Ski and Snowboard Club Vail and University of Colorado alumni retires after U.S. Alpine National championships in Vail

Jacob Dilling is calling it a career.

The Ski and Snowboard Club Vail and University of Colorado alumni finished 25th in the slalom at the U.S. Alpine National Championships on Tuesday in Vail — a hill where he made more than 350 FIS-level starts.

“Pretty relieved,” the 26-year-old answered when asked how he felt. “Just like, a weight — I don’t know where the weight was coming from — but a weight off my shoulders. Like, now I can explore the future. I’m a baby again. I’ve lived and breathed skiing for the past 26 years.”

Dilling joined Ski and Snowboard Club Vail in 2008 and attended Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy, where he earned awards as most committed and most improved young athlete. He competed at two FIS Junior World Ski Championships (2019, 2020) and was also nominated for the Willy Schaeffler Award at the U19 national championships. Dilling performed well in his home state throughout his career, placing fourth and seventh in the giant slalom at the 2020 U.S. Alpine National Championships at Copper Mountain.

During his freshman year at CU, Dilling finished in the top-10 in 11 of 14 races, with three top-5s and a podium. Dilling claimed second-team All-American honors with a seventh-place result at the 2022 NCAA championships. He began his sophomore season with five top-four finishes, including his first-career NCAA win plus a pair of runner-up finishes. On Dec. 12, 2022, he won the giant slalom at the Beaver Creek NorAm.

Support Local Journalism

Donate

“Unbelievable,” he said of that race, which he listed as a career highlight. “Super nice to do it at home with people watching.”

Unfortunately, Dilling battled back issues throughout the back half of the year. At NCAAs, a first-run mistake put him in 22nd in the GS — he ultimately would climb to 13th. He took 15th two days later. All told, Dilling was a four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time All-RMISA skier, a finalist for the CU Freshman of the Year and winner of the Ceal Barry Leadership Award and Dick Schoenberger Award. He finished 39 of his 45 collegiate races, finishing in the top 20 in all but four and claiming seven podiums.

During his senior season, Dilling claimed a win in the GS at the University of Alaska Anchorage Invitational — on the one-year anniversary of his father’s death.

“(I) was most proud of that,” he said. “Just flooded with crazy emotions. That showed me a lot about the sport.”

Another huge highlight was participating in the 2023 University Games in Lake Placid.

“That was like, the most fun races I’ve ever been a part of,” said Dilling, who snagged a bronze in the slalom. “Awesome medal, too. Feels like an Olympic medal.”

When asked if there were some defining moments in his career, Dilling recalled getting chewed out by a coach for racing too tentatively prior to one of his first big results at a major event.

“He made me cry because I skied so bad,” Dilling said with a laugh. “He’s one of my best friends, still, this coach, but it really lit a fire underneath me. That’s the cool thing about coaching. Every single person reacts to things differently and he found that that worked for me and it really made me excel.”

Dilling’s best NorAm standings finish came in 2025, when he finished 10th in the overall and fifth in the slalom discipline standings. Originally, he planned to compete for two years after graduation, but after this past season, he could tell he’d given the sport everything.

“Didn’t get the results I was looking for, but I was OK,” he said. “I left it all out there, I felt like.”

When asked about the most valuable thing he received from the sport, Dilling quickly answered: “Friends.”

“You have to get along with them because you’re traveling with them,” he said. “The community around it is super supportive. There’s so many people who helped me out this year, helped pay for my season. … I have a place to stay anywhere in the world, pretty much, because of my ski career.”

As for what is next, Dilling said he isn’t sure.

“Maybe get into construction management. I don’t know. I could do anything,” he said. “I’m looking forward to starting something new at the bottom level, really, and working my way up. Just like skiing.”