How U.S. Alpine Ski Stars Train in Summer

While many relax or trade skis for the beach, for the U.S. Ski Team athletes, summer is quite the opposite: it's time to train harder. With no competitions in sight and the 2026 Winter Olympics on the horizon, every session counts.

During these months, the national team takes the opportunity to recover from injuries, gain muscle mass, and increase intensity without the immediate risk of a race. This is when the physical foundations for winter are built through sweat, strength, and precision.

Elite Training, Without Snow
Recently, skiers Lauren Macuga, Keely Cashman, and Tricia Mangan, three of the most prominent names on the women's alpine team, shared a glimpse of their training on social media.
Under the supervision of coach Kip Spangler, they performed a demanding high-intensity interval training (HIIT) routine, which alternates bursts of intense movement with short recovery breaks.

The goal is not only physical performance. This type of work boosts endurance, improves neuromuscular coordination, and replicates the demands of a competitive descent: short, intense, and explosive.

Lauren Macuga, who achieved her first World Cup victory in the Super-G in St. Anton last winter, is one of the favorites for the 2025/26 season. Her name is already mentioned alongside references like Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Breezy Johnson.

Training in Summer to Excel in Winter
Beyond the snow, what defines these athletes is their ability to transform each season into an opportunity for improvement. Their summer is not measured in sunny days, but in repetitions and training loads.
Because when the next season arrives and the first snowflakes begin to fall, so too will the results, reaching 100 km/h, carving perfectly on the snow.