2009-10 U.S. Alpine Team bios

Erik Fisher, 24, Middleton, Idaho

Erik Fisher grew up skiing, starting at 3, and his competitive fire has taken him to success at every step of the development ladder. On the cusp of what looked to be a breakout season in 2008, Fisher blew his ACL before the first race of the year, but hit the slope back in '09 landing a spot on the world championships team and consistently posting World Cup points. His '05 junior world bronze in downhill was just a sign of what was to come. [READ MORE]

PHOTOS: Spotlight on Erik Fisher

Tim Jitloff, 24, Reno, Nev.

Four-event skier and 2005 junior world champion Tim Jitloff, like so many Lake Tahoe tykes, was on skis by 2 and free-skied through most of his youth. And like every other ski racer, he likes living on the edge, making his first world championships in ’07. His early free-skiing is paying off as he continues to show talent across the spectrum -- in slalom, giant slalom, super-G and downhill. [READ MORE]

PHOTOS: Spotlight on Tim Jitloff

TJ Lanning, 25, Park City, Utah

Park City's TJ Lanning was the top-ranked junior in the world in his age group for slalom and super-G in 2001. However, injuries have kept him from reaching the potential he showed early in his career. With multiple top-10 finishes at the World Cup level and a trip to the World Championships, Lanning has the speed to land on the podium. The only question still up in the air is when. [READ MORE]

PHOTOS: Spotlight on TJ Lanning

Ted Ligety, 25, Park City, Utah

Skiing was always No. 1 for reigning Olympic combined champion Ted Ligety and, given his shot at the World Cup in 2004, he didn’t bungle his opportunity. His Olympic gold and now World Cup GS title speak for themselves, but his humility and aw-shucks, low-key manner off the ski hill have helped make him an even greater champion as he continues to push ski racing's edgy image for a new generation. [READ MORE]

PHOTOS: Spotlight on Ted Ligety

Scott Macartney, 31, Crystal Mountain, Wash.

The son of volunteer ski patrol parents, two-time Olympian Scott Macartney was a four-event skier growing up in Washington state, but he narrowed his focus to speed events as his best route to the World Cup and the Olympics. Good decision. He's overcome several injuries and gone on to race at two Olympics and at the World Championships in addition to winning a NorAm super-G title and climbing onto the World Cup podium twice. [READ MORE]

PHOTOS: Spotlight on Scott Macartney

Bode Miller, 31, Franconia, N.H.

One of the most successful Alpine skiers in American history, New Hampshire's Bode Miller has captured the attention of the world with his incredible athletic balance and ability to produce jaw-dropping performances on skis. Raised in an electricity-free home, the two-time World Cup overall champion, four-time World Champion and two-time Olympic medalist has risen to become one of the most prolific international athletes. [READ MORE]

PHOTOS: Spotlight on Bode Miller

Steven Nyman, 27, Sundance, Utah

Steven Nyman, born and bred in Utah, was skiing at 2 (Dad ran the ski school at Sundance) and was a discretionary pick to the 2002 Junior Worlds squad; two medals launched his U.S.Ski Team career and his first World Cup win in 2007 showed how much he’s progressed. [READ MORE]

PHOTOS: Spotlight on Steven Nyman

Marco Sullivan, 29, Squaw Valley, Calif.

Marco Sullivan grew up in Lake Tahoe and was on a ski hill from his earliest memory, coming down a snow-covered gravel hill in his backyard at 3. He learned to go fast on some of the gnarliest terrain at Squaw Valley and was a promising four-event skier - he was bronze medalist in slalom at Junior Worlds in 2000 - before he started to concentrate on downhill. He won the 2001 NorAm overall, DH and super G championships and was in the Olympics a year later before winning his first World Cup in 2008. [READ MORE]

PHOTOS: Spotlight on Marco Sullivan

Andrew Weibrecht, 23, Lake Placid, N.Y.

