“Skiing has taught me a lot about life, like organisational skills, teamwork and hard work!”

Cara Brown is the current British alpine ski champion. In 2016 Cara won the British Ladies Championship for the third year running and also won the British Giant Slalom. Needless to say, skiing has certainly had a profound impact on Cara’s life so we sat down to find out what it is exactly about the sport she loves that inspired her to become such a champion of it!

When and where did you first hit the slopes?

Cara: I first started skiing in Meribel when I was 4 years old. My parents are really keen skiers so they got me started.

Why did you fall in love with skiing?

Cara: I used to love skiing when I was little and through my teens I tried out lots of other sports like figure skating, tennis, and handball. I was always drawn back to the mountains though, and when I was 16 I decided that my dreams of being an Olympian didn’t have to remain dreams!

Tell us about your best or funniest ski memory.

Cara: My funniest skiing memory was probably on a powder day last year. I was skiing off piste with a friend and my coach and the weather was really bad so you couldn’t see what you were skiing over. All of a sudden my skis stopped dead and I was thrown forwards out of my bindings into the powder. When I turned around, I saw I had skied up a rock and my skis had stopped dead on the rock but my body had kept going! My best skiing memory is hard to pick but it would have to be my first ever podium in an international race 3 years ago.

What’s your favourite ski resort and why?

Cara: My favourite ski resort is definitely Meribel in France. It was the first place I’ve skied and it’s where I train now. Last year I did a charity event called the Cœur Blanc to raise money for Snow-Camp. The challenge was to do every lift in the Meribel valley. Where else can you start at 8:30 in the morning, ski flat out and not do the same lift twice until 4:30pm!?

Is there somewhere you’ve always wanted to ski, but haven’t made it yet?

Cara: I still haven’t made it across the pond to ski in America so that is definitely on my list. My Mum is a really keen ski tourer and she’s planning a trip to Kamchatka, the eastern peninsula of Russia – it looks like an amazing place to ski!

Do you have any top tips you’d like to share?

Cara: I think the most important thing about skiing is to remember the reason you’re doing it is to have fun, so always make sure you’re having fun, that way you can never have a bad ski day.

How has skiing changed your life?

Cara: Before I decided to go skiing full time, I had a place at Glasgow university to study biology. I would have finished my degree there by now and would probably be job hunting! Skiing has taught me a lot about life, like organisational skills, teamwork, and hard work!