Ski and Snowboard Club Vail will have athletes from 5 different nations at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games

Twenty current or former Ski and Snowboard Club Vail athletes — representing five different nations — will compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games next month.

In addition to the Eagle County athletes representing the U.S., the club has current athletes Anabelle Zurbay, (Ireland), Henri Rivers IV (Jamaica), Lara Huml (Czech Republic) and the mother-son duo of Sarah Schleper and Lasse Gaxiola (Mexico) headed to Milano Cortina in February.

Schleper hinted at her ambition to make a seventh Olympics with her son while competing at the U.S. national championships in Vail last spring. The daughter of longtime Vail ski shop owner, Buzz Schleper, Sarah Schleper raced her first World Cup in Vail as a 16-year-old in 1995. Two years later, she competed in the first of her four Olympics for the U.S. in Nagano before representing Mexico in the last two. She was 37th in the GS and 35th in the super-G in Beijing. These days, Schleper stays in shape chasing around U10 and U12 athletes as an SSCV coach.

The last entry on the 46-year-old’s FIS profile is a 10th-place downhill finish at a South American Cup race in Corralco, Chile on Oct. 1, 2025. Gaxiola placed 47th in the men’s race that day and has continued to contest FIS events in North America through the early parts of the winter. He finished 12th in the giant slalom in Vail on Thursday.

“While he trains internationally, his upbringing was deeply embedded in ski culture from an early age, benefitting from structured development in FIS competition and international circuits,” SSCV alpine program director Brad Wall said of Gaxiola, whose father is coach Federico Gaxiola. “Lasse’s progression reflects both inherited passion and disciplined race preparation as he steps toward major championship fields.”

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Zurbay is coming off a recent string of top-5 FIS finishes, including a win in the GS in Aspen on Jan. 13. She also placed seventh and 12th in Vail on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

“Her technical precision and competitive mindset have helped her lower her FIS points and earn strong finishes in FIS races across U.S. venues, proving her readiness to step onto the biggest stages with confidence,” Wall said.

Huml made her World Cup debut at Copper Mountain this past November. The 17-year-old also competed at the U.S. national championships in Vail last spring, placing 11th in the slalom. Zurbay and Gaxiola have spent seven seasons at SSCV while Rivers IV is in his first campaign at the club. The 18-year-old National Brotherhood of Snowsports team athlete is a triplet; he and his two sisters are all striving to represent their mothers’ home country at an Olympics.

“His journey is as much about competitive excellence as it is breaking barriers for athletes of color in winter sport,” Wall said.

Strong U.S. team supported by SSCV athletes and alumni

Most fans are familiar with the SSCV alumni representing the U.S. on the Alpine side.

Lindsey Vonn enters her fifth Olympics as the World Cup downhill leader. The 41-year-old has claimed two wins this season, one in St. Moritz in December and the other in Zauchensee on Jan. 10. Wall said Vonn is “the prototype for resiliency in sport.”

“Her historic comeback only reinforces her legacy as a truly singular and legendary competitor,” he added.

Mikaela Shiffrin heads to her fourth Olympics as the all-time winningest skier in World Cup history. The Edwards skier could be paired with Vonn for the team combined event. Meanwhile, Moltzan moved to Vail from the Midwest and has developed into Shiffrin’s formidable tech event side kick. The 31 year-old has claimed four podiums this year, including three runner-up results. Shiffrin and Moltzan have finished first and second twice in World Cup slaloms since 2022.

“Her consistency and resolve have established her as a true podium contender on the world stage,” Wall said of Moltzan, who was second on Saturday in Spindleruv Mlyn.

River Radamus was born and raised in Edwards. The 27-year-old is one of the U.S. mens team’s best medal threats. He finished fourth in the GS at the Beijing Olympics four years ago.

Kyle Negomir is a Front Range native who moved to Eagle County to attend Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy and SSCV. He’s steadily built momentum on the international stage, rising to 25th and 26th in the downhill and super-G standings this year. He led the U.S. men on three straight days in Val Gardena in December, posting a career-best 11th in the Val Gardena downhill on Dec. 18.

“This season, his powerful skiing and perseverance have delivered his strongest World Cup results to date,” Wall said of Negomir, who will make his first Olympic start this February.

All four members of the women’s mogul team have ties to SSCV. Tess Johnson was born and raised in Vail and thrived at the club before becoming the youngest member of the U.S. Freestyle team at 14 in 2015. Liz Lemley trained under John Dowling at SSCV, winning multiple Youth Olympic Games gold medals and a junior world title. According to SSCV, Jaelin Kauf is an alumna whose parents started the mogul team in Vail in the 90s. Kauf later settled in Steamboat Springs, where she trained with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. The same can be said of Olivia Giaccio, who trained at SSCV in 2014-2015 before heading to Steamboat Springs to work with Bobby Aldighieri and Kate Blamey.

On the men’s side, Dylan Walczyk will return to his second Olympics after making the 2022 team as an independent athlete.

Ollie Martin leads a group of three current SSCV athletes into the park and pipe competitions in Italy. Still only 17, Martin became the youngest male to win a World Cup slopestyle event in Calgary last February. He followed that up with two bronze medals at the world championships. Martin will be joined by Hahna Norman and Lily Dhawornvej. A week ago, Dhawornvej nabbed her first World Cup podium at the 2026 Laax Open in Switzerland.

“I’m literally crying happy tears right now,” the 17-year-old told U.S. Ski and Snowboard after her runner-up finish. “It was a battle with the conditions today but I’m so happy to put one down.”

“Lily is one of the most exciting young faces in U.S. snowboarding, already standing out with strong World Cup and X-Games results,” added Chris Laske, SSCV freeski and snowboard program director. “A fearless rider with creative flair, she’s been knocking at the door of the top rankings since her breakout and continues to push progression with every run.”

Jake Pates, who earned two Youth Olympic gold medals as an SSCV athlete in 2016, returns for his second Olympics after also qualifying in 2018.

Finally, Faye Thelen qualified for her fifth Olympics in snowboard cross. Originally from Salt Lake City, Thelen, whose maiden name is Gulini, moved to Vail as a teen to train and attend Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy. The 33-year-old’s best Olympic finish is a fourth from the 2014 Games in Sochi.

“Her long career in snowboard cross, slopestyle, and halfpipe reflects not just athletic excellence but the resilience required to sustain elite performance over time,” Laske stated.

SSCV also has two potential paralympians in Meg Gustafson and Audrey Crowley. The official announcement for that team is scheduled for Feb. 17.