lila lapanja

Being a ski racer was my destiny: I was born in a snowstorm, started skiing when I was two, was racing by age six and was named to the U.S. Ski Team when I was sixteen years old. I grew up skiing at Lake Tahoe with my dad, a former racer for Slovenia, as my coach.

This past season, I was able to achieve yet another level of success in my racing by winning my third U.S National title in slalom, achieving a Top 30 result in the World Cup and finishing the season ranked 48th in the world in slalom. 

 

I have three National Championship titles (one of only four U.S. women to win in at least three different disciplines!), four NorAm Cup Slalom titles, over 35 World Cup starts, and successfully race head-to-head against current U.S. team members. However, due to an age-based criteria - I am 28 years young - the U.S. Ski Team chose not to grant me an official nomination to the team nor financial support for 2023-24. Therefore, I am fully responsible to independently fund my ski career leading into the Olympic 2026 cycle, while organizing all of my training, racing, travel and team support. 

 

I am very proud to be a Team Ambassador and mentor for the Diamond Peak Ski Team and support my Far West region, both which have shaped me as a ski racer. I want to inspire and teach young racers that an athlete's success is measured not only by the way one can ski under pressure and win; true success is attained through grace, sportsmanship, resilience, enthusiasm and a pure joy of skiing fast. 

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Thank you for supporting my journey and joining Team Lila!