Stifel U.S. Ski Team Rookie Katie Rowekamp Earns Sölden World Cup Debut

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“Guess what, guys? Now they’re coming to watch me.”

Katie Rowekamp sent that text to her parents while she was still on the hill. She had just won a time trial for one of two Stifel U.S. Ski Team starts in the women’s giant slalom at the World Cup opener in Sölden, Austria.

Three skiers raced for the two spots. The trial counted each skier’s two best runs out of three. Rowekamp won.

When she spoke with Ski Racing Media from Schnalstal, Italy, the result was still sinking in. “I was always hoping for a GS World Cup start,” she said. “That’s been on my mind forever.”

Rowekamp raced in South American Cup events this summer as a Stifel U.S. Ski Team member. On Saturday, Oct. 24, she will make her World Cup debut. A 17-year-old SHRED athlete, Rowekamp is the youngest member of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team.

How did Rowekamp reach the World Cup?

The Girdwood, Alaska, native joined the Stifel U.S. Ski Team after one season of FIS racing. That year, she won a NorAm super-G at Whiteface Mountain, finished second in the NorAm super-G standings and placed seventh in her first Europa Cup giant slalom.

For more on her path from Alyeska to the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, read Katie Rowekamp’s rookie profile.

Her parents first pictured her as a powder skier in Alaska. As Rowekamp began to excel in races, they encouraged her to pursue ski racing and supported her move to Burke Mountain Academy.

The Sölden opportunity had been on her mind for a while. When she learned there would be a time trial, she began to imagine that a start might be possible. After winning, she texted her parents and then her Burke friend Mia. Her parents are now coming to watch her race.

Rowekamp spoke with pride and appreciation about the coaches who helped her along the way. Former Burke U14 and U16 coaches called and texted after they heard she had qualified.

What makes Sölden special for Rowekamp?

For the past two years, Rowekamp watched the women’s World Cup in Sölden with Burke Mountain Academy. This fall, she trained on the course for the first time. She likes its steep, consistent pitch and said the first training run felt nerve-racking with so many accomplished racers around her. The nerves eased after that first run.

Both Rowekamp and Mikaela Shiffrin developed at Burke Mountain Academy, years apart. Shiffrin has spent years at the top of the World Cup, and few young American racers at Rowekamp’s stage have the chance to line up against her. Rowekamp said this will be her first race with the U.S. legend in the field.

Her Burke coach, Kyle Darling, followed her to the Stifel U.S. Ski Team as an assistant. Rowekamp plans to talk with him about the course. His familiarity with her skiing is valuable: “He knows how I think.”

What is Rowekamp focused on for race day?

Rowekamp identified the flatter sections as an area she wants to improve. She worked on being faster in the flatter sections over the summer and plans to bring that work to Sölden. Her approach is to attack from the start, push through the gates on the flats and keep going to the finish.

“I’m going to try and go as hard as I can out of the start and go pretty intense at the gates on the flats,” she said.

Asked what helped her reach this point, Rowekamp talked about setting a focus and plan for each day. “Every day I have a focus and I have a plan,” she said. She said those daily goals help her get something out of each training session.

She also sent a shout-out to her Burke Mountain Academy EU group teammates: Izzy, Ellen, Sophia and Georgia.

“I do well when there is pressure,” Rowekamp said. Saturday, she’ll put that belief to the test in the race she once watched with her Burke teammates, with her parents in the crowd and Mikaela Shiffrin in the field.