Catching up with Lila Lapanja

PHOTO BY ELEVATED IMAGE

The title of this article may be a little misleading, for two reasons… Catching up with Lila Lapanja - Diamond Peak’s homegrown World Cup ski racer - is never easy, whether you’re talking about matching her time down the challenging courses on the World Cup alpine ski racing circuit, or finding time to chat with her in between her world travels. Lila is the 2021 U.S. National Champion in both Giant Slalom and Alpine Combined disciplines, as well as a four-time North American “NorAm” Cup Slalom champion. She’s currently ranked #3 in the U.S. in Slalom.

Rather than wait to find her in Tahoe, we asked Lila a couple questions about the upcoming ski racing season via email earlier this fall.

PHOTO BY AGENCE ZOOM

IVGID Quarterly: How did you spend the off-season?

Lila Lapanja: After taking some time off to recover from a broken ankle last season, I took a lot of time to regain my physical strength and fitness this summer. I traveled to New Hampshire to work with my two favorite trainers and also worked with someone locally at the high school track. In August, I flew to Europe for two months to train on-snow and work on my technical skiing. After two more weeks at home training in the gym (and outside when the weather was nice), my off-season was complete. The summer goes by so fast, but I was able to find time to be in the Tahoe water.

IQ: What are your ski racing plans for this coming winter? Will you be in Europe? North America? Both?

LL: I will predominantly be racing the World Cup in Europe this year, with a few races in North America at the end of the season, including U.S. Nationals in Sun Valley, Idaho. However, everyone should put the Men's World Cup at Palisades Tahoe on February 25th and 26th on their schedules! It will be a great event, and I may even be able to forerun it. This past season, I was able to achieve yet another level of success in my racing. I won my 4th North America Cup (“NorAm”) Overall Slalom Title and secured World Cup starts for this upcoming 2023 World Championship season - even while fighting through a broken ankle injury. I have worked very hard to return stronger and faster for this race season and am ready to showcase my dedication and compete successfully at the highest level.

IQ: Which race are you most looking forward to? Why?

LL: I look forward to the season opener in Levi, Finland because I like

PHOTO COURTESY LILA LAPANJA

the slope there and racing above the arctic circle is a unique experience. The sun sets at 2 p.m. so it feels like dusk! Sometimes you can see the Northern Lights.

I am also excited to return to Sestriere, Italy and race on a new hill at Spindleruv Mlyn in the Czech Republic. Hopefully there will be extra time to visit the city of Prague.

IQ: What’s the hardest part about pursuing a ski racing career?

LL: Great question. Whatever the hardest part is is very subjective. For me, the hardest part is being consistent: consistently able to perform at a high level, consistent with my attitude regardless of circumstance, consistent with my training schedule, and consistent with maintaining relationships and a healthy lifestyle (travel makes that pretty tough!). Consistency is really hard to find with all of the adversity the sport throws at an athlete, but ultimately accepting that challenge is how I have been able to learn about myself and grow the most. Once I find consistency with what I can control, I find trust and confidence because I am able to rely on myself better.

Another hard part: A ski racing career is a very internal, solo journey at times and it can get lonely. I miss home when I'm on the road for so long, so I find ways to bring home to me and remind myself I'm never alone.

IQ: Will you be able to make it home to Tahoe this winter?

LL: I hope so! Does March still count as winter? I'll definitely be coming to Diamond Peak to make a few turns whenever I am home.

I am very proud to be a Team Ambassador for the Diamond Peak Ski Team and Far West. I want to inspire and teach young racers that an athlete's success is measured not only by the way one can ski under pressure and win; true success is attained through grace, kindness, resilience, enthusiasm and a pure joy of skiing fast.

IQ: What advice would you give kids on the Diamond Peak Ski Team who aspire to race on the World Cup circuit?

LL: Enjoy the physical and mental challenge of the sport and be nice to your mind. When you want to be hard on yourself or feel like you aren't good enough, put your attention back on how good it feels to ski and how lucky you are to be skiing. You can change your experience by how you think. Lean toward a curious mindset and go rip turns!

Want to follow Lila’s progress this season? You can find more information about her race schedule and bio at www.teamlila. com. You can follow her @lilalapanja on Instagram, and find her official fanclub account @lilalapanja_fanpage on Instagram too; or search for the Lila Lapanja athlete page on Facebook.

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