Author’s note: The good news in this conversation about cost — and there always is some — many of our country’s best ski racers are still finding a way to mature in this sport without stratospheric spending. They’ve made it with talent, hard work, creativity and an extraordinarily engaged and supportive ski community. We’ve talked to many of them and their parents, to learn how they managed to follow their dreams without bankrupting their futures. Their stories are all different, but they share some common themes in what helped them along their journeys, which include:

These athletes and parents shared their stories in the hopes that it will help young ski racers and their families see beyond the obstacles to the possibilities. Ski Racing Media is pleased to present a series within a series, if you will, “Breaking through without breaking the bank.”

Nellie-Rose Talbot: Keeping the fire

As the youngest of three ski racing girls, growing up in Vail, with a ski racing dad, Nellie-Rose Talbot is a prime candidate for ski racing success. “Ski racing was his biggest passion,” says Nellie-Rose of her father, Tom, a firefighter and part-time ski instructor at Vail. As a Vail employee, Tom was able to enroll all three girls in Vail’s Devo program for half price. When they moved into the racing program at Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV), it was “like a big family,” says Tom. “Everybody looked out after everybody’s kids. I could easily work a shift and know the kids were well taken care of.”

This community support became especially important when the family went through a divorce, leaving Tom as a single Dad. Tom held three jobs — at the firehouse, the ski school, and as deputy coroner for Eagle County. Having been in Vail since 1974 — after brief stints on both the U.S. Ski Team and on the World Pro Skiing Tour — Tom is a ski racing insider, yet the sport proved extraordinarily challenging to pursue. He recalls those early days, when his girls traveled with other kids who had their parents’ credit cards. “These kids always had the latest everything, and the Talbot kids didn’t have that,” says Tom.

“For me, the big thing was that I never did summer training or trips until I was probably 14. I felt like I was behind the curve,” says Nellie-Rose, who nonetheless enjoyed having time for lacrosse and gymnastics. She remembers having hand-me-down skis “forever,” until her coach, Ian Lockhead, connected her with a representative from HEAD at age 13. That started a relationship that lasts today. “HEAD has done so much for her,” says Tom.

Along the way, the “Vail family” was there to support the girls. “The community kicked in to support us and the girls in the dream they had to move forward in ski racing,” says Tom. Annie raced through high school and Katie through Colorado Mountain College.

Nellie-Rose continued to ascend the ranks at every age level, at home winning the U16 nationals and in Europe placing second in the Hahnenkamm junior GS. When she couldn’t find peers her level, rather than travel, she stayed home, where coach Matt Underhill adopted her into his training group of boys. When she did travel, she could manage her studies by attending the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy, the public ski academy started by Aldo Radamus, who also steered the Talbots towards funding sources. 

By age 15, Nellie-Rose was on the NTG and from there moved to the D Team, representing the U.S. in two World Junior Championships. To pay those bills she turned to Rallyme, then the US Ski Team’s funding platform for athletes, to T2 and, once again, to the Vail community. There she got scholarships and grants through the Vail Valley Foundation and SSCV, as well as donations from private donors, families and local businesses. Rocky Mountain Division, Ikon Colorado resorts and friends throughout the ski world also lent support.

“Don’t get me wrong,” says Tom. “I paid a lot out of pocket.” He recalls a couple years getting the bill from the USST for expenses at the end of the season, and asking to pay it in the fall, after he had cash from a summer of wildland firefighting. The money helped pay the bills but, “I was gone a lot, making those dollars.”

During the summers, when she wasn’t training, Nellie-Rose worked as a server at popular Los Amigos in Vail. She and Tom did their fundraising and budgeting before the season started so they would be prepared for extra expenses like surprise airline tickets and baggage fees. If they did get in a tricky spot, people stepped up to help.

Alongside teammates like Keely Cashman, AJ Hurt, Nina O’Brien and Patricia Mangan, Nellie-Rose was in fast company, until, as often happens, injury struck. After the long rehab came a stressful comeback season. “The whole year was such a struggle for me,” says Nellie-Rose of a very frustrating year, where she had no peer group on the ski team or at home in Vail either. She needed a home, and she found it when coach Kevin Francis recruited her to Montana State University.

At first, she went to MSU out of necessity. “I had no other choice to continue skiing because I couldn’t afford it,” explains Nellie-Rose. Any reluctance about taking the college path soon faded, as her skiing immediately improved. In her first season she finished second at the NCAA Championships, earning First Team All American honors and a full scholarship. “I love training with the boys, having independence and being surrounded by mature athletes who want to keep progressing,” says Nellie-Rose. “I found fun in ski racing again.” She credits the transformation to Francis’s low-pressure approach from the start: “If I was not skiing well I could talk to him about other things. I am super happy. It was a good decision mentally, physically and financially.”

When she is home from school and on breaks, SSCV welcomes alumni back to train, in exchange for coaching and skiing with younger kids. During the off-season, she can join their camps, though this summer she chose to step back. Rather than scramble for time on snow, she is working for (now-former-coach) Francis, managing the office of his moving company, while training at MSU facilities. Headed into her junior year, she is looking forward to getting back to her speed roots at the World University Games this December, in Switzerland.

“I’m getting stronger, relieving the pressure and taking it day by day,” says Nellie-Rose who has all the fire that brought her such early success, along with a solid understanding of what she needs to go the distance. “I do best when I am having fun and not under the gun.”

Stay tuned for more stories about “Breaking through without breaking the bank.” Have some thoughts on cost? Send a letter to the editor. If it’s good, we’ll publish it.