Some familiar names, along with some exciting new ones, are among the 18 Lake Tahoe-area skiers competing in the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Among the most well-known – in Nevada and around the world – is Reno native and two-time Olympic gold medalist David Wise, who will be competing in his third straight Olympic Games.
Wise, 31, who had to recover from a broken femur in 2019, will try to remain the only man to win gold in Olympic freestyle skiing halfpipe. Wise, who calls Northstar California his Tahoe home resort, is competing for his third straight gold medal.
Also notable is Jamie Anderson of Sierra-at-Tahoe. The 31-year-old slopeside snowboarder has won three Olympic medals – two of them gold. Her 19 Winter X Games medals are the most of any female and third overall behind Shaun White and Mark McMorris.
The 2022 Winter Olympics, commonly known as Beijing 2022, begin Friday (Feb. 4) and continue through Feb. 22.
There are supposed to be 2,871 athletes competing – 1,581 men and 1,290 women – and a 13 are from Northern Nevada or Northern California, or train at sites around Lake Tahoe.
Here is a quick glance at the local Olympic skiers.
David Wise
- Sport: Freestyle skiing
- Event: Halfpipe
- Born: June 30, 1990
- Birthplace/Hometown: Reno, Nev.
- High School: Wooster High
- College: Truckee Meadows Community College
- Team/club: Northstar California
Jamie Anderson
- Sport: Snowboarding
- Event: Slopestyle
- Born: Sept. 13, 1990
- Birthplace/hometown: South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
- High school: Home-schooled
- Team/club: Sierra-at-Tahoe
Bryce Bennett
- Sports: Alpine skiing
- Event: Downhill, Super G
- Born: July 14, 1992
Bryce Bennett, who represents Palisades Tahoe, will be competing in the downhill Saturday night (Feb. 5). - Birthplace: Truckee, Calif.
- Hometown: Tahoe City, Calif.
- Team/club: Palisades Tahoe Ski Team
Keely Cashman
- Sport: Alpine skiing
- Event(s): Super-G, Slalom, Giant slalom
- Born: April 4, 1999
- Birthplace: Sonora, Calif.
- Hometown: Strawberry, Calif.
- College: University of Utah
- Team/club: Dodge Ridge, Bear Valley, Palisades Tahoe
Travis Ganong
- Sport: Alpine skiing
- Event: Downhill, Super G
- Born: July 14, 1988
- Hometown: Alpine Meadows, Calif.
- College: Sierra Nevada University
- Club: Team Palisades Tahoe
Hannah Halvorsen
- Sport: Cross-country skiing
- Events: Multiple events
- Born: Feb. 19, 1998
- Birthplace/hometown: Truckee, Calif.
- Team/club: Sugar Bowl Academy
AJ Hurt
- Sport: Alpine skiing
- Event: Slalom, Giant Slalom, Parallel
- Born: Dec. 5, 2000
- Birthplace: Truckee, Calif.
- Hometown: Carnelian Bay, Calif.
- College: Dartmouth College
- Team/Club: Palisades Tahoe Ski Team
Cody LaPlante
- Sport: Freestyle skiing
- Event: Halfpipe
Maureen “Mo” Lebel became a standout at Sugar Bowl Academy. She will compete in the downhill at the Beijing Olympics. - Born: Feb. 15, 2002
- Birthplace: Reno, Nev.
- Hometown: Truckee, Calif.
- High School: Tahoe Expedition Academy
- Team/Club: Palisades Tahoe Freestyle and Freeride Team
Maureen ‘Mo’ Lebel
- Sport: Alpine skiing
- Event: Downhill, Super G
- Born: June 13, 1998
- Birthplace/hometown: Truckee, Calif.
- College: University of Utah
- Team/Club: Sugar Bowl Academy, Mammoth Mountain Ski Team
Nina O’Brien
- Sport: Alpine skiing
- Event: Giant Slalom, Super G, Slalom
- Born: Nov. 29, 1997
- Birthplace\Hometown: San Francisco, Calif.
- College: Dartmouth College
- Team/Club: Palisades Tahoe Ski Team/Burke Mountain Academy
JC Schoonmaker
- Sport: Cross-country skiing
- Event: Multiple events
- Born: Aug. 12, 2000
- Hometown: Tahoe City, Calif.
- College: University of Alaska Anchorage
- Team/Club: Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy
Brita Sigourney
- Sport: Freestyle skiing
- Event: Halfpipe
Brita Sigourney of Palisades Tahoe will compete in the freestyle skiing halfpipe at this year’s Olympics. - Born: Jan. 17, 1990
- Birthplace: Monterey, Calif.
- Hometown: Carmel, Calif.
- College: UC Davis and Westminster College
- Team/Club: Palisades Tahoe
Luke Winters
- Sport: Alpine skiing
- Event: Slalom
- Born: April 2, 1997
- Birthplace/hometown: Gresham, Ore.
- Team/Club: Sugar Bowl Academy
Louis Muhlen-Schulte
- Sport: Alpine skiing
- Event: Slalom
- Born: March 12, 1998
- Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
- College: Montana State University
- Team/Club: Sugar Bowl Academy
Katie Parker
- Sport: Alpine skiing
- Event: Slalom, Giant Slalom
- Born: April 28, 1998
- Birthplace: Victoria, Australia
- College: University of Utah
- Team/Club: Sugar Bowl Academy
Michel Macedo
- Sport: Alpine skiing
- Event: Giant Slalom
- Born: Feb. 15, 1990
- Birthplace: Fortaleza, Brazil
- Hometown: Portland, Ore.
- College: Middlebury College
- Team/Club: Sugar Bowl Academy
Alice Robinson
- Sport: Alpine skiing
- Event: Downhill, Slalom, Super G
- Born: Dec. 1, 2001
- Birthplace: New South Whales, Australia
- Hometown: Queenstown, New Zealand
- Team/Club: Sugar Bowl Academy
Eileen Gu
- Sport: Freestyle skiing
- Event: Big Air, Slopestyle, Halfpipe
- Born: Sept. 3, 2003
- Birthplace: San Francisco, Calif.
- Team/Club: Northstar California