For most four-year-olds, falling into an endless mound of frigid snow is a cause for tears, but for senior Thomas Carano, it was just one of many skiing memories. 

“When I was four years old, I was on the ski lift, and I started laughing ecstatically,” Thomas said. “I fell onto a marshmallow, or at least that’s what I said, but in reality, I had fallen into really deep snow.”

Fortunately for Thomas, falling off the ski lift didn’t scare him, but instead helped fuel his love for skiing even more by having a hilarious story to tell.

Despite the fact that Thomas was very young when this happened, it wasn’t the start of his passion for skiing. That happened two years earlier. 

“I started skiing when I was two years old,” Thomas said.“My parents put me on a leash and they brought me down. My first run ever was a black at Crystal [Mountain] called “Buck,” and my dad held me on the leash the entire way down.”

Thomas explained that he was tumbling down the mountain more than actually skiing, but he loved it nonetheless, and he kept wanting to go back.

Thomas was born with a knack for winter sports because his dad was a hockey player and his mom was a figure skater. Naturally, you would assume this makes him destined to be on the ice rink, but it quickly became clear that snow was more his speed. 

“Technically speaking, I was supposed to play hockey, ” Thomas said, “because my dad was a hockey player, and my mom was a big skater, and that’s how they met, but when they put me on skates when I was two years old, I cried a lot and hated it. So, they were like, ‘All right, let’s put him on skis. It’ll be fine.’” 

And fine it was, better than fine, actually. In addition to Thomas skiing for fun, he is also on FHC Ski Team. 

Becoming a ski racer was a boost of confidence for Thomas as he was able to put his passion into a sport for the wintertime. 

“I had nothing to do during the winter,” Thomas said,  “Because I played baseball during the spring, summer, and fall, my dad suggested ski racing since it’s just an extension of skiing. Turns out, it’s a lot of fun, and because of the ski team, I’ve become a lot better [as] a skier and more confident. I just enjoyed it more and more, year after year.”

In addition to being Thomas’s passion and school sport, it has also become somewhat of a social event for him and his friends. 

“My friends and I have all bonded through skiing over the years,” Thomas said. “I didn’t really know a lot of the guys I ski with before high school, but now, we all go up north a lot, and we all get really into it since it’s just a common medium for us now.”

Like all sports, there is some risk of getting hurt when you go skiing—especially at the level that Thomas skis. However, it is worth it for the feeling he gets every time he glides down the mountains.

“The feeling I get while I’m skiing is hard to describe,” Thomas said, “but it feels like I’m on a cloud, and everything that I’ve been thinking about just goes away, and those two little wooden planks on my feet are the only things that come into focus. It’s just the absolute joy and happiness that I get while doing it.”