Nearly fifteen years ago, Sarah Schleper skied down a World Cup slalom course for the last time. It was December 2011, and Schleper, retiring after 15 seasons on the U.S. Ski Team, made her farewell race unforgettable. Halfway down the course, she stopped to pick up her 3-year-old son and carried him through the gates to the finish line. And now, at 46, she is making history again.

Married to Mexican ski coach Federico Gaxiola, she acquired Mexican citizenship in 2014 and in 2015 came out of retirement to compete for Mexico. Since then, she’s represented Mexico at the PyeongChang and Beijing Olympics, astonishing many with her longevity. Now, Schleper is heading to Milano‑Cortina for her seventh Olympic Games and third representing Mexico. But this time, she’s not alone.

Her now teenage son, Lasse Federico Gaxiola, 17, also qualified to race for Mexico, and the two will share the Olympic slopes together. In interviews, Schleper has spoken about the pressure and pride Lasse feels.

“This is a lot of pressure for him, but he wants to achieve it. He’s already in his place, and he’s earning—or has earned—his place,” she said. “Láser is a kid who, his whole life, was up on skis.”

“He always came with me to my jobs because I’m a coach, and I took him to the mountain from the time he was four years old. He was in the cold, he was crying so he could come down, but in the end, he was already—he skis very well now, and he wants to do it for his mom and for his country, to go to the Olympic Games,” she added.

If Schleper and Gaxiola both race in Italy, it will make them the first mother-son duo in Winter Olympic history to compete together in the same sport. Sure, it is not just a rare stat. It is the result of a life built around snow and showing up again and again.

Sarah Schleper’s skiing life began almost at birth

Sarah grew up in Vail, Colorado, a big ski town, and first stood on skis before age two due to her dad, Buzz, who owned a ski and snowboard shop in Vail Village. She basically lived around snow and skiing from the start. And soon after, she joined Ski & Snowboard Club Vail at age 11, a key place for young racers, and from there her racing training really took off.

Between ages 11 and 16, she was constantly at camps and racing, including trips to Europe for training, and she was already getting noticed by the U.S. Ski Team by her mid-teens.

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Unlike many racers who start competing very young, Sarah began serious competition a bit later than some. She worked with coaches like Erich Sailer, one of North America’s top youth ski coaches, and she trained hard in camps in the U.S. and Europe every year.

That early exposure gave her a solid technical base in slalom and giant slalom. Her first World Cup race came at age 16, just five years after she joined Ski & Snowboard Club Vail. And soon after, she earned multiple top-10 finishes in World Cup events, later representing the United States in the 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010 Winter Olympics. And then in 2011, Sarah Schleper retired for family reasons.

Though she retired from competition, she did not retire from skiing. Rather, she invested all her energy in bringing up Lasse, who began skiing at the age of four. Schleper used to take him to the slopes often with her husband.

As she remembers, “He was crying so he could come down, but in the end, he was already…” Lasse, now refers to his mother as his hero and greatest teacher in ski racing.

Lasse says, “She always tells me that I have to find it, that it’s love within myself, because she has loved skiing all her life, so I had to learn to love it because ski racing is very difficult, there are many parts that aren’t great, but it’s something that when you’re on the mountain is a lot of fun and you have to learn to love it, and when you do love it, it’s something very special,” he concluded.

Under his mother’s guidance, Lasse began to shine. He captured a silver medal at the Carrera Internacional Pinocchio in Italy, a prestigious junior ski race where many young international skiers have gained momentum in the rankings. To get to the Olympics, he raced on the FIS circuit, accumulating enough points and podium expectations to claim Mexico’s spot in alpine skiing.

When both mother and son were officially selected for the 2026 Winter Olympics, Lasse shared the moment of joy: (My mom) was in the kitchen screaming with joy that we get to go together. It’s her dream to compete with me, and it’s mine too. My mom is really happy,”

Now, Sarah Schleper and Lasse Gaxiola are making history as the first mother-son duo to compete together at the Winter Olympics!