Andrew Weibrecht, sibling No. 4 in a family of five, took up skiing after he "begged and pleaded" with his parents to let him join older brother Jonathan on a ski hill. If they don’t believe him, maybe his parents should ask U.S. coaches how well that decision is evolving. From flying from chandeliers in his folks house to the most exciting downhill run of the 2007 Birds of Prey race in Beaver Creek, Weibrecht secured his "one to watch" status. [READ MORE]

PHOTOS: Spotlight on Andrew Weibrecht

- Oct. 24-25: Soelden, AUT (GS)
- Nov. 14-15: Levi, FIN (SL)
- Nov. 25-29: Lake Louise, CAN (SG)
- Dec. 2-6: Beaver Creek, USA (SC)
- Dec. 11-13: Val d'Isere, FRA (GS)
- Dec. 16-19: Val Gardena-Groeden, ITA (SG)
- Dec. 20-21: Alta Badia, ITA (DH)
- Dec. 27-29: Bormio, ITA (SL, GS)
- Jan. 6: Zagreb, CRO (SL)
- Jan. 9-10: Adelboden, SUI (SL, GS)
- Jan. 13-17: Wengen, SUI (SC)
- Jan. 19-24: Kitzbuehel, AUT (SG, DH, SL, SC)
- Jan. 26: Schladming, AUT (SL)
- Jan. 30-31: Kranjska Gora, SLO (SL, GS)
- March 4-7: Kvitfjell, NOR (SG)
- March 9-14: Garmisch Partenkirchen, GER (DH, SG, GS, SL)

Events
SL- Slalom
GS- Giant slalom
SG- Super-G
DH- Downhill
SC- Super combined

Julia Mancuso, 25, Olympic Valley, Calif.

Lake Tahoe's Julia Mancuso, the current Olympic giant slalom champion, is setting records and collecting medals at an impressive pace. The four-event athlete started World Cup racing and was a NorAm champion at 16, competed in the Olympics at 17, set a U.S. mark for Junior World Championships medals before she was out of her teens, and started her 20s by capturing two World Championships medals and establishing a record for most consecutive U.S. championships top-3s. And then she led the first run of the 2006 Olympic GS...and rolled to gold. [READ MORE]

PHOTOS: Spotlight on Julia Mancuso

Lindsey Vonn, 24, Vail, Colo.

Known as the most successful female ski racer in American history, Lindsey Vonn is one of the few world-class, five-event ski racers. She is the only American woman to have won two World Cup overall titles, but she also has two downhill titles and a super G title. She's the only American woman to win at Italy's Trofeo Topolino (for skiers 11-14) and earn Junior Worlds medals and U.S. titles - all of it while a teenager. Six weeks after she turned 20, Vonn (then Kildow) produced her first World Cup victory. She has more World Cup wins than any American woman and has four World Championship medals, including two gold from 2009. [READ MORE]

PHOTOS: Spotlight on Lindsey Vonn

- Oct. 24-25: Soelden, AUT (GS)
- Nov. 14-15: Levi, FIN (SL)
- Nov. 28-29: Aspen (SL, GS)
- Dec. 1-6: Lake Louise, CAN (SG)
- Dec. 12-13: Are, SWE (SL, GS)
- Dec. 16-20: Val d'Isere, FRA (SC)
- Dec. 28-29: Lienz, AUT (SL, GS)
- Jan. 3: Zagreb, CRO (SL)
- Jan. 6-10: Haus im Ennstal, AUT (SG)
- Jan. 12: Flachau, AUT (SL)
- Jan. 16-17: Maribor, SLO (SL, GS)
- Jan. 20-24: Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA (GS, SG, DH)
- Jan. 27-31: St. Moritz, SUI (SC, DH, SG)
- March 2-7: Crans Montana, SUI (SG, DH, SC)
- March 9-14: Garmisch Partenkirchen, GER (DH, SG, GS, SL)

Events
SL- Slalom
GS- Giant slalom
SG- Super-G
DH- Downhill
SC- Super combined