Brennan Rubie was involved in U.S. Ski Team camps via a coach’s invitation until he punched a ticket into the U.S. Development program in 2010. Since then, the Snowbird shredder has gone on to win NorAm races and score World Cup points.

The 2013 season was looking incredibly good for Rubie, who scored Audi FIS Alpine World Cup points during the first start of his career. It just happened to be the Birds of Prey super G in early December, the site of the 2015 World Championships. With that kind of confidence in his pocket, Rubie began a lightning tear of the NorAm series with back-to-back NorAm giant slalom wins in Canada followed by a super G victory. He even made the World Cup flip in the Adelboden giant slalom before going out in the second run. Safe to say, the guy was rolling…then wammo, he crashed in a Europa Cup downhill training run.

The result: a spiral fracture on his left fibula, a displaced ankle joint and a tear in the deltoid on the inside of his ankle. But he's not leaving any of those pre-crash results on the hill; they're with him during every day of rehab.

BRENNAN SAYS
I had a great year, I scored points in my first World Cup, I made second run in the Adelboden GS and won a couple of NorAms. I’m just trying to take things day by day. I'm anxious to get back, but I know that at this point in my career it’s a delicate balance between getting back to skiing as fast as possible, and getting back to a spot where I can give myself the chance to ski as fast as possible. I need to do the latter.

On the mental side of things, trust and patience is going to be key. I've observed that people who have had major injuries can get frustrated because they don't feel like they are skiing as well as they used to be able to. So for me, just reminding myself that the past doesn't matter and that I love ski racing because I love to ski. And as long as I stay in that moment, I’ll be able to get better...and get faster!

FIRST TRACKS
Rubie's dad was a Snowbird ski instructor for a long time and would take him out in the ski harness at two. It wasn't long before he joined the "Birds" club program. "It's a different race program than most places. You learned to love skiing first, then racing." By the time he hit fifth grade, things were moving in the racing direction. "Basically, I'd add a day of race training each year to the point where I was running gates six days a week."

OFF THE SNOW
His folks are also big windsurfers and began taking family trips to the wind mecca of Hood River, OR since he was eight years old. A big music fan, his iPod has more songs than he could listen to in a week.