broken foot and missing most of the 2025-26 season.
“It’s been [a] wonderful [transition],” Robb said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “I’ve had really good experiences with the team. I’ve made connections with a ton of the [athletes] on both the women’s and the men’s side.”
Approaching her third USCSA National Championship appearance, Robb isn’t placing specific expectations on herself. Instead, she’s focusing on enjoying the experience both individually and with her team.
“Nationals is a big ordeal,” Robb said. “It’s a lot of emotions, and I think that I’m coming into this race open-minded, just like, you know what? This is gonna be great, and I don’t have any expectations on really anything … which has been really freeing.”
As captains, Johnson and Stanton are using their experience to prepare their younger teammates for Championships. Their advice? Remain positive.
“I want our underclassmen to just have fun,” Stanton said. “Especially as a freshman, I always thought about, like, I have to prove myself, like I want to show them that I’m worthy as a freshman. It’s not about that. It’s about enjoying the sport and pushing [yourself] to the limit.”
“I’ve been telling them that you just have to enjoy whatever is going on,” Johnson said.
Additionally, Johnson encourages her teammates to focus on the team. While skiing is an individual sport — which at times can be isolating — racing for the team is crucial. Johnson, whose skiing environment growing up often made her view her teammates as competition, now sees them as friends.
“I think the biggest thing [for] building team camaraderie in a place that doesn’t necessarily have it is just trying to humanize each other,” Johnson said.
At the time of publication, both the St. Olaf Men’s and Women’s Alpine Skiing teams are midway through the week-long USCSA National Championships. The remaining days of racing can be found on USCSA’s official streaming platform.
