BIOGRAPHY
When Minnesota born David Chodounsky fell short of making the U.S. Ski Team after high school, he enrolled at Dartmouth and won the NCAA slalom title in his freshman year. Two years later he captained the school to the NCAA overall title then graduated with a double major in engineering and geology. Fully focused now on skiing, Chodounsky was named to the U.S. Ski Team after winning the U.S. slalom title in 2009.

The Olympic season didn't go as planned with Chodounsky missing out on a spot in Whistler, but he certainly made up for that in 2011 by landing top 25 finishes in three of the biggest slalom races on the World Cup tour and a ticket to the big show – the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

A late season training crash resulted in a ski to the leg and stitches slowing Chodounsky considerably, but his earlier results rebooted him to a spot on the U.S. Ski Team for 2012 and kept the Olympic dream alive.

DAVID SAYS:
"The World Championships were an unbelievable experience and I am so happy I was able to be a part of it. That definitely made my season. Especially since I was coming into the season off the team and not really knowing what to expect. Pretty unreal. The actual event didn’t quite go as I would have liked. The snow was much different, softer and easier, from what I’ve experienced on the hill so my first run ended up too conservative. I tried to make it up with run two, but the snow was breaking down a bit too much from where I started and I crashed out of the course."

"The season as a whole was amazing, however, and a real break-through for me. Coming off of a rougher year last year and getting cut from the team to coming right back and qualifying off the bat, making second runs in four World Cups, and representing the U.S. in the Alpine World Championships - very cool."

FIRST TRACKS
Being born in Minnesota, Chodounsky began skiing at two-years-old when Ma and Pa mounted a pair of whittled wooden planks and pushed him down the hill in the family front yard. At 7 he picked up racing and joined the local race team at Buck Hill skiing with Lindsey Vonn under legendary coach Erich Sailer. From there, the family packed up for Crested Butte, CO when Chodounsky was 11 to further his skiing. He attended Crested Butte Academy and continued to hone his skills at Dartmouth before making the U.S. Ski Team after the 2009 season.

OFF THE SNOW:
On a mission to become one of the best skiers in the world. Minnesota born and bred, but calls the Rockies and the steeps of Crested Butte home. Into dirt biking, fishing and jumping cars in New Zealand with Ted Ligety.