Sarah Carley – Profile

US Team Member: 2013-2016, 2018-2022 Seasons

Hometown:  Brentwood, NH

Home Ski Hill/Resort: Mt Snow VT, Waterville Valley NH, or anywhere with Telemark friends.

Birthplace: Portsmouth, NH
Birthdate:  1996
Education:  BA in Anthropology-Archaeology, Computer Science from Connecticut College
USTSA Team Sponsors: Karbon, Global Rescue,  Saucer Wax, Minus33, Telemarkdown, 22 Designs
Personal Sponsors: Bishop Bindings, Fischer

Visit my Website

My Skiing History:

Like many New England natives, I grew up skiing. Not your skiing on vacation skiing, but rather your get in the car and don’t come back until Sunday night type of skiing. Weekend warrior, which often is used as a misnomer and doesn’t adequately reflect the amount we gave up to be able to be in the mountains every weekend. I am eternally grateful to my family for instilling this behavior in me, I wouldn’t have traded even an hour on the hill for Friday night parties or Saturday football games

I grew up terrorizing Waterville Valley, with the BBTS race team, before leaving in order to pursue other disciplines. I dabbled in snowboarding, freestyle and eventually, around 11 years old, landed on telemark. While I continued to race alpine all through college, in telemark I found something that was truly challenging and engaging. We found beat up old leather boots and skis, and I was out every day at lunch…which turned into every afternoon and after not too long, became every day. Every day discovering the artistry and strength that goes into a telemark turn. Eventually, I fell in with a group and we became formalized, now the Waterville Valley Seasonals Telemark program is host to many USTSA A, B, and Development team members.

My first formal experience with USTSA was at the 2012 US Telemark Nationals, hosted at Gunstock Mountain. I found out last minute and insisted that we go. On my fat skis (and upgraded hardshell boots) I raced against the Elite women and, well, didn’t do poorly. (See below for a full list of results). While I was infinitely familiar with GS gates, it was my first experience with a loom and jump. I was hooked.

Since then, I have held a team spot every year and continued to race at local, national and international telemark events.

My Goals and Motivation:

It’s hard to find an athlete that hasn’t dreamed of walking into the Olympic opening ceremonies, surrounded by hundreds of others, flashing lights, and deafening noise. And I would be lying to say that I was different. It is the dream. It has been since before I even knew what telemark skiing was.

And now, we’re right on the cusp of that happening whether in 4 years or 8, I am participating in a sport that is right on the edge of catalyst change. And that, that is exciting. It motivates each athlete to hold themselves to the highest standards out there. It keeps each athlete moving forward; past lose, past injury, through hot summers and cold winters. But it also keeps every athlete down-to-earth. As much as we are working towards the collective Olympic goal, we are also just doing a sport we love, because we have found a wider international community of athletes just like us and because we believe other people should love telemark just as much as we do. That balance cannot be found in any other sport in the world (and trust me, I’ve tried a lot of them), that balance progresses my winter skiing, summer training, and overall involvement in the sport.

Outside of competing, this collective community, of athletes and supporters is what pushed me to take on a Board of Directors position with USTSA. After almost a decade of involvement with USTSA, I am excited to experience the organization from the other side and give back to the community that has given me everything over the years.

What I love about Telemark Racing:

Telemarking isn’t easy, but its worth it. Nothing feels better than executing a near perfect telemark turn, whether is arching a carve on a groomer or floating in the powder fields, when you have a sinuous transition, it feels effortless and connects you to the slope you are skiing on more than any alpine turn could. Not that every turn is like that, sometimes you feel like your legs are on fire or made of lead but those few turns make it worth it. Telemark racing combines the grace of free skiing with the speed of a course, plus the added disciplines of jumping and nordic skating so you really couldn’t ask for anything more.

Interesting Facts About Myself:

I graduated a year early from Connecticut College (go camels!) where I founded the club field hockey team, adopted a cat, and studied anthropology and computer science (yes, weird combination). Now I work in Boston for a tech company doing strategic digital marketing.

I can read, pre-Columbian Mixtec codices.

Competition Results:

2018-2019
US Telemark Nationals, Eldora Mountain Resort, CO
2nd Women’s Overall
2nd Women’s Classic 1
2nd Women’s Classic 2
3rd Women’s Sprint Classic
4th Women’s Parallel Sprint

Bromley Mountain, VT
1st Women’s Sprint Classic

Gunstock Mountain Resort, NH
1st Women’s Sprint Classic

Gore Mountain, NY
1st Women’s Sprint Classic 1
1st Women’s Sprint Classic 2

2017-2018
US Telemark Nationals, Crotchet Mountain NH
2nd Women’s Sprint
2nd Sprint 2
2nd Women’s Parallel

Waterville Valley Resort, NH
1st Sprint 1
1st Sprint 2

FIS World Cup, Suicide Six, VT
8th Women’s Sprint
8th Women’s Sprint 2

FIS World Cup, Sugarbush Resort VT
7th Women’s Classic 1
7th Women’s Classic 2
8th Women’s Sprint

2016-2017
Minus 33 Eastern Series Final
1st Overall Women

Sucide Six Resort, VT
1st Sprint Classic

Waterville Valley Resort, NH
1st Sprint Classic

Mt. Abrams, ME
1st Sprint Classic

Wildcat Mountain, NH
1st Sprint Classic

Crotched Mountain, NH
1st Sprint Classic

2015-2016
US Telemark Nationals, Crotchet Mountain NH
3rd Overall Women
2nd Women’s Sprint Parallel
3rd Women’s Classic 1
4th Women’s Classic 2
5th Women’s Sprint Classic

Bromley Mountain, VT
1st Women’s Sprint Classic

Mt. Abram, ME
1st Women’s Sprint Classic

2014-2015

US Telemark Nationals, Sunlight Resort, Glenwood Springs CO
3rd Overall Women
4th Women’s Sprint Classic 1
3rd Women’s Sprint Classic 2
2nd Women’s Sprint Classic 3
3rd Women’s Classic 1
3rd Women’s Classic 2

World Championships, Junior World Championships
15th Senior Women’s Sprint Classic
10th Junior Women’s Sprint Classic
18th Senior Women’s Parallel Sprint Qualifier
11th Junior Women’s Parallel Sprint Qualifier

2013-2014

US Telemark Nationals, Bromley Mt. and Haystack Mt. Vermont
2nd Overall Women
2nd Women’s Sprint Classic 1
2nd Women’s Sprint Classic 2
1st Women’s GS 1
1st Women’s Classic1
1st Women’s Classic 2
2nd Women’s GS 2
World Cup, Steamboat Springs Colorado
8th Women’s Classic 1
6th Women’s Classic 2
8th Women’s Sprint Classic
7th Women’s Parallel Sprint Qualifier
5th Women’s Parallel Sprint

2012-2013
US Telemark Nationals, Steamboat Springs Colorado
3rd Overall Elite Women
3rd Women Parallel Sprint Classic
3rd Women Parallel Sprint Classic Qualifier
2nd Elite Women Sprint Classic
4th Elite Women Classic 1
5th Elite Women Classic 2

Gunstock Mountain Resort
2nd Elite Women GS 1
2nd Elite Women GS 2

2011-2012
US Telemark Nationals, Gunstock Mountain Resort
2nd Overall Elite Women
2nd Elite Women Sprint Classic
2nd Elite Women Classic 1
2nd Elite Women Classic 2
1st Junior Women Sprint Classic