Alliy Hansen pulls on her lined leggings, followed by a long sleeve shirt and ski socks. Snow pants come next, along with the right then left boot. She tugs snow pants on over the hard shells of her boots to keep out the snow. She zips up a long ski jacket after the boots, succeeded by the helmet. By donning mittens and tucking them into her jacket to prevent intruding snow to finish this process, she becomes ready for a long day on the slopes. This has developed into a natural routine for Hansen.

Hansen, a Revere student and amatuer skier, has moved to Colorado for the winter to further her ski career and pursue her skiing dreams. The competitive athlete outgrew her home mountain Holimont in western New York, which in years past she had visited almost every snowy weekend. Since the age of two, Hansen has visited many slopes to build valuable skills so she could reach the level she has attained.

“[While absent from Revere] I will compete in competitions across the United States. I will compete in USASA [United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association], USSA [United States Ski and Snowboard Association], and Rev. Tour [Revolution Tour for ski and snowboard] events mainly,” Hansen said.

After successfully competing last year at USASA and placing third nationally for skier girls ages sixteen to eighteen, Hansen is looking to improve. Not only is Hansen a well accomplished skier, but she is also a three-year letterman in tennis and one-year letterman in softball as a junior. Even though she is currently pursuing her dream in Colorado, Hansen still needs to fit in online schooling in combination with her rigorous ski schedule, as missing an entire trimester of school at Revere was a deterring factor in the decision of moving West. She emphasizes that the program she joined wants school work to be just as important as skiing. Bowanne Hansen, her mother and one of her biggest supporters, shared her experience living in this new environment.

“Alliy trains with her ski team six days a week. She does online school course work all day on her off day Monday and in the mornings of her half days: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Most of the days are skiing and working out at the gym. She also meets with a nutritionist and sports psychologist weekly. She is learning quickly the commitment it takes to be a full time athlete,” Mrs. Hansen said.

After the first trimester of her junior year at Revere High School, Hansen committed to this life changing transition. According to Hansen, she could not have completed this transition alone, as it was a long process.

“I transferred to the online school after first trimester finals were over. I could not have been able to do what I am doing without the support of the teachers and staff at Revere. Mr. DePompei helped me find the best online school option which was Treca Digital Academy. It has been a pretty smooth transition thanks to all the support from home,” Hansen said.

Brother and current student at Edinboro University Griffen Hansen may not have contributed much to her decision to moving to Colorado, but he did mentor and challenge his younger sister on the slopes growing up.

“Being her older brother, I have been able to push her competitively as a coach would do. She has always been a great skier, but I drove her because she was always trying to beat me. The ski world is really tough and [Hansen] is a good skier, not only because I urged her but because she believed that she could be better than me, which is half true,” Griffen said.

Hansen says she could not have done so well without support from her family, friends, school, and help from her old coaches Corey and Kelly Hacker. According to Jeremie Livingston, head coach and supervisor for the winter park’s free ski team and her current coach, some of Hansen’s goals include bettering certain tricks to build up her successful runs for competitions. Hansen has qualified for Revolution Tour, taking place January 8-13 in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire which is the next step on her road to nationals.

“We are working on competition runs and cleaning up some of the other tricks that she already has. She is really easy to coach which we call a coachable athlete, a hard worker, and a really good skier,” Livingston said.

Skiing in Colorado has provided Hansen with a chance of a lifetime, and she is not returning anytime soon. For winter break, she travelled around to different ski areas in Colorado. Her plan for spring break is undetermined, but she might qualify for some competitions, adding to her schedule. Brad Hansen, her father, has visited Colorado every few weeks but resides in Ohio to work for his company and maintain their home. He has also continued to work as a ski patroller at Holimont, a ski resort in New York. A definite date of return is not set, but Hansen plans on returning to Revere in mid-to-late-April to finish off her school year.

“We are having a blast. A family that skis together stays together. [Hansen] is going to travel to many new places and compete against some really great athletes. She is brave, fierce and hard working, plus super kind and funny. I love that kid,” Mrs. Hansen said.

Hansen starts at the top of the hill and looks down the slope. She pushes off and experiences the heart-racing thrill of the another ride, something she loves and continues to strive for. Hansen releases a sigh from satisfaction after performing another successful run on the slopes.