Sarah Schleper and son Lasse skiing for Mexico and set to make Olympic history

BORMIO, Italy — On her final World Cup run before retiring from the U.S. ski team in 2011, Sarah Schleper picked up her young son and carried him down the slalom course with her.

A bonding moment.

More than 14 years later, here's another: Schleper and her now teenage son, Lasse Gaxiola, are competing for Mexico at the Milan Cortina Games. Her seventh Olympics — third with Mexico — and his inaugural trip will make history as they become the first mother and son to compete at the same Winter Games, according to research by Olympic historian Bill Mallon.

“This is hard to believe," said Schleper, who turns 47 on Feb. 19. “It's just a fantasy story.”

The logistics for mom and son

They may only get to see each other race primarily through the broadcast coverage, given the distance between their venues. Schleper will race the super-G (Thursday) and giant slalom (Sunday) in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Lasse will race in Bormio, about four hours away, in the giant slalom (Saturday) and the slalom (Monday).

“I'm hoping right after the GS I can bust a ride over to Bormio to watch his slalom,” she said.

Schleper’s husband, Federico, will be with Lasse as his coach.

“For me, success is just us both being here,” said Schleper, who was a flag bearer for Mexico at the opening ceremony. “We’ve found success.”

That trip down the mountain

Lasse doesn’t really remember much from Dec. 29, 2011, in Austria when his mom swooped him up and took him down the slopes. He was about 4 at the time. It was the culmination of her time with the U.S. team after competing at four Olympics.

A final fun run to cap her career. With him.

She wore a dress that day, with a swimsuit underneath. He was in a heavy jacket and snow boots. Both were beaming through their ski goggles. And while he may not remember that, he fully realizes the significance of this moment and how much it means to share this experience with his mom.

“This is already such an amazing event," said Gaxiola, who turned 18 last month. "But coming here with my mom and getting to see my family, it just makes it feel so special and amazing to be together.”

For that, thanks mom.

Even farther back, a nod to Schleper's father, who she playfully said gave her the “ski bum” trait. Schleper wasn't ready to completely abandon racing after retiring from the U.S. squad. That travel bug ran deep.

The skier from Colorado gained Mexican citizenship, the country where her husband is from. She wasn't able to complete the process in time for the 2014 Sochi Games, the only Winter Games she's missed since her Olympic debut in 1998.

“I've had a great career. I’ve maintained a professional ski-bum lifestyle for a long time,” laughed Schleper, whose best Olympic finish was 10th in the slalom for Team USA at the 2006 Turin Games. “We travel the world. We eat amazing food. The sport has brought me so much.”

The ski gene

Lasse Gaxiola is named honor of Norwegian ski racing great Lasse Kjus, a three-time world champion. Gaxiola was in ski boots and on skis before he could even really walk.

“He'd be like, ‘Más, más (more, more),’ because he spoke Spanish first,” recalled Schleper, who brought him to training camps with her.

For him skiing was just as much about being with friends on the mountain as recording fast times. He's been around knowledgeable coaches his whole life, too, like the late Erich Sailer — the childhood coach of Lindsey Vonn — and, of course, his mom.

The talent is there. Gaxiola finished third in an entry-league giant slalom FIS event in Colorado in December. When he officially earned a spot and the family was recently notified, Schleper started screaming in the house.

For Schleper, this trip to the Olympics isn’t ceremonial. She’s there to compete. She had a top-five finish in a FIS super-G race last season in Vail. She also won a pair of FIS giant slalom races in 2024. She won't be diving into the slalom realm, though, not with Mikaela Shiffrin around.

“There’s no way I can compete at a level as Mikaela or these girls that are in the World Cup,” said Schleper, who coaches in Vail and whose daughter, Resi, is a figure skater. “But I still ski pretty well.”

Her coach at the Olympics is Hubertus Von Hohenlohe, the 67-year-old German prince /ski racer who competed for Mexico at the Olympics. Gaxiola will have his dad at his side. He serves as his son's ski technician, too, with help from mom from afar.

Any ski-racing similarities between mom and son?

“She’s a lot more patient than me,” Gaxiola explained. “I have maybe a little different style but she’s definitely molded me. She’s definitely the base of influence.”

His first real racing memory of mom was in fourth grade during an event in Italy. They had a chat, ski racer to ski racer: “She's like, ‘You have to send it,’” he recalled. “I was just thinking about that the whole time. How I just have to send it.”

Her advice now? Enjoy the moment.

“Just so many emotions being here with my family and everything,” Gaxiola said. "It's crazy. It’s awesome.”