Her love for the blue riband Olympic sport has Greta powering on at the Olympic level eight years after she made her Olympic debut, while it has taken her to dozens of countries to compete on snow and ice.

Arguably the most difficult and dangerous winter Olympic sport, the raw and unchartered nature of Alpine Skiing makes it incredibly unique. The distinct sound of the crunching squeak of fresh snow under the racing boots, the athlete at the mercy of the terrain, the conditions and their own sense of self-preservation as they clip on a set of skis and launch themselves down the side of a mountain at an average speed of over 120km per hour.

The technology of skis and race suits may have changed over the decades, but the disciplines of downhill, super-g, giant slalom and slalom have remained true to their roots and enticed some of the best and most daring athletes from around the globe.

Australia has a history in Olympic alpine skiing that dates back 70 years to when we made our debut in Alpine Skiing at Oslo 1952. Frank Prihoda, Australia’s oldest living Olympian at 100 years of age, competed in the men’s giant slalom and slalom events at Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956.

The sport garnered more attention in 1998 when Zali Steggall won our first and only alpine skiing medal, bronze in the women’s slalom at her third Games. The achievement was also Australia’s first ever individual medal at the Olympic Winter Games.

Her accomplishment paved a bright future for alpine skiers in Australia, with young kids inspired to chase winter in high-country Victoria and NSW. For athletes like Greta, the love of the sport ran in the family. Thanks to her passion and determination she is now a three-time Olympian, only behind Zali for appearances in Alpine Skiing at the Olympics (four).

“Both my parents were skiers so it was pretty natural for me to head up the mountain,” Greta reminisced.

“They'd put me on these pink skis at Mount Buffalo. Then eventually we would go skiing up at Hotham and Falls Creek. I always loved it.

"I never really thought ‘I want to become an Olympian.’”

“I just love the sport so much. I did a lot of music and dance and different sports. It gives me so much joy and a fire, a fire in my heart when I’m out there skiing. I think that's what drove me to become an Olympian and keep going. It continues to push me.”

While the Australian terrain is often where a love with adrenaline sports is fostered and lessons are learned for competition, many athletes look overseas to train for the altitude and run distance that is needed for competitive World Cup alpine courses.

With a passion to don the green and gold at the Olympics, athletes pack their bags and take their ski teams to North America and Europe. Louis Muhlen-Schulte, the 23-year-old who made his Olympic debut in Alpine Skiing at Beijing 2022, is from Victoria and made the difficult decision early in his career to move to the USA in pursuit of his skiing dream. He scored a place within the USA ski team’s high performance program in 2017.

Katie Parker, another alpine skiing debutant at Beijing 2022, chose to relocate her training and development to the USA. Both Katie and Louis were at the Sugar Bowl Academy in California together. She’s raced and trained in the States for the last four years, with Montana State University being her base.

Having made a brave Olympic debut, Katie Parker credited her family for helping her reach the Games after a challenging road to Beijing 2022.

“My dad's always been really into ski racing and my parents are both giving me so many opportunities to ski.” Katie explained.

“I've basically travelled the whole world to ski, so I couldn't have done it without them. My sister Christie's the one to thank for helping me through, I could not have done it without her. I look up to her so much and love them all.

“They're really, really proud. They told me that they were just so happy watching me push out of the start gate.”

Alpine Skiing is known not just for the incredible technique required to succeed, but also the spectacular crashes and injury that can happen when things go wrong at high speeds on ice.

When this happens, there is little a skier can do but hope their boots come out of the skis and that the run’s safety netting will buffer any serious fall.

American Lindsey Vonn, arguably the most influential skier of all-time, has 82 victories to her name. For her and so many others, the success hasn’t come without terrifying crashes and horrific injuries. American Nina O’Brien severely broke her leg in the women’s giant slalom during Beijing 2022.

Vonn’s knees are now more metal than bone. She had an arm injury so severe she would apply duct tape to fix her hand to her ski pole handle for nearly six months to still compete. It’s this level of resilience that is at the core of all ski racers.

Greta Small is the very symbol of resilience and determination. She has come back from five surgeries, including three ACL injuries, to make the Beijing Games. It’s a battle that would have understandably made most people give away any sport, let alone Alpine Skiing.

Her passion for Alpine Skiing has kept her going and she can now call herself a three-time Olympian.

“I love competing and I love that feeling of trying to put the best run down you can and coming down through the finish.” Greta said.

“It's when you're actually having your best run, everything slows down and everything becomes really easy and natural.

“I think it's that sort of zen moment, where your body and mind and everything comes together.

“It hasn't been an easy road, but it's been an amazing journey and it continues. I keep pushing and keep trying to achieve my dreams.

“Of course there's fears and doubters and people who say you should quit, but I know in my heart that I'm not done. I've got so much more to give. I also just really hope everyone really enjoys watching Alpine Skiing!”

Greta is doing her part to signal a positive future for Australian Alpine Skiing. She finished her Beijing 2022 campaign in the alpine combined event, recording her Olympic Personal Best finish of 13th place. It is also Australia's third-best ever result in the Olympic alpine combined event and our best in 20 years.

“I want to inspire people in the sport that I love and I hope everyone at home can see a glimpse of it. I hope they can appreciate and can hear the passion.”

Greta Small, Katie Parker and Louis Muhlen-Schulte will continue to push their limits to build on the legacy of Australian Alpine Skiing, passed on from the likes of Frank Prihoda and Zali Steggall.

After all Lindsey Vonn once said: “That's the nice thing about ski racing – no one is stopping you from going faster.”

Shannon Knaus

#HaveAGo