Meet your student-athlete: Vail Mountain’s Izzy Glackin keeping VMS traditions alive
Who needs gravity?
Yes, it is the Vail Mountain School. Yes, the school has a tradition of Ski Fridays, which are now Ski Wednesdays, thanks to COVID. And the campus lies just a few miles from Golden Peak.
But Vail Mountain School Nordic’s Izzy Glackin continues the school’s great sporting tradition of eschewing its name when it comes to skiing.
No gravity. No problem.
Hills, as in going up them, are fun.
To learn more about Glackin, read on.
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Birthday: April 26, 2005.
Parents: Sean and Corey Glackin.
What’s fun about Nordic?: “Two things. The first thing is that the community is so supportive from within. When you’re racing, people are cheering you on. If you’re not racing, you’re cheering others on.
“The second thing I find is fun is going uphill. It’s hard obviously., but it’s so rewarding at the end. I feel like I’ve done really well.”
How do you keep going when you’re not having a good day? “So we usually pre-ski the course, and I get a good visual in my head. I usually encourage myself at the bottom of the hill. I visualize myself at the top of the hill when I need to be and then split the course up into sections. It makes it more manageable.”
Classic or skate? Classic.
Since skate is usually the answer, why classic? “This summer I got really strong in pulling. I’ve been club skiing too with U18s like Haley Brewster, so I’ve just been getting stronger. It’s also easier to ski and talk to people with classic.”
What does it feel like on a good day? “It feels amazing. I feel like I’m so fast. I’m confident and I’m almost not out of breath. I’m also passing people which is a boost of confidence.”
Proudest moment in Nordic? “Last year, I was able to make nationals and the summer before I broke my tibia and had surgery. It was a big recovery. I was happy to be able to get out and race.”
Most embarrassing moment: “Racing, I don’t fall much, but in practice, I’ll come down a hill, catch some snow and totally fall over.”
Rough idea of college plans: “Right now I’m only a sophomore. I’m planning on skiing at college. I don’t know where yet. Eventually I’d like to make it on the World Cup, the Olympics and all of that.”
Favorite subjects in school: English and biology.
Favorite social media: Snapchat.
Favorite food: Sushi — “Any kind not too spicy.”
Favorite drink: “Lemonade in the summer; hot chocolate in the winter.”
Favorite pizza slice: Cheese and black olives.
Favorite sports to watch: Nordic skiing and the Olympics.
Favorite Nordic skier: Jessie Diggins.
Favorite Alpine skier: Mikaela Shiffrin.
Favorite musicians: Taylor Swift, BTS.
It’s a powder day, where do you go? “I would probably go up to Tennessee Pass and go adventure skiing. It’s basically you go off the designated groomed trails and ski through the powder.”
If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?: Aspen.
COVID is over. You can travel anywhere in the world. Where do you go? “The Philippines or Japan.”
You’re ruler of the world for one day. What do you do? “I would try to get across how big a deal global warming is. What’s happening with the snow is such a big part of my life.”
