It’s the summer of 2015, and Chloe Hehir repeats flip after flip on the trampoline in her front yard, dreaming of a cool breeze washing over her, taking her back to the cool winter months with her true passion–skiing.
Hehir, a junior at CU Boulder, has qualified for the Freeride World Tour, one of the most challenging ski competitions in the world. But how did she get to where she is today?
Hehir grew up in the towering mountains of Telluride, Colorado–about as “middle of nowhere” as it can be in Colorado. While the nearest Target may be an hour and a half away, the historic ski town nestled within the San Juan Mountains makes up for that with the opportunities it provides with skiing. As one of the best ski areas in the country, the best skiers in the world travel to ski Telluride’s sweet snow and incredibly steep, challenging faces.
“I’ve been skiing my whole life, basically even when my mom was pregnant with me she was skiing around with me in her belly. And I guess we just went from there,” Hehir said.
There is a program at Telluride School District (Pre K - 12th) called “Ski P.E.”, an athletic program provided to get students out on the mountain. All students get one full day out of the school week for six weeks in the winter, which Hehir always used to go and challenge herself on the mountain.
Part of her accomplishments are largely attributed to who she is as a person.
Megan Martin, a teammate and friend of Chloe, said: “From the moment I met Chloe, I knew she was going to be a lifelong friend. She is passionate about what she does and encourages all those around her to push their boundaries and try new things. She surprises me with her creativity, whether it is in her day-to-day life writing stories or skiing a steep unconventional slope in competition, and she isn’t afraid to stand out and act differently than the crowd.”
The way Hehir grew up, combined with her determination, consistency and grit, is what landed her a spot among the best skiers in the world this upcoming January.
Last season, Hehir skied all over the U.S.-- visiting almost every ski resort in Colorado along with trips to New Mexico, Utah, and California, earning spots on the podium for many of her competitions. She qualified for the Freeride World Tour at the end of the 2023 ski season after earning a first-place victory in Kirkwood, California, her final stop of a series of qualifying competitions.
Starting in January, she will be skiing some of the most challenging mountain faces in the world alongside the best skiers in the world. There will be tour stops in Spain, France, Canada, Georgia, Austria and Switzerland.
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