Sarah Schleper

Who is Sarah Schleper?

Sarah Schleper is a retired American alpine skier whose career spanned from 1995 to 2011. Her lone World Cup victory was at a slalom event in Switzerland in 2005.

Schleper also competed in four Winter Olympics, earning her best finish of tenth in the slalom event at Turin in 2006.

Her best finish at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships was seventh in the slalom event at Santa Caterina in 2005.

Schleper was named to the US team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in late 2009.

Schleper announced her retirement shortly before competing in her last world cup slalom on the 29th December 2011 in Lienz, Austria. In her career spanning a total of 15 years, she took part in 186 World Cup races and achieved 4 podium finishes and one victory.

As has become traditional—a skier in her retirement race can wear any apparel she desires—Schleper wore a thin brown summer dress, bare-armed and bare-legged, and stopped halfway down the course to pick up her 4-year-old son. She then skied the rest of the course with the boy in her arms, to the enjoyment of the crowd and fellow skiers. Lindsey Vonn gave Schleper a long hug in the finish area, and race organizers presented her with a huge bouquet of roses.