"When I look back, I mostly think about how long my road has been. Life is a journey, and mine just happened on mountains, on skis, between panels and gates." — Sarah Schleper
Some Olympic stories are about a breakthrough.
This one is about choosing to stay.
Sarah Schleper is preparing for her seventh Olympic Games.
She is the only female alpine ski racer in history to reach this milestone.
Her Olympic journey spans decades, disciplines, and eras of the sport. She has seen ski racing evolve, systems grow stronger, and the bar rise year after year.
And she is still here.
Her son, Lasse Gaxiola, was born while Sarah was still competing at the highest level. Ski racing has always been part of their world. Not as an idea, but as a daily reality. The passion for the sport moved naturally from one generation to the next.
Today, they arrive at the same Olympic Games as athletes who earned their place independently, setting another record as the first mother and son ever to compete together in the same Olympic edition.
Staying in the game
After everything she has already accomplished, Sarah’s motivation is simple and deeply personal.
After all my results and everything I already did in the sport as an American racer, I keep coming back for the love of the sport. I love to be athletic. I love to be outside. Skiing has been a passion for me my whole life.
Staying in the start gate is not about proving something again. It is about remaining connected to the work.
It also helps me relate to the athletes I coach. Putting yourself in the starting gate is something many coaches have not done in a long time, and some have not done at all. Staying in the game gives me a real perspective they respect and feel.
For Sarah, competing is inseparable from coaching. If you ski, you stay current. If you do not, you slowly lose touch with what the sport actually demands.
Her longtime coach and mentor, Erich Sailer, encouraged her to keep going as long as she could.
My coach Erich Sailer told me to keep going and to keep running the course as long as I was able. I wanted to stay current, so he kept hiring me at his camps. Those camps gave me a way to continue in the sport, to make a living, and to do work I knew had value.
This continuity made it possible to keep racing, keep coaching, and keep being present as a mother.
I also thought it would be really interesting to race for a small team where you were able to compete in any race you wanted. I didn’t necessarily need to be the best one to compete at the best races. I could continue being a mother and still pursuing the sport I loved.
The long road, again
At the end of 2011 in Lienz, Sarah skied what was meant to be her retirement run. She carried Lasse from mid-run to the finish area. It felt like a closing chapter. A symbolic passing of the torch.
Instead, it became something else.
A pause. Not an ending.
A reminder that the relationship with skiing was not finished.
Independence as commitment
Sarah knows what it means to prepare with every possible advantage. She has raced with the best technicians and full support structures in the world.
Her Olympic preparation today looks very different.
She tunes her own skis. She manages her own setup. Every adjustment, every decision, every mistake belongs to her.
Having a tech do your skis is incredibly valuable. It takes away a huge part of the workload so an athlete can focus on training and racing. I might be the only athlete at this level doing her own skis. Maybe there are a few others, but not many.
This is not a romantic choice. It is a realistic one.
We do not have the funding for a full-time technician. We can barely afford the tools, the wax, and everything it takes just to maintain our equipment. It is an expensive part of the sport.
But it has changed her relationship with the equipment and with responsibility.
I honestly enjoy doing my skis. I understand my equipment on a much deeper level now. I trust my tuning. I trust the feeling under my feet. If something is too sharp, I fix it. If something is off, I know why. There are no more excuses.
She owns every part of it.
I cannot blame a tech or blame the equipment. I am responsible for every part of it.
Between coaching, training, and tuning both her skis and Lasse’s, the workload is heavy.
Some days it feels like a grind to get down there and start. But over time I learned to enjoy that process. It taught me patience, detail, and respect for the craft.
Doing her own skis has made her more complete. As an athlete. As a coach.
Growing up inside the work
For Lasse, the Olympic dream was never abstract.
It was built through repetition. Through watching preparation, sacrifice, and consistency up close. Through understanding early that talent is only a small part of what it takes to reach this level.
At some point, the dream stopped being something he observed and became something he owned.
From watching my mom I’ve learned that being determined will get you anywhere, and that loving what you do is so important.
Being outside. Being present. Loving the process.
If you love it fully, time doesn’t pass. There are no bad days. Being in nature is a privilege.
Now, mother and son stand on the same Olympic stage. Not as a symbolic gesture, but as two athletes carrying their own expectations, pressure, and responsibility.
Looking back without nostalgia
As athletes around the world share photos of themselves as kids dreaming of the Olympics, Sarah occupies a rare position. She has already lived that dream six times.
And still chose to pursue it again.
When I look back, I mostly think about how long my road has been. Life is a journey, and mine just happened on mountains, on skis, between panels and gates.
Time has changed her perspective.
As an athlete, it was often just get the runs done, check the box, move on. Now, as a coach and a mom, I slow down more. I realize that being outside and skiing is actually the best part of the day.
The path was never clean.
My own path had injuries, doubts, and a lot of people questioning why I am still here. Coming back as a mom in this sport is not a normal route.
But she stayed.
I am proud that I am still here. I am glad I refused to quit.
Supported by the Mexican team and driven by purpose rather than expectation, Sarah continues not just to compete, but to lead by example.
Most of all, I hope I can inspire the kids around me, not only to be champions in skiing, but to be champions in life.
One dream.
Two generations.
Still in the fight.
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